There could scarcely be a more prestigious union of car names than Aston Martin and Lagonda. The former was founded in 1913 and became famous for its fast, nimble sports cars which achieved renown at Ulster and Le Mans in the 1930s. The latter built its first cars in 1904, and would establish a reputation for large, powerful touring cars to rival Bentley and Sunbeam. Sadly, those companies which spared no expense to build the finest possible cars were frequently financial failures. It was thanks to wealthy industrialist David Brown that the two names survive to this day. He bought them both in 1947, united them under one banner, and possessed the business acumen required to make them succeed financially.

Brown turned Aston Martin’s focus to luxury grand tourers, while the Lagonda name was used intermittently for high-end saloons. After the low-volume Lagonda Rapide of 1961, it was not seen again until 1974, when a long-wheelbase, four-door version of the Aston Martin V8 was produced, named the Aston Martin Lagonda. Only seven were made before a new Lagonda appeared, famously, or infamously, styled by William Towns. Known for his idiosyncratic wedge-shape designs, the Lagonda was the most high-profile product from the Towns canon, which also included the six-wheeled Hustler and the Minissima microcar.

Critics either loved or hated the looks of the Aston Martin Lagonda, but one thing was certain – there was nothing else like it. Launched at the 1976 London Motor Show, it continued to use Aston Martin’s 5340cc DOHC V8, but was otherwise completely different from anything else in the Aston Martin line. It was both extremely expensive and highly ambitious. When the first examples eventually went on sale in 1979, it cost an enormous £49,933 – more than a Ferrari 400 or Maserati Kyalami, although slightly less than a Rolls-Royce Corniche. The problem was that Aston Martin had hoped to impress by using LCD touch-screen controls on the dash. Sadly, this technology was still in its infancy and it frequently malfunctioned. This gave the Lagonda an unfortunate reputation for being fault-prone, which was unfair as it was abandoned in 1980 and replaced by conventional switches which worked perfectly well. Still capable of 143mph despite its bulk, it was ideal for someone who could afford the very best.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Lagonda was successful enough to justify its inclusion in the Aston Martin range until 1990, by which point it had benefited from a few updates. The Series IV was the final model, launched at the 1987 Geneva Motor Show. The styling revisions, with more rounded edges, was again the work of William Towns. Other changes included 16-inch wheels and the removal of the pop-up headlights. With production of around one car a week, 105 Series IVs were built before production ended, and even with a high survival rate they are still extremely exclusive.

We are fortunate to know much of this car’s history, since it has been in single ownership since 1990. First registered on 8th December, 1988, it was supplied by the Murray Motor Company to an A. Wardell, Esq., of Wiveliscombe in rural Somerset. Perhaps finding it a bit of a handful on the narrow country lanes, he only held onto it for around a year. It was for sale with the Stratton Motor Company of Ipswich Road, Norwich, when the vendor acquired it and took it with him to Huddersfield.

The car has been maintained and serviced throughout its life and has recently been in the care of Rolls-Royce specialist Hanwells of London.

In addition to the V5, the Aston Martin comes with a small collection of invoices, including one for £908 of work in 2011. The car has just had a fresh MOT with no advisories, offering even more piece of mind for the new owner.

The highlight of the file is the beautiful leather-bound, factory-issued owner’s wallet, which contains the Lagonda Owners Handbook, Wiring Diagram, Fuel Injection Supplement, Servicing Schedule and Service Vouchers. We can see that the car was taken to Aston Martin at Newport Pagnell for its first two services in 1989, and since then a further four service vouchers have been used from the booklet.

Bidders may have noticed that the car is being sold with a very apt private registration.

We really cannot fault the Lagonda’s interior. It is the height of luxury and beautifully preserved. Even the seats which, at 33 years old, might be expected to show some signs of wear, are in the best condition that could be expected. The leather has just mellowed with age and use, which makes the interior look that much more familiar and welcoming.

The dash is in spectacularly good condition, with the walnut veneer still possessing an extremely high-gloss shine. The steering wheel, instrument binnacle, padded centre console and doors all seem to us to be in the finest possible condition. Even the carpets are completely clean and have not been muddied. The headlining is immaculate, as is the interior of the boot, where is to be found the spare wheel and original toolkit.

There seems to be no end to all the luxuries at your fingertips, including power windows and a period radio, cassette and CD player for starters. An array of courtesy lights welcome you into the car at night, and rear-sight passengers can delight in soaking up the rays, or gazing at the stars, through the tinted sunroof.

For a car which has recently entered its fourth decade, the interior is simply outstanding. Everything on the car is original and excellently preserved, and from a distance you could be mistaken for thinking the car had just had a no-expense-spared restoration. On closer inspection, it is not quite perfect. A few isolated bubbles have discreetly appeared under the paint in a few places and there is, unfortunately, some very light damage to the rear valance by the offside exhaust pipe and just to the left of the number plate. The alloy wheels are near-mint, with just one showing a few scuffs around the rim. The plastic bumpers are very good with just a few light signs of wear, and all in all we think it would be unrealistic to expect to find an unrestored car in better condition.

Depending on how you intend to use the car, you may wish to invest a little bit in ironing out the very few blemishes this car has, but it remains thoroughly presentable and would surely be welcome on an Aston Martin Owners’ Club at any car show.

The mechanics of the Aston Martin Lagonda are complicated to say the least, but on this car everything appears to be in fine working order. The huge 5.3-litre V8 fires up on the button, and the automatic gearbox lets it pull away extremely smoothly. Despite its girth, it does, of course, have power steering, so one can manoeuvre it in tight spaces without breaking into a sweat. Inside, you are so comfortably cocooned that you can feel quite removed from the outside world. Noise from the engine is almost non-existent, and one gets such a sense of safety and splendour that one feels less the driver of a car and more the king of a mobile palace.

Along with the fresh MOT we mentioned earlier, the car has recently had new tyres put on all round. The service history shows that the car has only ever been used lightly and maintained as necessary. We are advised that although the odometer appears to show 244,029 miles, it should correctly read 24,402 miles but the digits have ‘jumped’ a place. A look through the mileage on old MoTs verifies this claim.

Chances are that you’ll have already made your mind up about whether it appeals or not. We have never seen a car attract so many comments on a photoshoot, which ranged from “It’s stunningly beautiful,” to “It’s the ugliest Aston Martin ever.” Like we say, the work of William Towns always did split opinion. If you are sitting on the fence, though, let us help you decide. The Aston Martin Lagonda was the most avant-garde luxury car of its day. There really was nothing quite like it in terms of styling and technology. It was something of a spiritual successor to the Bugatti Royale of the 1920s and it was a serious rival for Rolls-Royce and Bentley. The Aston, however, did away with the Crewe marques’ old-fashioned conservatism and optimistically embraced a future of envisaged prosperity and progress. If Lady Penelope had remained on our television screens into the ’80s, she would have traded in her Rolls-Royce for a Lagonda.

Once the initial technical hiccups were resolved, the Lagonda was a well-made car. We can’t make you love the styling if you don’t already, but if you enjoy stopping people in their tracks, the Lagonda will do just that. In a conformist’s world, we’re always pleased to see something a bit eccentric, and we think you’ll find that most people delight in the Lagonda’s appearance, whether they’ll admit to it or not.


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