1974 Aston Martin

The origins of the Lagonda company date back to 1906 when established by Wilbur Gunn, a speedboat and motorcycle engineer based in Staines, Middlesex, who produced his first motorcar in 1910. The company grew exponentially over the following three decades and the Lagonda name became synonymous with the production of some of the finest British luxury and sporting motorcars of the period

Pre-War highlights include their victory at the 1935 Le Mans 24 Hour race with the M45R model, driven by John Hindmarsh and Luis Fontes, which drew huge attention to the Staines manufacturer who fell into receivership shortly after the race, subsequently being acquired by Alan.P.Good after he outbid Rolls Royce!

Mr Good must have been a very skilled negotiator as he persuaded W.O.Bentley to leave Rolls Royce alongside Frank Feeley and other highly skilled engineers to develop the new Lagonda LG45 model with its powerful six-cylinder engine, alongside the development and introduction of a new V12 ‘W.O’ powerplant

Sir David Brown clearly saw the potential of the Lagonda marque and later acquired the company in 1947, joining forces with Aston Martin to utilise the W.O.Bentley developed six cylinder engines for the new DB2 model. The first production Lagonda made by Aston Martin was the Rapide, an attractive hand built and luxurious four door saloon launched in 1959 of which just fifty five examples were constructed, we had the pleasure of handling the sale of Sir David Browns prototype in 2022.

In 1969 a four door Lagonda prototype was constructed at Sir Davids request, known as MP230/1 and based on the DBS platform, just only one example was built and the production car followed in 1974, the Aston Martin Lagonda V8 Series One.

The extravagant new model was based on the two door AMV8 and fitted with the same running gear with an extended wheelbase, allowing fortunate passengers to travel in supreme comfort in the rear seats of its elegant four door saloon coachwork

We are delighted to offer Chassis ‘12003’, the actual car displayed on the Aston Martin stand at the Earls Court London Motorshow in October 1974 and one of just seven examples, making it one of the rarest and most desirable iterations of all the AM V8 series.

The new Lagonda was proudly displayed on the AML stand by Chairman William Wilson and his team, originally finished in Tourmaline Blue coachwork and Off White hides, the car drew great admiration by the press and visitors, aimed at the very top of the market to compete directly with Rolls Royce and Bentley, with a substantial price tag to match.

The car was priced at £14,040, over a thousand pounds more than the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and almost 25% more than a ‘standard’ AM V8, always intended to be a low production super saloon that would appeal to the American market, the timing of launch was unfortunate and the oil crisis in the middle east did little to aid the sale of the exclusive car, resulting in a total of just seven cars produced, our car being the third of the seven.

Regardless of market conditions at the time, the Lagonda received widespread acclaim by the lucky handful of motoring journalists and its impressive ‘Rolls Royce beating’ performance and exceptional build quality was noted by all, which combined with its low production, cultivated its mythical status which has remained ever since!

A well-known and concours winning car at AMOC events throughout the 1980s, the Lagonda would later join the renowned collection of Simon Draper in 1991 via marque exponents R.S.Williams, who rebuilt the engine to RSW 7.0L specification shortly after in 1992.

The extensive historical file documents regular maintenance and restoration throughout Draper’s ten-year ownership by RSW and Ian Mason until it was acquired by noted Aston Martin collector Simon Gregg in 2001. Between 2002-2004 the Lagonda benefitted from a major restoration and upgrade programme commissioned by Gregg, utilising the skills of the best in the business without regard to expense and his exceptional attention to detail.

Leading AM coachwork specialist Bodylines subsequently updated the car with ‘Oscar India’ bodywork revisions followed a bare metal re-paint in Cumberland Grey by Spraytec Restorations and further mechanical restoration by RSW. The sumptuous interior was completely re-trimmed in Connoly ‘Wildberry’ hides by Elite coach trimming and fitted with then state of the art in car entertainment and speaker system.

The Lagonda was later purchased by then Chairman of Aston Martin, Dr Ulrich Bez, at the Works Service Bonhams auction in 2010 on behalf of the factory, remaining with them until 2017 when it was sold to the current owner. Interested parties will note his signature on the airbox.

Further research at that time determined the car had been previously fitted with a V580 block, hence Aston Martin supplied a V540 continuation block with the original number that was rebuilt by RSW to 7 Litre specification in 2019. Following the engine rebuild the Lagonda was featured in a seven page article in Vantage magazine written by Richard Meaden, Issue 29, Spring 2020.

Cherished and fastidiously maintained over the past nine years by the vendor, the Lagonda has covered approximately 3800 miles since 2017 and was repainted again by Spraytec in 2022 then entered in the 2023 Concours Of Elegance at Hampton Court where it received a Class Honours award in recognition of its exceptional condition, rarity and provenance

Without question one of the finest and well documented examples extant, we are privileged to offer this highly significant Aston Martin Lagonda with an extensive history file containing period motor show photographs, comprehensive restoration invoices and supporting images and period factory documentation.