After an absence of almost 10 years, Aston Martin reintroduced the Lagonda name at the 1974 Earls Court Motor Show in London. This time not as brand name, but as type-indication of their newest sports saloon. Based on the DBS, this long-wheelbased, four-door version of the Aston Martin V8 was an elegant design. The design itself was already five years old as David Brown already drove the Series 1 Prototype since 1969, but it had to wait until Aston Martin was taken-over and Mr. Brown left the company. The very moderate success was probably due to the late launch, the oil crisis and also the steep price of more than 14,000 Pound Sterling. This exclusive model -even by Aston Martin standards- was catalogued until June 1976, by which time only seven had been made. Chassis numbers ranged from ’12001′ to ’12007′, while a further example – chassis ’12008′ – was sanctioned at a later date. Most of the Lagondas were delivered with a 3-speed automatic.

Technical specification Aston Martin Lagonda Series 1:

A car that looked like directly from the set of Startrek, in 1976 launched at the London Motor Show. Just 2 years later than the must more traditional Series 1 Lagonda. Both press and public were very enthusiastic and orders started pouring in. It however took Aston Martin another one and a half years to start delivering the UFO Lagonda to its first owners. The new and innovative digital LED dashboard and touch pad controls were the main reason for this postponed delivery. Development cost for the electronics alone on the Lagonda came to four times as much as the budget for the whole car. The first cars got the full monthy of all car-of-the-future electronics and controls, but the innovative steering wheel controls and gas plasma display were abandoned in 1980. The car was ready for USA delivery in 1982. The design of this car is of a ‘hate it or love it’ type, there are no in-betweens. It was fast enough, luxurious and hugly expensive in 1980 e.g. more expensive than the in-period Ferrari 400 or a Maserati Kyalami.

Technical specification Aston Martin Lagonda Series 2:

The third series of the Aston Martin Lagonda was basically the same as the Series 2 Lagonda. It was introduced on the market in 1985 and already replaced by the restyled Series 4 in 1987. There’s not much to tell about this car, only that it featured a fuel injected engine instead of the carburettors equiped engines. This means that this Lagonda was more efficient with its fuel and also cleaner. No surprise that only 75 automobiles were produced, probably the most desirable Lagonda of the whole series.

Technical specification Aston Martin Lagonda Series 3:

After more than 10 years of marketing the Lagonda, Aston Martin asked William Towns to facelift the car for the upcoming years. This redesign was the first major change since the launch of the Lagonda in 1976 and consisted of a new front end of which the pop-up headlights were removed in favour of three headlights at each side. Furthermore all the sharp edges were rounded off a bit, smoothing up the side by removing the character line and added side skirts and new larger alloy wheels. With all the changes Towns made, the car was actually looking much more modern and sleek. At the mechanics and interior remained mostly the same as in the previous car. The Series 4 Lagonda was introduced at the 1987 Geneva Motor Show and lasted until January 1990 when produced seized after another 105 cars. The Lagonda was not replaced by a successor.

Technical specification Aston Martin Lagonda Series 4: