It’s been captured in spy shots, shown officially in the shadows, outted as air freight and seen hot weather testing – but now we finally have proper production spec images of the new Aston Martin Lagonda saloon.
These include the very first images of the Lagonda’s opulent four-seater interior, the new Lagonda badge and a snap alongside its ‘spiritual’ predecessor, the 1976-1990 William Towns’ designed Lagonda saloon. Shame Aston couldn’t have chosen a day when it wasn’t raining.
How big is the 2015 Aston Martin Lagonda saloon?
‘Spiritual’ is the word used by current Aston Martin design director Marek Reichman, who describes the Towns’ car as a reference point rather than a direct ascendant.
Despite the pictures, exact details of the new car remain a closely guarded secret – but we can confirm that the Lagonda is over 5.4m long with an extra 300mm in the wheelbase compared to the Rapide. This and the more generous headroom of the bodystyling means the Lagonda offers as much rear space as a stretched Rolls-Royce Ghost or Mercedes S-Class.
As you can see, the interior detailing is intricate to say the least.
What is the 2015 Aston Martin Lagonda saloon made from and how fast is it?
The Lagonda is based on Aston’s familiar aluminium VH architecture, while the bodywork is entirely carbonfibre – a unique feature for a saloon car, and surely a key selling point of the car. The lightweight material should help make it both fast and surprisingly nimble.
Aston’s 5.9-litre V12 could be pushing 600bhp in this application; we’re told the hot weather test team have seen speeds of 175mph, and that’s before proper performance validation has begun.
Reichman told CAR that one of the VIP clients responsible for the project’s inception has recently ridden in a prototype, and commented ‘it’s literally like you’re gliding on the road.’ If the customer is always right, that sounds like job done.
How much is the 2015 Aston Martin Lagonda saloon?
Speaking of the customers, that the Lagonda will only be offered to Middle East buyers on an invitation basis is entirely confirmed. So it won’t be appearing at the 2014 Paris motor show this week, in spite of the timing of these pictures.
The Lagonda’s price remains a mystery – that it’s being built by Aston’s ‘Q branch’, the same department responsible for the £1m One-77, is, however, probably something of a clue. As is the presence of solid gold switchgear and badges on the options list…
Money, it’s said, can’t buy taste. But it can buy a regionally exclusive, carbonfibre-bodied Aston Martin, and in the process entirely relaunch a brand. This is not the last we’ve heard from Lagonda, though, by any means.