Aston Martin Lagonda.Cdr
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13/11/2020 ASTON MARTIN LAGONDA ASTON MARTIN WHO? LAGONDA Aston Marn are a Brish instuon. They're as English as steak & kidney pie, as children dancing around a maypole with gaily coloured ribbons. And, on occasion, just as eccentric. The company was actually formed as Bamford & Marn back in 1912, selling Singer cars from their mews premises in London, before deciding to build their own the following year. The 'Aston' part of the name comes from the fact that Marn raced Specials at Aston Hill at the me, and felt it would help them promote what they were looking to achieve. It wasn't unl 1915 that they produced their first car, although it all stopped before it had ever really started, due to the outbreak of WW1. The most famous period of the company's turbulent history came in 1947, when the company was acquired by David Brown, of David Brown Tractor fame, along with the ailing Lagonda brand. This would lead to the company's DB series, starng with the DB2 Le Mans Prototype in 1950, before the DB2/4 in 1953. This, of course, led to the company's best known car of all me, and the reason for their fame and success all these years later-the 1963 DB5, bestowed with ejector seat and machine guns for 007 in the 1964 film, Goldfinger. Aston Marn has been a staple of the hyper-successful film series ever since, which has propelled it to being once of the coolest car brands on the planet, who's sports coupes have been owned by everyone from Jay Leno to Jason Statham. But not all their cars have been coupes… Wrien by: Si McNally I Photography by: Rick Noel 13/11/2020 ASTON MARTIN LAGONDA When Aston Marn announced their 4-door Lagonda in 1974, it was a car born out of necessity rather than pride. The company were struggling, and needed a departure from their regular coupes, to appeal to a slightly different audience. The very first Lagonda, the Series 1, was actually a stretched version of their exisng style, and whilst an inial success, WHAT? it quickly dawned on the company that they needed to do something outlandish to garner aenon. Well, thanks to legendary designed Sir. William Towns, who designed the Hustler that we featured a few weeks ago (hps://befastr.com/images/uploaded/Hustler..pdf), they definitely achieved that. The Series 2 of 1976 was like nothing the world had ever seen, designed in his signature “folded paper” style, with more switches and gadgets than a nuclear sub. This parcular example is a Series 4, which were the last iteraon of the wedge shaped paragons of eccentricity. This one is quite special though, because it's completely unique in its colour and build. Back in the late '80s, a rather wealthy and quintessenally Brish chap by the name of Michael Fleming, who was an Aston Marn dealer and descendent of the James Bond author himself, decided he wanted his own collecon of Astons. But he wanted them to be different to everyone else's. So, he ordered them all in a one-off, never to be repeated colour called Hunter Green, with tan hide interiors and green carpets. The collecon comprised: a V8 Saloon, V8 Vantage, V8 Volante, V8 Vantage Volante (converble), V8 Vantage Volante PoW, V8 Vantage Zagato, V8 Zagato Volante, Virage and this Lagonda. You've got to respect that level of love for the brand. The collecon was, as you'd probably expect, rarely used, and by the me the cars came up for aucon in 2005, the Lagonda had the highest mileage on it, at a whopping (we use sarcasm strongly) 2,000 miles! Since then, it's been used and enjoyed by its current owners, who've covered more than 6,000 miles in what can only be described as unfathomable comfort. For such a huge car, it's surprisingly small inside, and has a number of switch banks that would confuse even the most experienced fighter pilot. Wrien by: Si McNally I Photography by: Rick Noel 13/11/2020 ASTON MARJTINPORSCHEAGU LAARGOND XJ220 964A Considering its rarity (they only build 645 cars in total), you might be surprised to learn that values of Lagondas aren't quite as stratospheric as you'd imagine. A Series 4 car, like this, can be had for around £125,000 although this example, being so unique and such low mileage, WHERE would command north of £175,000. If you really want to shock your neighbours, and terrify your local mechanic, you could opt for an ultra-rare Series 1, which are renowned for being one of the least reliable cars ever made, which seem to go for around £250-300,000. Bargain. HOW This unique Lagonda forms an integral part of the JHW Classics Collecon, and has been owned by Jane Weitzmann since 2005. It's available for TV and promoonal work, as every car in the collecon is, and if you're interested in finding out more, you can contact Jane on her website www.jhwclassics.com Wrien by: Si McNally I Photography by: Rick Noel 13/11/2020 ASTON MARTIN LAGONDA THE SPECS Manufacturer: Aston Marn Model: Lagonda Series 4 Powertrain: 5.3 V8 Weight: 2,096kg (dry) Power: 289bhp, 321 lb/ Performance: 0-60mph 8.4 seconds, 144 mph Price: £90k upwards Exclusivity: 645 total built Wrien by: Si McNally I Photography by: Rick Noel.