ASTON MARTIN LAGONDA

ASTON MARTIN CONFIRMS BESPOKE SUPER SALOON: THE FINEST OF FAST CARS

Gaydon: Aston Martin was  confirmed a bespoke product programme for a new super saloon that will see the revival of the historic Lagonda nameplate in a strictly limited series.

Aston Martin has produced the first suite of images of its gorgeous Lagonda hyperluxury sedan in production form. This follows the release of photos of a prototype test vehicle in Oman a month ago, which followed an embarrassing photo drop of the same car by Oman Air shortly after it arrived in the Middle Eastern country. Turns out the Lagonda is just as beautiful sitting in front of a glass wall (and next to its most recent predecessor) as it is bombing through the Omani desert.

As has traditionally been the case, the Lagonda badge will once again sit proudly on a luxurious and exclusive super saloon.

The architecture of the Lagonda’s interior is pretty much taken straight from the Rapide, although, thanks to the Lagonda’s flatter roof line and longer wheelbase, passengers in the two rear seats should have significantly more head and leg room.

Aston Martin has yet to fully detail the car’s mechanical package, but it’s known that the Lagonda is based on the company’s VH architecture.

The five-door 2015 Rapide S, which also rides on the same underpinnings, features a 5.9-litre V12 pumping out 412kW of power and 630Nm of torque to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Rapide S has a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4.4 seconds.

Reports indicate that the Lagonda sedan can hit speeds of more than 280km/h.

The stunning luxury super saloon revives the Lagonda ethos of ‘the finest of fast cars’ and will be offered exclusively in the Middle East, as a result of specific market demand.

Exterior : The exterior hardly differs from the prototype vehicle that was shown off earlier by both Oman Air and Aston Martin during hot weather testing in the desert.
According to Autocar, the Lagonda wears a suit made from carbon fibre-reinforced plastic and is a much larger beast than the Rapide S that it’s closely related to.

With a body that stretches out over almost 5.4 metres and sitting on a 3.19m wheelbase, the Lagonda is 378mm longer end-to-end than the Rapide S and features an extra 199mm between the wheels. Unlike the Rapide, the Lagonda is a true sedan, with a flip-up boot lid.

The return of Lagonda follows in the wake of other headline-grabbing projects such as the One-77 hypercar, V12 Zagato and last year’s CC100 Speedster Concept – then seen as the ultimate Q by Aston Martin car – which started out simply as a centenary celebration design concept and, as a result of exceptional demand, later turned into two customer commissions.

Based on the brand’s existing flexible VH architecture, the new car draws inspiration from the highly sought-after William Towns-designed Lagonda of 1976 and features many of the same cutting edge engineering techniques seen in modern Aston Martin sports cars such as the use of carbon fibre in the body panels.

It will be hand-built by the finest craftsmen and women at Aston Martin’s modern manufacturing facilities in Gaydon, Warwickshire in a dedicated building previously given over to the creation of the One-77 hypercar. 

The new super saloon will be offered for sale by invitation only and, while precise pricing details remain confidential, the asking price will be commensurate with the car’s exclusivity, quality and luxurious nature.  

Aston Martin Design Director Marek Reichman said: “The debut of this luxury super saloon in the Middle East market will be an exciting moment not only for Aston Martin, but for discerning customers who are seeking the ultimate in luxury and personalisation.

“The new model, like its exclusive siblings the One-77 and V12 Zagato, has been created as a piece of exceptional automotive art. It has been designed and developed entirely in keeping with the spirit and ethos of previous Lagonda super saloons – notably the William Towns Lagonda – and as a tribute to this car it proudly bears the Lagonda nameplate.”