home option is deprecated for the family of bloginfo() functions. Use the url option instead. in /var/www/vhosts/quattro-porte.com/httpdocs/wp-includes/functions.php on line 3321A 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:
Technical specification Bentley Mulsanne Turbo (SWB):
Technical specification Bitter SC/4 Sedan:
The de Tomaso Deauville late series 2 entered the market somewhere in 1978. Again it wasn’t officially launched as such, but gradually evolved into this new version. The late second series started with the same interior as the early 2nd series, but from 1980 posh full leather interior with electric seats as option. The same interior also featured in period Maserati Quattroportes, Bi-Turbos, and the Bitter SC. Other extras were the digital clock, central door locking and electric side mirrors. The main change of the last series of the Deauville was that the engine was moved about 10 centimeters towards the passenger cabine in order to achive a better weight distribution. The ventilation louvres were maintained for better engine cooling, but the car also got twin cooling vents. The rectangle de Tomaso Logo in the grille was replaced by a large Isis symbol resembling the letter T. From 1980 the de Tomaso also got the robust thicker chrome bumpers with black plastic caps.
The late 2nd series Deauville was produced roughly from 1978 to production end in 1985 and can be recognised with the last 4 serial number digits between #2000 and #2164 (last car produced).
Technical specification de Tomaso Deauville late Series 2:
After Alejandro de Tomaso took over control of Maserati, he almost instantly started working on a new Quattroporte. Italdesign had presented two show cars in 1974 and 1976 called the Medici I and II, based on these two cars the new Quattroporte was penned down by Giorgetto Giugiaro. At the 1977 Turin Motor Show the new Quattroporte was first shown to the public and delivery started in 1979 with two models: the 4200 and 4900. The 4200 which actually had a 4.1 litre engine was phased out later in the car’s life cycle. The Quattroporte III (called 4porte in the first years) was an artistocratic and very luxurious car with lavish full leather seats (from SALT Turin), meters of wood and lots of other extras such as airconditioning. The chassis was based on the other Quattro-Porte baring the name of Maserati’s new owner: the de Tomaso Deauville. In 1986 the last Quattroporte III’s were slightly redesigned, upgraded and called Royale. Production seized in 1990 with more than 2,000 units produced.
Technical specification Maserati Quattroporte III:
The first Ferrari four-door saloon has always remained a one-off prototype and until now Ferrari never produced a real four-door saloon (exept for the 456 Venice series Sedan) in their entire history. Initiated by Sergio Pininfarina himself to celebrate the Design Studio’s 50th Anniversary and launched in 1980 at the Turin Motor Show. With this Pinin concept car Pininfarina wanted to encourage Enzo Ferrari to take the step into the profitable 4-door luxury market to compete with the likes of the Maserati Quattroporte, the Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 and the famous English brands. Although Enzo Ferrari seemed to like the car and the idea, he didn’t trust the car’s quality to compete with the well-known brands that had years of experienced in this field. Enzo’s reasoning was that a lower quality level and production errors were more likely to be accepted in 2-door sports cars than in luxurious 4-door sport saloons. Therefore the car never made it into production and remained a non-running concept car until 2010, when it was sold on an auction to a new owner that mated it to the intended engine and gear box!
Technical specification Ferrari Pinin: