Aston martin Lagonda 1985--RARE--and crazy

In 1976 flared, bellbottom trousers and flowered shirts were in vogue. A gallon of regular gas cost 57 cents. The Concorde started supersonic service between Europe and the US. ABBA climbed the pop charts. 'Punk' became popular, in style and music. And right in there with open marriage and Afro hairdos was the Aston Martin Lagonda. It is difficult to identify other automobiles that so effected and affected the style of their day as the Lagonda. Long and shingle-shaped with a low flat hood, shrunken roof and impossibly luxuriously and futuristically equipped interior, it was the ultimate 4-door saloon ('sedan' in American.) It was like nothing else before or since. Built in the Aston Martin tradition of bespoke construction, each of its four cam V-8 engines was signed by the Newport Pagnell craftsman who built it. The dashboard forecast Star Wars, a panoply of touch switches and nixie tube displays with voice alerts in suave British tones. Swathed in fine leather and rich wood, it recalled Thirties' coachwork with a retracting sunroof ... over the rear seats, not the driver. The four-cam 5,340cc Aston Martin V-8 cranked out over 300 brake horsepower and gave the sleek William Towns designed Lagonda saloon 140+mph performance. Built from 1974-1990 they cost $15,000 in 1985, explaining why production reached only 645 in fifteen years. They are brilliant, shining expressions of their time and a design that has never been equaled, let alone bettered, in expressing the adventurous spirit of their time. This 1985 Aston Martin Lagonda with just 30000 miles is beautifully liveried in slate grey metallic that highlights its sleek lines balanced by grey leather upholstery and interior trim as luxurious as the concept of the car. Studio pictures are of dealer sold about 6 years ago--Equipped with the automatic transmission and air conditioning standard on every Lagonda, it has its original factory-fitted warning flares, fire extinguisher, rear seat sunroof and alloy wheels and is now fitted with a high performance stereo with Sony head unit and Nakamichi amps.The gages have been replaced with current digital that use the original panel and read like original. Spare looks new. undercarriage is flawless with never any rust. Really runs strong and starts right up. A low miles (30,000) car in extraordinary condition bodywork, wheels and interior and is in nearly like new condition throughout. Rare--and electrics issue gone--. some of these are advertised for over $100K--starting to take off??? Dave 562 9005339

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The Aston Martin Lagonda was a luxury four-door saloon built by Aston Martin of Newport Pagnell, England, between 1976 and 1989. A total of 645 examples were produced at an average selling price of £150,000. The name was derived from the Lagondamarque that Aston Martin had purchased in 1947.

History

Aston Martin was facing severe financial pressure in the mid-1970s and needed something to bring in some much-needed funds. Traditionally, Aston Martin had worked on 2+2sports cars, but the Lagonda was a four-door saloon with a brand new V8 engine. As soon as it was introduced, it drew in hundreds of deposits from potential customers, helping Aston Martin's cash reserves.

The car was designed by William Towns in an extreme interpretation of the classic 1970s "folded paper" style. It was as unconventional a design then as it is now. Car enthusiasts are fiercely divided on the car's aesthetic value.

Throughout the history of the marque, these hand-built Lagondas were amongst the most expensive saloons in the world. The only other "production" cars to approach its lofty price tag were the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit/Silver Spur and Bentley Mulsanne.

The Lagonda was the first production car in the world to use computer management and a digital instrument panel. The development cost for the electronics alone on the Lagonda came to four times as much as the budget for the whole car. The second series used cathode ray tubes for the instrumentation.

The Lagonda combined striking styling with opulent, club-like leather interior, and then-state-of-the-art instrumentation. Coupled to a Chrysler 3-speed "TorqueFlite" automatic transmission its 4-cam V8 carbureted provided poor, often single-digit miles-per-gallon.

A number of "series" was produced during the lifetime of the model, including a facelift in the 1980s

Production

Series 1 Aston Martin was a Lagonda V8 Saloon, a 4-door version of the V8, debuted in 1974; seven units were produced.

Series 2 cars, produced from 1979 to 1985, were fitted with digital LED dashboards and touch pad controls.

Series 3 cars, produced 1986 to 1987, featured fuel injected engines, had either the CRT or Vacuum Florescent dashes.

Series 4 cars received an exterior facelift, the car's sharp edges rounded off and pop-up headlights eliminated. These models, produced from late 1987 to 1990, had Vacuum Florescent dash only.