Lagonda Straight-6 engine
Encyclopedia
The Lagonda Straight-6 is a famous automobile
engine used by Aston Martin
and Lagonda
marques in the 1950s. Designed by Walter Owen Bentley
of Bentley Motors Limited, it vaulted Aston Martin to fame as a maker of desirable sports and racing cars.
, W. O. Bentley began working on a new straight-6
engine for the Lagonda marque. Bentley had taken a seat on Lagonda's board of directors when Alan Good bought and re-organized Lagonda in June 1935. Bentley had completed his obligatory three years term with former rival Rolls-Royce
following their 1931 acquisition of his former business. They had refused to return it to racing and had replaced many of his chassis and engine designs with their own. It was clear Lagonda's successful V12 would be seen as too extravagant for the postwar market.
Bentley and his team developed a modern dual overhead cam straight-6 engine. It initially displaced 2.6 L (2580 cc/157 in³) with an 78 mm (3.07 in) bore and 90 mm (3.543 in) stroke and produced roughly 105 hp (78 kW) with dual SU carburettors.
The Lagonda straight-6 caught the attention of David Brown
, who had purchased Aston Martin in 1947. Aston's Claude Hill-designed four cylinder
was not powerful enough for Brown, who desired a powerful, and high-tech, powerplant for his new automobile company. So Brown purchased Lagonda as well, incorporating Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. that same year.
The first production vehicle to use Bentley's new engine was the 1948 Lagonda 2.6-Litre
. This was a large car for the place and time, available as either a 4-door saloon or 2-door convertible
, and it could only reach 84 mph (135 km/h).
Sales were slow, but Aston's 4 cylinder 2-Litre Sports
model was barely selling at all. Brown decided to share the straight-6 with Aston, creating the wildly successful DB2
model. This car placed first and second in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
on its introduction in 1950, propelling Aston Martin into the top tier of post-war sports car companies.
The 2.6 L straight-6 went on to power the DB3
racing car and DB2/4
road car (the world's first hatchback
), before being enlarged to 2.9 L (2922 cc/178 in³ 83mm x 90mm) in 1952 for the DB3, in 1953 for the DB2/4 Mk1 Saloon in September 1953 & April 1954 for the DB2/4 Mk1 DHC. Power eventually reached 195 hp (145 kW) with twin three-choke Weber carburettors
in the "DBB"-spec DB Mark III
after a Tadek Marek
substantial redesign, but the engine by then was showing its age. It was replaced for the DB4
and later cars by a 3.7 L straight-6 designed by Tadek Marek.
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
engine used by Aston Martin
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
and Lagonda
Lagonda
Lagonda is a British luxury car marque, founded as a company in 1906 in Staines, Middlesex by a former opera singer from Ohio, but of Scottish ancestry, named Wilbur Gunn . He named the company after a river near the town of his birth, Springfield, Ohio, United States...
marques in the 1950s. Designed by Walter Owen Bentley
W. O. Bentley
Walter Owen Bentley, MBE engineer; designer of aero engines, designer and racer of motor cars, founder of Bentley Motors Limited in Cricklewood near London.He was known as "W.O." without any need to add the word Bentley....
of Bentley Motors Limited, it vaulted Aston Martin to fame as a maker of desirable sports and racing cars.
History
Towards the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, W. O. Bentley began working on a new straight-6
Straight-6
The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...
engine for the Lagonda marque. Bentley had taken a seat on Lagonda's board of directors when Alan Good bought and re-organized Lagonda in June 1935. Bentley had completed his obligatory three years term with former rival Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
following their 1931 acquisition of his former business. They had refused to return it to racing and had replaced many of his chassis and engine designs with their own. It was clear Lagonda's successful V12 would be seen as too extravagant for the postwar market.
Bentley and his team developed a modern dual overhead cam straight-6 engine. It initially displaced 2.6 L (2580 cc/157 in³) with an 78 mm (3.07 in) bore and 90 mm (3.543 in) stroke and produced roughly 105 hp (78 kW) with dual SU carburettors.
The Lagonda straight-6 caught the attention of David Brown
David Brown (entrepreneur)
Sir David Brown was an English entrepreneur, managing director of his family firm David Brown Limited and one time owner of shipbuilders Vosper Thornycroft and automobile manufacturer Aston Martin....
, who had purchased Aston Martin in 1947. Aston's Claude Hill-designed four cylinder
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
was not powerful enough for Brown, who desired a powerful, and high-tech, powerplant for his new automobile company. So Brown purchased Lagonda as well, incorporating Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. that same year.
The first production vehicle to use Bentley's new engine was the 1948 Lagonda 2.6-Litre
Lagonda 2.6-Litre
The first new automobile produced by Lagonda after its purchase by David Brown in 1947 was the 2.6-Litre. It was named for the new high-tech straight-6 engine which debuted with the car...
. This was a large car for the place and time, available as either a 4-door saloon or 2-door convertible
Convertible
A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
, and it could only reach 84 mph (135 km/h).
Sales were slow, but Aston's 4 cylinder 2-Litre Sports
Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports
The Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports was a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1948 to 1950. It was the first product of the company under new owner, David Brown, and is retrospectively known as the DB1. The car debuted at the 1948 London Motor Show and was based on the "Atom" prototype. Just 15 were...
model was barely selling at all. Brown decided to share the straight-6 with Aston, creating the wildly successful DB2
Aston Martin DB2
The Aston Martin DB2 is a sports car sold by Aston Martin from May 1950 through to April 1953. It was a major advancement over the 2-Litre Sports model it replaced, with a dual overhead cam straight-6 in place of the previously-used pushrod straight-4. The car featured a 2.6 L engine, and was...
model. This car placed first and second in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
on its introduction in 1950, propelling Aston Martin into the top tier of post-war sports car companies.
The 2.6 L straight-6 went on to power the DB3
Aston Martin DB3
The Aston Martin DB3 and later DB3S were racing cars built in the 1950s. Although they used some DB2 parts, they were quite different, being designed especially for racing...
racing car and DB2/4
Aston Martin DB2/4
The DB2/4 is a grand tourer sold by Aston Martin from 1953 through 1957. It was based on the DB2 it replaced, available as a Drophead coupe and 2+2 hatchback well ahead of the times. Other changes included a wraparound windscreen, larger bumpers, and repositioned headlights...
road car (the world's first hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
), before being enlarged to 2.9 L (2922 cc/178 in³ 83mm x 90mm) in 1952 for the DB3, in 1953 for the DB2/4 Mk1 Saloon in September 1953 & April 1954 for the DB2/4 Mk1 DHC. Power eventually reached 195 hp (145 kW) with twin three-choke Weber carburettors
Weber carburetor
Weber is an Italian company producing carburetors, currently owned by Magneti Marelli Powertrain S.p.A., in turn part of the Fiat Group.The company was established as...
in the "DBB"-spec DB Mark III
Aston Martin DB Mark III
The DB Mark III is a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1957 through 1959. It was an evolution of the DB2/4 Mark II model it replaced, using an evolution of that car's W.O...
after a Tadek Marek
Tadek Marek
Tadeusz "Tadek" Marek was a Polish automobile engineer, known for his Aston Martin engines.Marek was from Krakow.He raced and won with a Chevrolet Master sedan in the XII Rally Poland before moving to Great Britain...
substantial redesign, but the engine by then was showing its age. It was replaced for the DB4
Aston Martin DB4
The DB4 is a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1958 until 1963. It was an entirely different car from the DB Mark III it replaced, though the 3.7 L engine was externally visually related to the 2.9 L unit found in that car....
and later cars by a 3.7 L straight-6 designed by Tadek Marek.
Applications
- 2.6 L (2580 cc/157 in³)
- 1948–1953 Lagonda 2.6-LitreLagonda 2.6-LitreThe first new automobile produced by Lagonda after its purchase by David Brown in 1947 was the 2.6-Litre. It was named for the new high-tech straight-6 engine which debuted with the car...
- 1950–1953 Aston Martin DB2Aston Martin DB2The Aston Martin DB2 is a sports car sold by Aston Martin from May 1950 through to April 1953. It was a major advancement over the 2-Litre Sports model it replaced, with a dual overhead cam straight-6 in place of the previously-used pushrod straight-4. The car featured a 2.6 L engine, and was...
- 1950–1952 Aston Martin DB3Aston Martin DB3The Aston Martin DB3 and later DB3S were racing cars built in the 1950s. Although they used some DB2 parts, they were quite different, being designed especially for racing...
in 1952 - Mille Miglia, Silverstone, Prix de Bern, Empire Trophy (Isle of Man), Le Mans 14/15.6.52, Jersey 10.07.52, Boreham 02.08.52, Goodwood 9 hrs (2 cars) - 1953–1954 Aston Martin DB2/4Aston Martin DB2/4The DB2/4 is a grand tourer sold by Aston Martin from 1953 through 1957. It was based on the DB2 it replaced, available as a Drophead coupe and 2+2 hatchback well ahead of the times. Other changes included a wraparound windscreen, larger bumpers, and repositioned headlights...
- 1948–1953 Lagonda 2.6-Litre
- 2.9 L (2922 cc/178 in³)
- 1952–1953 Aston Martin DB3Aston Martin DB3The Aston Martin DB3 and later DB3S were racing cars built in the 1950s. Although they used some DB2 parts, they were quite different, being designed especially for racing...
used 1st time Monaco 02.06.52 (3 cars) & then Goodwood 9 hrs 16.08.52 (1 car) - 1953–1956 Aston Martin DB3SAston Martin DB3SThe Aston Martin DB3S was a sports racing car built by Aston Martin as a replacement for the heavy and uncompetitive Aston Martin DB3. In total 31 cars were made, with 11 works cars and 20 cars being sold for customer use. The DB3S was introduced in 1953 and it proved somewhat more successful than...
- 1953–1958 Lagonda 3-LitreLagonda 3-LitreThe 1953 Lagonda 3-litre was the second Lagonda of the David Brown/Aston Martin era. It used a higher displacement 2.9 L 140 bhp version of the twin overhead camshaft Lagonda Straight-6 engine which was designed by Walter Owen Bentley....
- 1954–1955 Aston Martin DB2/4Aston Martin DB2/4The DB2/4 is a grand tourer sold by Aston Martin from 1953 through 1957. It was based on the DB2 it replaced, available as a Drophead coupe and 2+2 hatchback well ahead of the times. Other changes included a wraparound windscreen, larger bumpers, and repositioned headlights...
- 1955–1957 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark IIAston Martin DB2/4The DB2/4 is a grand tourer sold by Aston Martin from 1953 through 1957. It was based on the DB2 it replaced, available as a Drophead coupe and 2+2 hatchback well ahead of the times. Other changes included a wraparound windscreen, larger bumpers, and repositioned headlights...
- 1957–1959 Aston Martin DB Mark IIIAston Martin DB Mark IIIThe DB Mark III is a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1957 through 1959. It was an evolution of the DB2/4 Mark II model it replaced, using an evolution of that car's W.O...
after Marek redesign
- 1952–1953 Aston Martin DB3