If you think the Rapide is Aston Martin’s only postwar four-door, you’re wrong.
The company known for elegant sports cars unleashed the relentlessly angular Lagonda on the world in 1976, and since then there have been numerous rumors of a new ultra-luxury Aston.
It looks like the box is back. Confirming previous reports, Aston Martin announced that it will revive the Lagonda name for a new super sedan that will be built in limited numbers by the carmaker’s Q personalization division.
The new Lagonda will be based on the same VH architecture as Aston’s other models, and will feature carbon fiber body panels. Aston wasn’t willing to disclose powertrain details, but a high-output version of the current AM28 V12 seems likely.
As glimpsed in Aston’s teaser image, the styling is much more formal than the coupe-like Rapide, with an upright greenhouse hinting at a properly-spacious interior. A few hard creases reference the cult-classic 1976 Lagonda, while other cues like the side vents tie the new car to other current Astons.
The headlights are another apparent ’76 Lagonda reference. They’re set low and appear to merge with the grille, giving the new Lagonda a different face than any other Aston.
Rather than a sporty Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival, the Lagonda seems more like a four-door successor to the insane One-77 hypercar. It will even be built in the same facility as that limited-edition model.
Only 77 One-77 copies were made, and the Lagonda promises to be just as exclusive. It will only be offered in the Middle East, and customers will have to be invited to buy one.
The price will even remain confidential, not that anyone who has to ask will be able to afford one. Production will begin in early 2015. Expect Instagram to self-destruct sometime shortly after that.
