A Mk1 Aston Martin Lagonda super saloon will go on sale in a few days in the UK. The British automaker only made seven such vehicles between the fall of 1974 and summer of 1976, following up with the eighth and final example as late as 2007. This is the car number six, and it has major engine and interior modifications.
In its pristine form, the 5.3-liter eight-cylinder engine on board made 320 PS (316 hp / 235 kW) and 475 Nm (350 lb-ft) of torque. Sometime in the 2000s, its owner had it bored out to 7 liters of displacement and raised the output to 480 PS (473 hp / 353 kW) along with 746 Nm (550 lb-ft) of torque. The five-speed automatic transmission received its own share of improvements, too.
As a result, the rear-wheel-drive exotic should now be capable of hitting 100 km/h (62 mph) in around five seconds and accelerating to a maximum of 274 km/h (170 mph) – or so the seller says.
Further upgrades were made to suspension, brakes, cooling, noise proofing, and interior. The latter received an up-to-date audio system with Bluetooth connectivity and a CD player. Seats were wrapped in grey leather, reconfigured and moved from their initial positions.
The sedan has a touch over 5,000 km (3,100 miles) on the odo after the restoration and is expected to go for £200,000–£300,000 (U.S. $260,000–$400,000).
David Brown, the owner of the Aston Martin brand back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, was the one who ordered the creation of the Lagonda model. He wished for a sports sedan that he would be able to drive himself, without a chauffeur. The company took the DBS wheelbase and stretched it by 305 mm (12 inches) for the Lagonda.
The production car debuted at a London show in 1974. At £14,040 and above, it was about 25 percent more expensive than the coupe it was based upon, although the V8 engine under the hood was the same. Rampaging fuel crisis and other issues prevented it from becoming successful, but Aston Martin insisted on continuing production until 1990. A total of 645 cars was made across four generations.