01
Origins
The 14/60 of 1925 gave Lagonda — a Staines company founded by an American, Wilbur Gunn — its first thoroughly modern sporting chassis. Its 2-litre four was unusually sophisticated for the money, with twin camshafts set high in the block operating inclined valves in hemispherical chambers, and the car carried coachwork with the long-bonneted elegance that became the marque's signature. Developed into the 2-Litre Speed Model, it gave Lagonda a genuine competition tool and a following among the fast-touring set who wanted Bentley spirit at a less imposing price. The 14/60's engine thinking — efficiency through breathing rather than sheer size — ran through everything Lagonda built afterwards, up to the M45 and the Le Mans-winning 4.5-litre cars that made the company's name in the following decade.
Lagonda 2-litre 1932 · Peter Turvey from Marlborough, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0
