Thought I'd start a new thread. I got into Aston Martins because of the Lagonda. In 1988, in North Carolina I was in a business trip and my hotel was located across the street from an Aston dealer. They had a new Lagonda on the showroom and the salesman said go sit in it. I could not believe I was sitting in a $250K car (same price I paid for my Piper Malibu back then) that was so 'emotional' in design and scale. It took about 1/2 hour to get myself to leave.

About 5 years later I saw an ad for a Lagonda for only $80,000. It remained for sale for a while and I offered $61K and they bit. Figuring this 160MPH hand formed rare car would be priceless some day, it instead crept down in value. The shocks started to go, and there was no new replacement available (at the time), and I ended up selling it for $30K. A few years later I found a 1984 Lagonda I picked up on E-Bay with some of the LED panel numbers inoperative but otherwise perfect mechanical condition with no interior or exterior flaws for $14K, and sold it a few years later for $18K. Soon after I found an immaculate 8,000 mile Series 4 1988 which I paid $32K and a dealer offered me $42K after placing an ad because I had a new 2007 Vantage ordered (my first Vantage) and did not think I should have two Astons (big mistake). The next day I saw the dealer asking $85K and thought good luck with that! The next day I saw sold on the ad!

In person, there is nothing like an original Lagonda - sharp lines, as low as a Corvette and as long as a Chevy Suburban. Handles like a 5,000 pound car of the 80's - ponderous. The Chrysler automatic did no favors to the car, but the engine was not just bulletproof, but beautiful. The twin overhead cam hemi V8 with 4 webber two barrel downdraft carbs was art. The Series 4 went to fuel injection which looked overly complex and did not look as pretty.

The 1984 LED panels looked right out of a Sinclair Computer - expensive for the day - cheap looking today. The 1985 changed to better switches and 3 TV screens - all with a mind of their own on occasion doing the old TV screen roll - made it 'interesting' when one screen would roll for a while - then another. I think they eventually figured it was some fluctuation in power that caused it.

The 1988 had plasma screens - everything worked.

All were great to drive and a wonderful car to go out to dinner or drive with clients. The leather smell of the soft hides and the wood smell was amazing in all three. The carpet was very thick sheepskin where your feet sunk into it. The headliner I think was cashmere.

They had fuel doors on both sides of the car behind the rear passenger window - of course remote electric opening and of course rarely worked. Fortunately a quick hit by the back of a hand opened them - wish that was the case with the Vantages that also often fail.

Pretty much all got about 8MPG.

I hope the next Lagonda is as outrageous!

Some picts below.

 

Great tale and the last two photos of the silver one look brilliant with those wheels, pity you sold it

Graze

 

There was a green one near me as a kid and I thought it was just the *****. Great write up.

So, I am little confused why Aston says the Rapide is their first four door car, yet everyone thinks of this car as the first. Why is that?

 

The Rapide was the first Aston Martin maybe - there were I think quite a few Lagonda Sedans.

 

I still have my issue of Road and Track when the first one came out. It was a technological marvel!

 

The Lagonda is why you all are driving Aston's today! Aston Martin had gone broke and about to go under - they literally threw this car together to unveil at the Geneva Car Show - and took deposits... they then had to build the car. The deposits (think Tesla Model 3) were enough to maintain some momentum. The world press was there to witness the first delivery, but the electronics failed and the car did not make it out to the street! The Lagonda's reputation was destroyed which was reflected in the absurdly low resale values - until recently when Forbes ran an article claiming the Lagonda was to be the next Million dollar classic Aston Martin. There was just over 600 make in a 12 year period - all hand formed. Some were wrecked, other modified - some extensively. Below is a link to Evil Kinevil's Lagonda as an example of extensive modified:

https://jalopnik.com/evel-kneivel-ha...d-a-1658811214

 

Hey...great...I am glad you posted. I will read in detail later. Currently on long island bidding work...
Quickly looking nice pictures..

​​​​​​Duke

 

Great story...most here would not know about these cars or that Aston Martin the name was going to be dropped and the Lagonda name used instead but killed as it was well known in England but not over the world.

You had both carbs and injection models...Wow.
Aston had so much problems with early injection that they when back to carbs for many years.

Hey...thanks!!!! If any other pics please post...

 

Cool review, there is a guy with a red one out here in Southern California.
Interesting cars.
Ron

 

I'm leaving on a weeks vacation, but below is a few ore pictures as requested...

Check out the engineering (lack of) on the retractable headlight of the 1985, and the no retracts on the 1988 (series 4 had the six headlights)... how about that super futuristic LED panel in the 1984! The Lagonda was the worlds first car with a digital panel.

 

You can wonder if Ford used this style with modifications for the Lincoln line of today...

The six light is neat....not great for showing but unique. The dashes are crazy looking inside.

Hey...thanks again and have a great and safe vacation.

If you come across any Shooting Brake models please post...