| Peking to Paris by Lagonda
Mike Shield (mike.shield@aston.co.uk)
To understand the connection between the three geographical locations mentioned above you would have to be a very close follower of motoring news or an Aston Martin enthusiast - or both.
Peking and Paris are pretty well known by all and for a variety of reasons. Beamish, to the uninitiated, is a north-eastern town with its historic roots in coal, industry and railways. To the sports car enthusiast it is the home of Aston Workshop - who employ traditional methods and time-honoured techniques to ensure their restored Aston Martins and Lagonda cars are always special. By combining modern technologies with the commitment to originality, their passion and dedication ensures that their sports machines are as good - if not better - today, than the day they left the factory. Their web site is only exceeded in hits for "Aston Martins" by the factory itself. But Peking and Paris? What's the connection?
In May The Aston Martin Workshop is embarking on one of the planet's last true motoring adventures - the Peking to Paris endurance race, commemorating the 1907 first race - won by Prince Borghese in his magnificent Itala.
The machine selected for the event by the company and the preparation currently taking place is both appropriate and illustrative of the care and precision undertaken on customers' cars and cars prepared for sale. The 1934 Lagonda selected for the Peking to Paris run has a venerable history and is, by design, sufficiently rugged and reliable to serve as a viable competitor.
. Robustness of design - the M45 as a design is as tough as any car of its vintage, as M45 entries in similar events have demonstrated, with excellent reliability.
. Comfort - The choice of an M45 Drop Head for the Challenge will give a car of almost unrivalled comfort. There can be few better suited cars for this type of long distance rally.
. Flexibility - The need is to be able to cover some quite large distances quickly while traveling on good quality roads, yet still have an ability to travel slowly when encountering boulder strewn, pot holed roads. The M45 is a highly flexible car and well capable of traveling no more that 5 to 10 mph in top gear for mile after mile, uphill and down dale, but is capable of sustaining speed up to 80 mph for long periods on suitable roads and with appropriate traffic conditions.
. Prestige - The Lagonda has enormous presence and prestige. It will attract a great deal of attention, which will be of considerable value to Aston Workshop, but which also serves the interests of the Challenge organisers, who wish to make this a premier Rally event on the International stage.
. Technical suitability - the Lagonda is a relatively simple car to prepare, its simplicity allied to basic ruggedness means that relatively only minor modification is needed to comply with the Challenge rally specifications.
. Safety - As a rugged and well designed car, it has great reserves of strength, excellent brakes, a reasonable turn of speed and good road holding and ground clearance. The Rally does not require the fitting of a full roll cage and indeed, while some of the ground to be covered involves semi or unprepared road surfaces of sometime variable quality, it is not an out and out competitive and timed speed event, rather one of endurance and range. For this the Lagonda is well suited.
The material relating to the appropriateness of the original design and desirable modifications is courtesy of Quentin Parker - Aston Workshop's Special Project Consultant.
AUF 77 in 1934
The car is being restored and prepared substantially to its original specification. What is being done to make the Lagonda appropriate for special use is substantially in line with the type of restoration work done for certain customers. Every branch of Aston Workshops is involved in the Peking to Paris project - especially the state of the art Paint & Body Centre. A number of modifications and certain elements have been restored using modern parts.
This is dictated by the terrain to be covered. Ten days of total wilderness with no fuel or water which has to be organized for crossing Mongolia must be the hardest thing any old car has been asked to do. The sections that still run over the areas that Prince Borghese drove in 1907 hold the greatest problems.
Changes are as follows:
* Engine - There are no changes to the engine specification - it is using the same ignition system and carburation and is the same capacity as when originally manufactured except for a lowered compression so that poor quality low octane fuel can be used. The car has a crankcase to a later LG 6 standard, this allowing the provision of 4 bolt main bearing caps to deal with a known weakness in the original Meadows engine design. Additionally, the cylinder head has been gas flowed to aid breathing and a slightly modified cam shaft fitted, the combination of which provides for a slight increase in top end power. The biggest internal change is the use of a new fully machined crankshaft. Using this has a number of important benefits, namely ability to use shell type main bearings; it is fully counterbalanced and stiffer. This enables the "safe"
engine speed to be increased from around 3500rpm to perhaps 4000rpm and, being of harder material, should be altogether a more robust longer life component. Finally, but by no means least, the lubrication system has been modified to permit the use of a full flow modern cartridge type oil filter.
* The Radiator has a modern copper high density core but the headers and support structures are brass, traditionally brazed and soldered together
* Clutch - the use of a modern clutch using the original clutch pedal linkage. Achieved with a modified flywheel.
* Gearbox - Use of stronger more robust straight cut gears, otherwise as original
* Final drive - use of a raised final drive ration so the car is better attended to modern driving conditions but still retains the excellent top gear flexibility associated with the Lagonda M45
* Steering and suspension - the only modification is to rebuild the suspension springs to provide a slightly stiffer setting using one extra leaf on the rears only and slightly increased ground clearance. Hartford friction type dampers are used as per the original design.
* Brakes - the standard brake system is robust powerful and light to use having regard to the brake servo as was fitted when the car was new. The standard brakes are excellent and no modification as such is needed.
* Fuel system - An auxiliary tank has been incorporated of approximately 10 gallons. When taken in conjunction with the standard 20 gallon tank this gives a usable ranger of approximately 400 miles plus or minus depending on road conditions. Additionally, Facet type pumps have been fitted to improve reliability. These are used in conjunction with additional filtering arrangements so that relatively poor quality and unfiltered fuel can be accommodated safely
* Electrical system - an original type wiring loom is used. However, it is intended to fit an alternator, which will be additional to the original spec generator. This enables safe low speed running over extended periods, if necessary after dark, and also ensures that extra loads on the electrical system can be accommodated.
* Lighting - standard except the fitting of halogen headlamp bulbs and modern indicator lamps
* Ventilation - a modern type ventilation blower has been fitted to enable enhanced ventilation for driver and navigator comfort.
* Navigation - digital trip meter & GPS navigation system - by regulations.
* Bodywork - The outline is as was originally manufactured. However, within the cabin the rear seat has been removed and in its place has been inserted a lockable storage container, incorporated with which is the auxiliary fuel tank.
So far as we have been able to determine, the car was painted deep maroon when new and this has been replicated. The car has been the subject of a nut and bolt restoration, and while the wooden frame of the body has been substantially replaced, as many of the original panels as possible have been incorporated.
It is a matter of more recent history that in 1988 The Aston Martin Workshop was established by the man who remains its sole proprietor, Bob Fountain. This specialist car sales and restoration workshop grew out of Bob's personal interest in restoring Aston Martin cars to the highest specifications, ones that would meet the exacting standards of the international market place, for quality classic Aston Martin and Lagonda cars.
Business was attracted by word of mouth and the company's reputation grew. Within a short space of time, The Aston Martin Workshop became synonymous with superb craftsmanship, together with the production of impeccably restored Aston Martin cars. A majority of owners come to feel like members of the Aston Workshop family.
News releases will continue to be issued as the Peking to Paris approaches and testing of AUF 77 commences. In the meantime we would welcome contact from any surviving owners or family of the Paris to Peking Lagonda.
So far as can be discovered these include: Major Maurice Cohn of Sussex, John Pisani of Bristol, John Leslie Smith of Bristol and Thames Ditton, Ivor Max Heald of Ashford, Ingram Amayes Ionides of Mitcham, Dr David Stuart Ellis of London.
Aston Workshop would like to re-unite owners with AUF 77 before or after the Peking to Paris event.
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