<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Finished in an unusual red colour, all three competition Lagonda M45Rs were entered by Fox & Nicholl for the 1934 Tourist Trophy run on September 1st. The three Lagondas finished a commendable 4th, 5th and 8th overall. Brian Lewis in the 4th placed M45R had an intense fight during the final laps for the class honours against a Bentley but he eventually had to give up because his tyres had worn to the canvas. Not raced again in 1934, the competition cars were used as demonstrators.
The next outing for two of the three M45Rs was the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June of 1935. One was entered for Lagonda test pilot John Hindmarsh and Luis Fontes while the other was fielded by Fox & Nicholl for Dr JD Benjafield and Sir Ronald Gunther. The cars were updated only in detail with additional cooling vents on the scuttle as the most significant change. The main rivals were the Alfa Romeos, who had won the last four editions. The 8C 2300s featured a small fin on the back of the car, which was hastily copied by Fox & Nicholl before the race.
Although the supercharged Alfa Romeo engines were more powerful than the naturally aspirated Meadows straight six, the torque available from the bigger British engine provided the two rivals with virtually a level playing field. Early in the race both cars were in the top six and at around midnight Hindmarsh/Fontes were in the lead. Despite a lengthy pit stop to repair accident damage, the red Lagonda managed to grab victory. It could have been a 1-2 for Fox & Nicholl had the sister car not suffered from gearbox issues, dropping it to 13th.
Following the Le Mans victory, Fox & Nicholl entered two of the Lagondas in the 1935 Tourist Trophy where they placed 7th and 8th. The cars were not raced since but their racing success no doubt contributed to Lagonda's rescue. Fox & Nicholl would continue to campaign Lagondas and a works team famously fielded two spectacular V12-engined machines in the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Finished in an unusual red colour, all three competition Lagonda M45Rs were entered by Fox & Nicholl for the 1934 Tourist Trophy run on September 1st. The three Lagondas finished a commendable 4th, 5th and 8th overall. Brian Lewis in the 4th placed M45R had an intense fight during the final laps for the class honours against a Bentley but he eventually had to give up because his tyres had worn to the canvas. Not raced again in 1934, the competition cars were used as demonstrators.