Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Classics you still would like to own ?

I'm fascinated by the innovation in small capacity car engines taking place pre-war with little constraints on costs it seems, although possibly explained by the RAC horsepower tax in force at that time. One example was the four cylinder 1104 cc twin overhead cam engine used in the Lagonda Rapier. The brief was to design "Britain's finest 1100 cc engine" and the result was to be built in light alloy. Even then though costs resulted in the block being in cast iron making it heavier than anticipated although it did produce a healthy 50 bhp, and that's without the supercharger fitted to some two seater variants.



When Lagonda failed in 1935, part of the sell off included supplying all the remaining Rapier engines and chassis to the newly formed Rapier Cars Ltd. They built just 46 cars with their own 4 seater touring bodywork. The organiser of local M3W club branch has one and explained a lot of this history to me. Apparently the Lagonda name was ground off engine covers and Rapier added. Although of considerably larger capacity, he hinted that the engine design was the inspiration for the post war twin ohc six cylinder Jaguar range.