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A handsome LG6 drophead coupe coming up for sale at H & H in Cheshire on 8th of August :
I am curious what are the pro’s and conns for buying a rebodied car if it is done well ? This car was rebodied back in the early 1960’s.
I note that this auction house seems to have become a favourite place to sell pre-war Lagonda’s of late. Preferable I think to Coys etc.
SimonI think this is an old discussion. In general a rebodied car can mean a lot: copy of the original body because it was beyond repair, it can mean copy of an original body correct for the time and model of car and than going down the scale to any boy racer. Copy can mean exact copy so that you can not see the difference even in the slightest detail or anything not as good.
The original car with its original body and a nice history file with famous people or a win in Le Mans…is the dream.
Rebodied in terms of cutting away the roof is further down on the scale. But it depends too on how well it was done.
Can you spot the difference? Rake of the windscreen, posts and top end of the windscreen, the hood folded down is often a big pile compared to the original that folds nicer. Hood up, how does it compare to an original one, landau bars? All the sections where the saloon roof has been cut away, how is that finished?
I personally would rather buy a true saloon than one converted to a drophead if I can see the difference. Also as a moral position to stop cutting saloons. But of course a nice conversion at a much lower price than the real thing can be tempting..
Peter hi
Many thanks for these useful points.
This car body was converted around 50 years ago, a rotten saloon body removed and a dhc body made.
BTW, you won’t stop anyone converting saloons, there is such a large financial difference, that it will continue to happen I am sorry to say.
The body looks good, and the price is tempting of course.
As was recently seen with a pre-war Alvis, a super quality rebody, can command a very high price today. It all comes down to how well the rebody was done and all the fitments, interior and hood and how it is perceived in the market place.
But I will wait for a genuine dhc, either lG45 or L6, price difference is not so much today, and much better value than the corresponding tourer.
Simon
“You won’t stop anyone converting saloons, there is such a large financial difference, that it will continue to happen I am sorry to say.”
Although I believe this statement to be true in an ultimate sense, I think that the key factors are rarity, education and fashion.
There used to be a relatively large number of cars with rotting (and good) saloon bodies around. These days, there are few, relatively speaking.
Also, outside a dedicated knot of enthusiasts in the LC and comparable clubs there was little appreciation of the saloons. Now, they are being restored by some to the highest level (particularly with non-standard bodies) and are winning concours prizes in non-marque-specific competitions.
I believe that the final key element may be coming into play. All things considered, I detect a shift in appreciation of closed cars within the classic car movement. This may well filter through to our pre war cars to a significant degree.
Yes, you can’t stop people from doing whatever they want with their cars. And, yes, it still makes economic sense to vandalise a car in this way. But, i don’t think it will always be thus.
Seems hard to believe a saloon would be rotted out just 30 years after being built, but then I still recall a V12 saloon being offered in the early 70s in exchange for a good Austin 12/4, as the wood was rotted!
Be interesting to see what this sells for. Also an interesting thought that it has more history as it is now, than it had as a saloon. Obvious discrepancies; hood folded down is awful, no pram-irons, no concealed door hinges, and the windscreen rake is too upright.
On that latter point, I never cease to be impressed at the windscreen rake on the standard factory drophead!
Of more concern, but the photos don’t help, would be checking the fit of the doors. The saloon would have gained much structural rigidity from its roof, and this is clearly a conversion of a saloon body, as opposed to a complete new body.
I think I recall seeing this car at one or more Club AGMs; it’s certainly attractive, and provided the purchaser was happy with a non-original car, at the right price would be a great alternative if the “real thing” if beyond budget.
LaurenceI fully agree with all of Laurence’s sentiments. The car might be great value for money for the right person.
Colin
The same LG6 saloon now a drophead, up for auction at H&H again, at 60-75k.
I suspect that it will be an unsold again, with this generous estimate.
The car in question is actually quite a nice car and condition wise very smart.
Engine recently rebuilt and by a reputable person so in theory the car is quite sweet.
The draw backs like mentioned are the slightly less atractive front screen and the poor way the hood folds down rather like a Mercedes 540, Otherwise a good buy if the right price can be paid.I would say 70k GB would be reasonable for this car in the current market.
Regards,
JulianExactly as I expected, unsold.
Buyers are more fussy and especially so in todays market, no one will pay such strong money for a car that started life as a saloon.
Yep,
I well remember the collapse in Lagonda prices around 1991 and wonder if it will happen again. It took 15+ years to recover and so let’s see what happens now.
It’s worth reflecting that the LG6 does with something like three miles to the litre of fuel. Ouch!
Colin M34
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