I’m not going to pretend that the Aston Martin Lagonda divides opinions. Going by online opinions, at least 75% hate the Lagonda. I’m actually surprised; according to my man maths that means 25% seem to like a car that regularly appears in lists of most ugly cars. Personally, I have always loved the Lagonda and the passage of time has not diminished my liking of it one bit
Aston Martin Lagonda Exterior Styling
Nothing else looked like it at the time. Here was a huge spaceship powerhouse. Low slung, and with a grille of disproportionately small size (just think how big the original Mini’s grille was by comparison today). It was 17 feet 4 inches long, 5 feet 11.5 inches wide (a current Mondeo is wider!). It had pop up headlights, which were almost unheard of on a 4 door saloon although the uber obscure Monica got there first – but you knew that anyway. The final Lagonda, the 1990 S4, was marked out by fixed rather than pop up lights and was priced at £95,000.
Take a look Inside the Crazy Lagonda
The space age theme continued on the inside with that funky combo of digital display monitor (a first on a production car) leather and slabs of wood. The Lagonda was a quirky beast with its tiny boot (no bigger than a supermini) cramped rear, and non-opening rear sunroof and windows.
Technical Details
It was no surprise to see use of a 5.4-litre V8 engine producing 280bhp, which was a far chunk of power for the time. Aston managed to build 645 between 1976 and 1989 – nearly 50 cars per year.
Aston Martin Lagonda Summary
Such is the quirkiness, a Lagonda S1 is a totally different short lived car with only 7 made. The name Lagonda has become synonymous with the wedge shape which are Series 2, 3 and 4. It’s unconventionality appeals to me, both inside and out. It is an imperfect car no doubt. More talented machinery in every respect could be had for far less, so I’m not rose tinted about its many flaws. CAR magazine once described the triumphant Bentley Turbo R in a luxury group test as “a creature from another world” – to me, that sums up the Aston Martin Lagonda perfectly.
