LR125 at Silverstone Auctions on 4/09

SRD

25 August 2014 at 21:15 #50970

LR125 is now being sold through Silverstone Auctions on 4th September.

The car now equipped with SU Carburettors, interior re-trimmed (colour changed from white gold colour – great shame to black); typical problems with electric windows; paintwork needing some work, carpets need replacement, seems to have lost its Motorola radio

http://www.silverstoneauctions.com/1963-aston-martin-lagonda-rapide

Registration: 280 HYL

Chassis Number: LR/125/R

Engine Number: 400/125

Number of cylinders: 6

CC: 3993cc

Year of Manufacture: 1963

Estimate (?): 100,000 – 125,000

It will be interesting to see what this car sells for at auction, still looks to be a good buy. I wonder why it has not sold at or near the asking price of ?130k ?

David

26 August 2014 at 13:59 #50971

Any ideas what was the reason to convert from Solex to SU carbs?

SRD

26 August 2014 at 15:43 #50972

David hi

This is the second Rapide I have noted with the DB4 style conversion, LR128 was the first I had seen.

I have not seen 125, but have pictures of it from Christian show a car which has had a vast amount of work and money spent and looks good.

I had the opportunity to drive 155 at Bonham’s, not far unfortunately (!), but to my mind the engine pulled very well on the Solex carbs, in comparison to my brother’s DB6. Mechanically, 155 was a 100% well sorted car, and a credit to its restorer.

The auction blurb as follows – not my words for 125:

“Chicane Classics, to ensure the smooth and reliable running of the engine and mechanicals. This included the fitment of twin SU carburettors in place of the less efficient and unreliable Solex carburettors”

You have far more experience than anyone else now with a Rapide, I would like to know your thoughts on the subject ?

David

26 August 2014 at 16:45 #50973

Simon hi,
various factors come to mind. We spent an eye watering amount rebuilding the solex (could have bought 3 SU and manifolds for the same sum) and another ?1k having them set up right, they are not well known and I suspect real expertise is thin on the ground. But now they are superb and have needed virtually no tuning in 10 years or 10000 miles. Since putting a 4 speed auto in my car, it is quite high geared, meaning 30 mph on the flat may barely be above idling, yet the engine copes very well and I put this down to the flexibility inherent in the twin choke design of the solex. Compare with my other manual car, which granted has high lift cams etc and 3 SU, and it really doesn’t like below 1800 to 2000 revs

that said I do know at least 2 cars were specified with SU from new, 118 but it basically had a full DB5 engine with 3, and 152 which only had a pair (and I don’t suppose we’ll ever know what cam shafts it had)

The solex when it changes from slow running to main jets at about 3000 rpm has quite a dramatic effect on performance, which I suspect the SU setup won’t have

horses for courses!

Best wishes
David

SRD

4 September 2014 at 15:45 #50984

David hi

Thank you for your thoughts on this matter.

I am waiting to hear from a mutual friend who owned the remainder of 152, what was the spec of the camshafts in the engine, will be useful for ever increasing pile of pages…

I remember looking at the pictures of 118 in racing form, no doubt with a straight through exhaust, like the racing DB4’s, it must have made one hell of an impressive noise !

Not long to go, auction is this evening!

By a strange twist of fate, was contacted the other day by a son of the first owner of LR125.

All the best

Simon

David

5 September 2014 at 06:35 #50988

You might want to ask 152’s owner too about the crankshaft found in the engine when dismantled