Overview
| Car Type | Rapier |
| Date in Production | 1933 to 1936 |
| Number Sold | 376 |
| How many exist today? | 69 |
Technical Details
| Track Rear | 4ft |
| Track Front | 3ft 11¾in |
| Length | 12ft10in |
| Wheelbase | 8ft 4in |
| Kerb Weight | 18.5cwt (varies) |
| RAC Rating | |
| Engine Manufacturer | Coventry Climax |
| Type | Four cylinder, twin overhead camshaft |
| Firing Order | 1-3-4-2 |
| Carburettor. | Twin SU HV2HC |
| Dynamo | 3-brush, constant current |
| Bore X Stroke | 62.5mm x 90.0mm |
| Ignition | BTH GA4 magneto |
| Displacement | 1104cc |
| Fuel System | SU L pump from 8 gallon tank |
| Clutch | Single plate, dry unit |
| Gearbox | ENV 75 LT pre-selective |
| Coolant | Water pump |
| Specific Output | 45bhp at 4500rpm |
Information
In the spring of 1933 the PERR syndicate re-entered the story by meeting General Metcalfe and making him an offer. They would pay £800 to buy a 3 Litre with a 4½ litre engine and two 9 HP chassis to race in the 1100cc class. If the 9 HP became a production reality, the company would pay the syndicate a royalty for three years. The 9HP went to an outside freelance designer, Tim Ashcroft. His brief was to make a small car of the highest possible quality and he responded with a twin overhead camshaft four cylinder aluminium engine coupled to a pre-selector gearbox by ENV. His design allowed for astonishing revs for the period with excellent handling and brakes. It was to be called the Rapier and two prototypes were on show at the 1933 Motor Show.
Towards the end of 1935, when some 300 Rapiers had been sold, the Lagonda Company went into receivership. The remaining Rapier parts were sold off to Tim Ashcroft, Bill Oates, an ex- Lagonda Company director, and Nevil Brockelbank, who set up Rapier Cars Ltd. to assemble the remaining parts as Rapiers. The radiator sported a Rapier badge as distinct from Lagonda.
