Lagonda LG45 / LG45R Rapide History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
Start with a make and model. Add a year where a detailed guide is available.
Model history available. Detailed year guides are not published for this model.
Browse this model's history and yearsHistory
After Alan Good's rescue of the company in 1935, W. O. Bentley was given charge of development. His first act was to refine the existing M45 into the LG45, progressively improving the 4,467 cc Meadows six through three 'Sanction' iterations — each with more Bentley engineering touches. Bodies were lower but heavier than the M45's.
The short-chassis LG45R Rapide carried the same Sanction treatment in competition form; only 25 were built, making them the rarest and most coveted of all pre-war Lagondas. With time the LG45R Rapide has become the most desirable model the marque produced in the pre-war era.
The LG45's two-year run (1935–1937) bridged the old Meadows cars and Bentley's entirely new project — the V12 — which he had been quietly developing concurrently.
Body styles
- Tourer
- Saloon
- Drophead coupe
Notable special editions & performance variants
LG45R Rapide
Short-chassis Rapide with three Sanction levels of Bentley engine work; only 25 built — the rarest and most valuable pre-war Lagonda.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Lagonda LG45 / LG45R Rapide
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.