1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupé, Frank Feeley Design Walkaround

Perhaps England's outstanding pre- World War 2 sporting luxury car was the Lagonda V12.  Frontal styling by Frank Feeley was strong, but rounded, unlike the angular Rolls-Royce motif.  Therefore, although some "razor edge" bodies appeared on V12 Logondas, the usual styling solution was to maintain curves.

The present post presents a walkaround set of views of a 1939 Drophead Coupé sporting a factory-built body designed by Feeley.  Images are via Bonhams, who put the car up for auction in 2016.  Bonhams' web page dealing with that car is here.

Some background on the V12 Loganda from Bonhams:

"1935 had brought bankruptcy and rescue for Lagonda, the benefactor being a young solicitor named Alan Good. Good reorganized the company and recruited W. O. Bentley, who by then was disillusioned with life at Rolls-Royce which had acquired Bentley in 1931. Bentley succeeded in refining the muscular, Meadows-engined Lagondas while working on a vastly more-advanced design that many consider the great man's finest. Luckily, the talented designer Frank Feeley was already working at Lagonda when Alan Good took over, and he was wisely retained. Feeley was made responsible for the elegant factory bodywork, and together, he and Bentley and would create the ultimate in British prewar grand touring cars. As usual, a short-chassis Rapide roadster was made available which provided even more performance. First seen in 1936, the Lagonda V12 did not commence deliveries until 1938, and only 189 had been built before the outbreak of hostilities ended production."

Gallery

Dramatic view.

Frontal styling.  Very British, and around five years out of date by 1939 American styling fashion standards.

Side view, top down.  The hood (bonnet) is high and the belt line falls off to the rear.  This continuity is slightly broken by the tall, bulged trunk (boot).

Side view, top (hood) raised.  This seems to improve the composition, so I wonder what a fixed-head version might have looked like.

Spare tires are covered and the rear fenders feature spats.  These features might have been included to make the design seem more "modern" or "streamlined"  -- that is, smoother.

Rear view.  Those 1939 tires seem spindly in today's context.

Right side.

The flat windshield was also somewhat dated by 1939, though I doubt that a V'd version would have been an improvement.

Finally, a glimpse of the dashboard.