Lagonda’s early success had been founded on the production of light cars, but the company changed direction in the mid-1920s with the introduction of the ‘14/60’.

The latter abandoned the firm’s traditional in-unit gearbox in favour of a midships-mounted transmission, but of greater technical interest was the engine.

Designed by Arthur Davidson, the latter was a 2.0-litre ‘four’ featuring twin camshafts, mounted high in the block, operating inclined valves set in hemispherical combustion chambers.

Power output of this advanced design was a highly respectable 60bhp.

A lighter, more powerful and faster (80mph) 2-Litre Speed Model was introduced for 1927, after which the ‘14/60’ was dropped.

For the 1929 season, a ‘low chassis’ Speed Model was introduced, featuring revisions to the frame’s front end and a higher-compression engine fitted with twin carburettors.

This new Speed Model had resulted from the factory’s Le Mans effort of 1928, when the 2-Litre driven by Andre D’Erlanger an...