Photo: Aston Martin Works
From 1976 to 1989, Aston Martin produced a four-door sedan that wasn’t pretty, nor reliable, nor a bestseller. Its name was the Lagonda and, over its production lifecycle, the British manufacturer managed to sell only 645 units of the darn thing.
This thing here, though a Lagonda in name, is not exactly a Lagonda. Offered for sale by Aston Martin Works for an undisclosed amount of pounds sterling, the 1974 Motorshow V8 Lagonda is a very rare beast. Only seven were ever built and, as you can see from the adjacent pictures, this is a V8 Vantage with two extra doors, a Lagonda-sourced chassis, and the X-Pack engine add-ons.
Refurbished by Spray Tec Restorations in 2002, overhauled from a mechanical standpoint in 2004, and with £175,000 spent on it since Aston Martin Works got its hands on the car, the Motorshow V8 Lagonda is a bit of a unicorn. Chassis number 12003 presents itself in tip-top condition, wearing Cumberland Grey paint over Rolls-Royce Wildberry upholstery, and boasting goodies that include walnut veneers, heated front seats, and central locking.
Goodies also include a Becker satellite navigation system, 6-disc CD player with auto-changer function, Motorola GSM telephone, plus electric windows, and air conditioning. For a car that was born in 1974, that’s plentiful enough from my point of view. Beyond the exquisite styling and nice specification, the V8 Vantage-inspired Motorshow sedan is a pretty fast sedan as well.
Under the long, sexy hood, you’ll find Tadek Marek’s 5.3-liter V8 connected to a Chrysler TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission. With approximately 500 ponies on tap, the maximum speed this show car is capable of is 160 mph (257 km/h). The Ford Focus RS, which is merely a hatchback with a powerful engine, may be faster, but don’t forget that this British interloper with four doors is more than four decades the Focus RS’ senior.
In related news, mad creations such as the Motorshow V8 will never see the light of day again because, as I’m sure you know, Aston Martin is more focused on bringing an SUV to market. On the upside, the AM-RB 001 hypercar will make some jaws drop with its go-faster credentials.
Refurbished by Spray Tec Restorations in 2002, overhauled from a mechanical standpoint in 2004, and with £175,000 spent on it since Aston Martin Works got its hands on the car, the Motorshow V8 Lagonda is a bit of a unicorn. Chassis number 12003 presents itself in tip-top condition, wearing Cumberland Grey paint over Rolls-Royce Wildberry upholstery, and boasting goodies that include walnut veneers, heated front seats, and central locking.
Goodies also include a Becker satellite navigation system, 6-disc CD player with auto-changer function, Motorola GSM telephone, plus electric windows, and air conditioning. For a car that was born in 1974, that’s plentiful enough from my point of view. Beyond the exquisite styling and nice specification, the V8 Vantage-inspired Motorshow sedan is a pretty fast sedan as well.
Under the long, sexy hood, you’ll find Tadek Marek’s 5.3-liter V8 connected to a Chrysler TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission. With approximately 500 ponies on tap, the maximum speed this show car is capable of is 160 mph (257 km/h). The Ford Focus RS, which is merely a hatchback with a powerful engine, may be faster, but don’t forget that this British interloper with four doors is more than four decades the Focus RS’ senior.
In related news, mad creations such as the Motorshow V8 will never see the light of day again because, as I’m sure you know, Aston Martin is more focused on bringing an SUV to market. On the upside, the AM-RB 001 hypercar will make some jaws drop with its go-faster credentials.
Google News