Lagonda
M45R Rapide (1935 Le Mans winner, BPK 202)

Why it matters

BPK 202 won the 1935 Le Mans 24 Hours for Lagonda, driven by John Hindmarsh and Luis Fontes, beating the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 team that had won the previous four editions. The win came as Lagonda was in receivership.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Lagonda M45R Rapide (1935 Le Mans winner, BPK 202) (Wikimedia Commons: Lagonda M45R Rapide (1935 24 Hours of Le Mans, No.4) in the Louwman Museum)
  Photo: Roman Boed · CC BY 2.0
• Lagonda M45R Rapide (1935 Le Mans winner, BPK 202) (Wikimedia Commons: Lagonda M45R Rapide (1935 24 Hours of Le Mans, No.4) in the Louwman Museum)
  Photo: Alf van Beem · Public domain
• Lagonda M45R Rapide (1935 Le Mans winner, BPK 202) (Wikimedia Commons: Lagonda M45R Rapide (1935 24 Hours of Le Mans, No.4) in the Louwman Museum)
  Photo: Alf van Beem · Public domain
• Lagonda M45R Rapide (1935 Le Mans winner, BPK 202) (Wikimedia Commons: Lagonda M45R Rapide (1935 24 Hours of Le Mans, No.4) in the Louwman Museum)
  Photo: Alf van Beem · Public domain

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

BPK 202 was one of three Fox & Nicholl cars built in summer 1934 and finished fifth in that year's Tourist Trophy under Hindmarsh. In June 1935 at Le Mans it ran second after the two fastest Alfas developed ignition trouble, collided with a spinning Aston Martin and was patched in the pits. It took the lead late on and won with only half a litre of oil in the sump, according to the Louwman Museum.

After Le Mans it ran the 1935 Tourist Trophy (seventh, Hindmarsh) and was then sold. By 1972 it was in regular use, and in 1985 it paraded at Le Mans for the 50th anniversary. The Louwman Museum shows a car it describes as the Le Mans winner.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The Motor Sport team-car survey records that BPK 202 and BPK 201 swapped engines at some time. BPK 202 carries a gearbox of a different Lagonda model from the original. It has the louvred bonnet top and outside exhaust fitted for the 1935 Tourist Trophy (the louvred top remains).

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Motor Sport, March 1972 – The 1934 Fox and Nicholl Lagondas Level C

   • 1 individual car: BPK 202, one of a team of three Fox & Nicholl Lagondas, the 1935 Le Mans winner (identity confirmed)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   The 1934 Fox and Nicholl Lagondas Level B Motor Sport Magazine · 1972-03

   • specification sheet published by Henry Meadows Ltd. gives the bore at 85 mm and the stroke at 120 mm, with a capacity of 4,467 c.c.
   • cylinder bore was 85 mm
   • stroke at 120 mm
   • Measuring BPK 203 ... I made it also 10 ft. 3 in.

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   Lagonda's Le Mans upset (1935) Level B Motor Sport Magazine · 2023-05

   • good for 140bhp at 3600rpm in tweaked form
   • 140bhp at 3600rpm
   • highly tuned engines, Girling drum brakes, and short chassis
   • a car that weighed over 1500kg

   Accessed 2026-11-12