Lagonda’s Le Mans upset
It’s been almost 90 years since Lagonda defied the odds, beating Alfa Romeo to earn its first Le Mans victory: a worthy triumph often overlooked in the race’s long history
Arthur W Fox’s Lagonda M45 Rapide wasn’t the pre-event favourite, but pulled off a shock for the ages in 1935
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Taken from Motor Sport, May 2023, Lagonda’s 1935 Le Mans upset: narrow victory that denied Alfa Romeo
Privateer Arthur Willard Fox was the prototype modern endurance racing and rallying team manager. A stickler for detail, his cars and drivers were well prepared, pampered even, and expected to perform well and to order as a result. His well-equipped and spick-and-span Fox & Nicholl service station/showroom/workshop in Tolworth on the Kingston Bypass was a byword for efficient success: a British Scuderia Ferrari.
Le Mans was Fox’s happy hunting ground, a class-winning campaign in 1930 being the first of three consecutive third places overall. These were achieved using Talbots designed by Georges Roeschand whose excellent performance belied their upright stance and muted delivery minus thrashing overhead cams and whining supercharger.