Mr. Gardner's Lagonda

http://gardner-enthusiast.co.uk/lk.html

Gardner LK Engines...



In order to provide the truck and bus industry with a lightweight
diesel engine that provided low weight to power ratio a new Gardner
engine was designed. The first LK prototype engines were made In early
1934. The first was a six cylinder engine with the serial number 31891,
two six cylinder LK engines were built and subsequently fitted in
Gardner owned motorcars. The six cylinder LK engine never went into
production and the two six cylinder units that were built are in the
hands of Mr Paul Gardner of the Gardner family.

It was decided not to build a six cylinder LK engine but to build a
four cylinder version named the 4LK. The first 4LK engine serial number
34405 was built and tested on 10th of October 1935, most were fitted
into Foden and ERF trucks although a number of private car owners
fitted this light and economical engine in their cars.

The cylinder heads, cylinder blocks were cast in Iron the crankcase
and base chamber being in magnesium alloy. The engine had a bore of
3.75 inches and a stroke of 5.25 inches resulting in a swept volume of
3.8 litres. The 4LK produced 52 bhp at 2000 rpm later increased to 57
bhp at 2100 rpm. Typical fuel consumption in a 3 ton truck was in the
range of 25 mpg, considerably more was achieved by engines fitted into
motorcars.

Due to the success of these engines and their outstanding fuel economy
people started fitting these engines in luxury cars, and due to this
demand Gardners' designed a special edition 4LK engine. This engine
featured aluminium alloy cylinder heads and cylinder blocks fitted to
the standard magnesium alloy crankcase. Only about forty of these
special edition engines were produced with a maximum power of 85 bhp at
a very high speed of 3000 rpm in the 1930's.

The 4LK was fitted into a number of motorcars from Lagonda's to
Wolseley and Jaguars, a Jaguar XK150 fitted with a Gardner 4LK in the
1950's achieved an amazing 90 mpg when competing in a Mobil economy
run in Cheshire.
Capacity Automotive

hi there.what car is your Lagonda car ?.how much do you want for it .

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "michael
hodgkinson"<dave (AT) dave (DOT) co.uk> saying something like:

hi there.what car is your Lagonda car ?.how much do you want for it .

Lagonda's are rubbish. I'll sell you a Spagthorpe Bologna. 3 million
dollars.
--

Dave
SE6a