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Aston Martin Lagonda - wedge-shaped luxury sedan of superlatives

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Created on January 4, 2013

Text:

Stefan Fritschi

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

47

Bruno von Rotz

1

Archiv

38

Daniel Reinhard

47

Bruno von Rotz

1

Archiv

38

Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the front is very low, the radiator had to be designed flat

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - would also have been a suitable company car for pilots

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - an Aston that James Bond was never offered as a company car

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the Aston is hardly less conspicuous on the highway than a Mirage taking off

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - both had a lot of power, but that's the only thing they had in common

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - in the wild

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - geometric design

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - imposing appearance

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - it's hard to believe that this design has been around for over 35 years

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the folding headlights were necessary because the lamps in the low front did not meet the standards of the time

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - was and is an absolute rarity on our roads

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - looks more compact from behind than it is

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - effortless to drive thanks to the power of the large-volume V8 engine

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - still looks futuristic even after 35 years

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the designer had a largely free hand

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the flat saloon is 528 cm long and 181 cm wide

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - no other saloon was flatter and more wedge-shaped

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - only slightly curved body lines

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the glass surfaces are only minimally curved

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - access through four doors

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - still as striking today as it was 35 years ago

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - looks flat and long at the same time

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - looks very iconic, especially in silver

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the Porsche 928 and the Lagonda were created at the same time - the designers came to completely different conclusions

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - only a few people bought the Lagonda as a chauffeur-driven limousine

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the steering wheel looks very small

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - comfortable seats in the rear, but not too much space

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - only the first prototypes had a sensor button control for the automatic transmission, later a conventional gearshift followed

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the handbrake is to the left of the seat

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the sensor buttons are used to switch the lights, windshield wipers, etc.

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - all information in digital form

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the digital specifications suggest fictitious accuracy

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - it was not easy for the engineers to install the large engine in the flat nose

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the V8 engine with a displacement of 5.3 liters

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the engine is marked to show who assembled it at the factory

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - Four downdraft twin carburetors from Weber feed the fuel to the eight cylinders

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the only mechanical display in the Aston, the mileage, is located in the engine compartment

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the fuse box is easily accessible in the right-hand part of the engine compartment

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the type plate with the chassis number

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - View into the carpeted trunk

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - even with the folding headlights closed, there is still a veritable armada of lamps at the ready

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - Stylish rear light design already in the seventies

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the door handle

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - the tank opening is located under a large flap

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - angular down to the last detail - Rear-view mirror

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - variously labeled rims

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Lagonda Saloon (1933) - "Pillarless Saloon" - first registration in 1934

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Lagonda Saloon (1939) - "Short Saloon" - available with six or twelve-cylinder engine

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Lagonda 2 1/2 Litre (1950) - the four-door sedan

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Aston-Martin DB 2 4 (1954) - advertisement from 1954 - and Lagonda

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Lagonda 3 Litre (1955) - how to pick up your sweetheart - brochure illustration

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Lagonda Rapide (1962) - Similarities to the DB 4 are immediately apparent

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Lagonda Rapide (1962) - one of the most expensive cars of the time

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Lagonda Rapide (1963) - based on the DB4, but with a differently shaped front and extended rear end

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Lagonda Rapide (1962) - elegant, but not successful

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1975) - Four-door sedan based on the V8, bearing the name 'Lagonda' again after many years

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1975) - the sketch shows the straightforward design elements

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1975) - Prince Charles tests the 'Flying Wedge'

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1977) - breathtakingly flat and sleek

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1977) - an early model - still with "radiator mascot"

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1979) - Presentation at the London Motor Show, the price was estimated at DM 110,000, the power at 300 hp

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1980) - exhibited at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1980) - marked like hardly any car before and after

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1980) - relatively large, but largely flat window surfaces

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1982) - still breathtaking years after its presentation

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1982) - the gentleman's express for the larger crew

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1982) - stood out like a UFO

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1982) - Interior of a 1982 model, already with gearshift

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1982) - Interior, steering wheel and dashboard

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1983) - outwardly largely identical to the vehicles shown in the seventies

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1983) - the shape of the exhaust tips changed

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1983) - Digital displays in the cockpit

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1983) - modern shapes in front of old walls, specifically: Alnwick Castle in Northumberland

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - also geometric and straight-lined on the inside

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1984) - cuts the air like a piece of cheese

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1985) - the wedge-shaped saloon in the 1985 sales brochure

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1985) - a left-hand drive sedan

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1985) - straight surfaces dominate the design

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1985) - Interior of the left-hand drive 85 model

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1985) - not too many cars are likely to have been lined in this red color

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1985) - Limousine by Tickford

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1987) - Steering wheel and dashboard - with extended digital displays

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1989) - a late model with a higher front end, front spoiler and without folding headlights

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Aston Martin Rapide (2012) - the modern successor to the Lagonda, which in turn may bear the type designation 'Rapide'

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Aston Martin Lagonda (1972) - at that time extraordinarily futuristic and expensive - now offered for Euro 34'500 - at the Retro Classics Stuttgart 2012

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Summary

At the third attempt, an automotive milestone was achieved, but it fell victim to its own progressiveness. While the design was like something from another planet, Aston Martin opted for tried and tested values on the drive side of the Lagonda, only to go completely off the rails on the inside. "Electronics shock "3, commented the press. This vehicle report portrays an Aston Martin Lagonda from 1984 and explains why the courage of the Aston makers was not rewarded with the success it deserved. Many historical and current illustrations, three brochures and audio samples round off the report.

This article contains the following chapters

Traditional brand Lagonda as name donor
Name revival with the Lagonda Rapide
Out of the crisis with a lucrative car
Sports car in luxury limousine guise
Delays in series production
Extremely angular exterior shape made by hand
Flat sports car front with ten "eyes"
Traditional drive with futuristic operation
Steel chassis with conventional technology
In Rolls-Royce territory in terms of price
Lagonda Series 3 with fuel injection and HUD
Lagonda Series 4 without folding headlights and smoothed edges
Too little image, too little space, too little quality
On the road with a vehicle from the second series
Further information

Estimated reading time: 17min

Preview (beginning of the article)

After the Lagonda Series 1 had been produced in just eight units and had therefore failed, the Lagonda 2 was to be Aston Martin's giant leap forward into the lucrative luxury saloon segment from 1976. The aim was to put a veritable temple of progress on wheels that would eclipse or at least challenge everything that had gone before. All the technical and formal stops were pulled out regardless of cost. Perhaps one or two too many? Lagonda - the traditional British manufacturer was particularly famous for its sports and racing cars in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1935, Johnny Hindmarsh and Luis Fontés won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Lagonda M45 with a 4.5 liter six-cylinder engine. In 1947, industrialist David Brown took over the company and integrated it into his Aston Martin brand. Sports and touring cars continued to be built under the Lagonda label.

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