PLEASE NOTE: Since the catalogue went to press we have been contacted by the Rapier Register who have kindly pointed out the following inaccuracies: “As you can read in the excellent tome (Twin-Cam Extravagance by Chris Wiblin) published in 2021, a new company called Dobson's and de Clifford Ltd was set up in 1934 with Cyril Dobson (not Charles) and Edward Southwell Russell, 26th Baron de Clifford (a different person from racing driver Freddie Clifford) as joint directors.

They intended to market a de Clifford Special Lagonda Rapier with varying degrees of tuning for racing, trials or road-use.

In practice, they produced ten de Clifford Specials in 1934/5.

The first to be completed, with a body by E J Newnes, was driven by Lord de Clifford and Charles Brackenbury in the 1934 le Mans 24-hour race.

A further six, like this example, had a John Charles-built two-seater body with a distinctive fin on the tail.

Just three of these are known to survive with their original bodywork intact...