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Chassis:
One of four Team Cars built by Fox & Nicholl for Lagonda, this is one of a pair that was fitted with a two-seater body. It was entered for Le Mans but the race was cancelled due to strikes. Still in France, it was given its belated debut by Marcel Lehoux in the Grand Prix de l'ACF at Montlhéry. Upon its return to the British isles, it was re-painted from its original blue to the Fox & Nicholl 'works' colour of dark red. It was then raced for the remainder of the year at Reims, Spa and in the Tourist Trophy at Ards. It was the start of a very long period racing history. In 1937, it was driven to a one-hour speed record by Alan Hess. Subsequently refurbished by Lagonda, it was sold to its first private custodian in 1938. It was reportedly raced at the inaugural meeting at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in September of 1948. In the ownership of Joe Goodhew, it was substantially lowered and fitted with a pre-selector gearbox. He raced the car until the early 1950s and it was then campaigned in club events by Colonel L.S. Michaels.
Finally retired from contemporary racing, it was set aside from 1959 through to 1974. Acquired by enthusiast David Dunn, it was then meticulously restored to the original configuration. Due to the modifications carried out by Goodhew, this required a considerable amount of work. To raise the body back to its original height, a full 10 inches of aluminium had to be welded back on. Once the car was restored, it was not used extensively until it was acquired by Terry Cohn in the second half of the 1980s. He raced the car extensively along with his daughter Amanda and her then husband Martin Stretton. Following his untimely death in 1999, the Cohn collection was sold at a Bonhams auction in 2002. The car was acquired by Dr Richard Lisman, who regularly campaigned the car in the Mille Miglia Retrospective. It has since been sold twice more by Bonhams and has benefited from a complete restoration. Still retaining the 'EPE 97' registration number it is commonly referred to by, it was then shown at the 2018 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este.
| Chassis details |
| Manufactured in |
1936 |
| First owner |
Fox & Nicholl |
| License plate |
EPE 97 |
| Last known location |
German Private Collection |
| Appearances |
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| Most recent auction(s) |
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LG45 Rapide Team Car
