Reviving once-proud brand names as a way to sell more high-priced cars has been a favorite technique for low-volume production. Mercedes’ Maybach experiment may not have been a runaway success, but it’s not stopping Jaguar from talking about reviving the Daimler nameplate. And now Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez has announced [via The Autochannel] that his employer’s disinterring Aston’s old chum. “Revival of the Lagonda brand would allow us to develop cars which can have a different character than a sportscar, and therefore offer a perfect synergy.” And there you were thinking that Aston’s forthcoming Rapide four-door had all that hearkening stuff covered. Why not slap the Lagonda name on that bad boy? “Lagonda will use a unique design language as Aston Martin does,” Bez blustered. “We will take elements of DNA from the past but will be very future orientated as we are with Aston Martin.” AM plans a Langonda concept for the brand’s centennial anniversary in 2009, which could be a production model by 2012.
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orientated?
Fire him.
Well, if that is not the ugliest car ever built, what was?
WHy do you assume that Bez’s comments amount to “bluster”? Since bluster means talking about something you have no intention of actually doing. Which I very much doubt is the case here.
Creating a new design language for sedans only makes sense. One only has to look at pictures of Porsche’s Panamera to see the catastrophic results of trying to use the same design language for the sport coupe on a sedan.
Perhaps Porsche could use a little more bluster, rather than less?
The ugliest car ever built is STILL the Pontiac Aztec.
That old Lagonda command a presence, u need to see the real car infront of u to appreciate it.
AM with some money flushed owner can afford to do things she really wants. Unlke Ford owned her then.
Talks about buying engine from AMG. Interesting combination.
I’m sorry, but there are some cars that are so ugly they’re cool (AMC Gremlin, AMC Eagle, early 60s Mopar Darts and Valiants, the Edsel), but this falls under the just plain ugly category. I don’t care what James May says about all the fancy electronic shit that didn’t work, this car is an abomination.
Did Lagonda make some good stuff? I’m not very familiar with the brand.
Lagonda does have quite a lot of heritage to draw on. In fact the only duff car they made was the one shown above. Providing they make a great car to compete with Bentley or Rolls then I think they have a great chance of sucess. Maybach by contrast never really had a great past and was lacking stylistically from day 1
If something with the style and class deficit of a Lagonda can be dragged out of the grave, can an Excalibur revival be far behind?
Call me unimpressed.
On the low end, they’d be competing against:
Bentley Continental Flying Spur
Porsche Panamera
Rolls-Royce RR4
Mercedes AMG
Maserati Quattroporte
And on the high end:
Rolls-Royce Phantom
Bentley Arnage
Maybach (soon to be DOA)
Bugatti’s next car
There just doesn’t appear to be anywhere for them to go. They can’t compete for the high end; Lagonda just doesn’t have the rep, as Maybach found out. Even if the styling wasn’t horrible, the Maybach name never carried any weight.
On the low end, the competition is both very good and has well-established brand equity.
I just don’t see how a small company like Aston can develop and market a Rolls Phantom level car. The dost to build it would bankrupt them.
Aston should keep to their niche, where they are finally getting traction, and not get distracted by A Car Too Far.
I cannot believe..that you found the worst possible picture of the Lagonda…
but to some British car bashers..I understand!
Too bad you didn’t inform the ‘best and brightest’ that this car was engineered in the 70`s and in proper trim(how did you find a whitewall pic) the car was fantastic looking!!
Firstly the Lagonda is an awesome vehicle. Literally. It fulfilled its requirement superbly, being an extreme and obvious display of wealth and was aimed a clientele for whom this was important. The Rolls-Royce Camargue was very similar in this respect. That said in some colours and trim specs the Lagonda actually looks rather dignified, particularly the shooting brake.
Secondly, I disagree with the parallel drawn between Daimler and Maybach. Daimler is still in production and has never been out of production (thereby making it the oldest nameplate of all) thus it doesn’t need to be ‘revived’. Even the limousines are relatively recent the last of which, the DS420 only went out of production in 1992 – many of which are still in service in their original occupations as dignitary transport and as wonderful hearses. Maybach on the other hand had a completely contrived revival making a car that wasn’t anything to anybody. I feel there is a definite spot for a limo that is less ostenatatious than a caddy, but cheaper than a Rolls Royce.
The Lagonda shooting brake wasn’t factory – it was as I recall a one-off done by a coachbuilding firm. Very interesting, though; they should have produced it, I think.
When looking at the Aston Martin Lagonda shown above, keep in mind that this is a car that went into production in 1976. For its time, it was quite a fascinating beast.