lagonda

Daimler and Aston Martin to Collaborate on High-End Maybachs and Lagondas

Taking on the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley is no mean feat. In fact few are up to the task – not even Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler. The latter has tried with limited success to turn a profit on the Maybach brand, but the latest reports indicate that it's preparing to take a different approach.

Because Daimler is used to building cars in large volumes, it has been negotiating with Aston Martin for several years now on a new partnership that could see the British automaker – which has more expertise in small-batch production – build the next generation of Maybachs. Production would, according to reports, take place at Aston Martin's headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire in England, pictured above.

What would Aston get in return? The technology – including chassis, engines and more – on which to base its relaunched Lagonda brand, which is part of the company's portfolio but has not been used in decades. The first Lagonda luxury sedan could be built alongside the next Maybach, followed by a high-end crossover/utility vehicle based on the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class.

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Tags: aston martin, aston martin lagonda, gaydon, lagonda, maybach, mercedes-benz

Aston Martin Tipped to Relaunch Lagonda with Exclusive Luxury SUVs

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Ever since Aston Martin took over rival automaker Lagonda in 1947, it has been looking for a way to differentiate the brand from its own. Over the course of the past few decades, Lagonda sedans have been built on Aston Martin platforms. A couple of years ago at the Geneva Motor Show, the company unveiled a concept vehicle for Lagonda's revival in the form of a crossover-utility vehicle. The reviews were not positive, but Aston says the negative reaction was to the concept's form and not to the idea itself.

As a result, Aston Martin is reportedly preparing to spin Lagonda off into its own line of very high-end crossovers targeted at developing markets like Russia and China. (This in contradiction to previous reports that they'd go with a rebodied version of the Aston Martin Rapide.) The vehicles could be built atop Mercedes-Benz platforms, and will range in price from around $150,000 to nearly half a million, placing it far above even the most expensive luxury SUVs and crossovers currently available.

Gallery: Lagonda Concept

Tags: aston martin, aston martin lagonda, lagonda

Celebrity Limousines for Auction by Bonhams at Brooklands

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Celebrity Shopping

Celebrity Limousines for Auction by Bonhams at Brooklands

If you're looking to get your hands on some celebrity automobilia, Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands in Surrey, England, is the place to be on December 6. There the venerable auction house Bonhams has got a wealth of cherishable classics on the docket.

First up is a 1936 Rolls-Royce Phantom III. With a five-seat limousine configuration, a 7.3-liter V12 engine and custom coachwork by Inskip, this was the first of just 24 Phantom IIIs sold to America, and was used in the fantasy film Pan's Labrynth in a chase scene – suitably enough – against a Bentley.

But that's not the end of it: there's also a 1934 Lagonda formerly owned by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and a Mercedes-Benz 600 from Elvis Presley's estate, along with Ferraris, Maseratis and more.

Gallery: 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom III by Inskip

Tags: 1934 rolls-royce phantom iii by inskip, elvis, elvis presley, lagonda, mercedes-benz, nick mason, pans labrynth, rolls-royce, rolls-royce phantom iii

New Lagonda Expected to be Based on Aston Martin Rapide

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

It's been a bumpy road for Lagonda these past few years. After laying dormant for decades, Aston Martin's sister brand was due to be revived with a new crossover-utility vehicle that debuted last year in Geneva. Unfortunately the Lagonda concept failed to impress, and plans were put on hold.

Now new reports indicate that, although the crossover has been killed, Lagonda's prospects for rejuvenation have not. According to reports, Aston Martin plans to build a larger sedan based based on the Rapide (pictured above) under the Lagonda name. It may be a while yet, though, as the new model isn't expected for another four years.

Gallery: Aston Martin Rapide

Tags: aston, aston martin, aston martin lagonda, aston martin rapide, lagonda

Aston Martin May Build Hybrid Lagonda SUV, Electric Cygnet

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

Aston Martin Lagonda Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Are hybrid drivetrains befitting of a premium luxury and performance brand? Well, that depends on who you ask. According to such diverse automakers as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce and even Ferrari and Lamborghini, the answer is 'yes'. Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez, though, reportedly believes otherwise. "The current hybrid technologies are not suited to the character of Aston Martin sports cars," explains Bez.

We're not so sure we agree, especially since Aston's long-planned Lagonda revival – which may or may not come wrapped in an ungainly SUV package – is rumored to be equipped with a hybrid powertrain. After all, the torque-rich nature of electric motors certainly wouldn't be a bad thing for a luxury tourer.

A few branches up on the green tree, Aston Martin's tiny Toyota iQ-based Cygnet minicar could quite possibly get a fully electric drivetrain, which would seem to make sense given that car's stated mission as an urban runabout for those times when a V12 Vanquish could be considered overkill. Beautiful, sonorous, splendid overkill...

Gallery: Lagonda Concept

[Source: Autotelegraaf.nl via Motor Authority]

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Tags: aston martin, Aston Martin Cygnet, aston martin hybrid, aston martin lagonda, AstonMartin, AstonMartinCygnet, AstonMartinHybrid, AstonMartinLagonda, cygnet, electric cygnet, ElectricCygnet, Lagonda, lagonda concept, lagonda crossover, lagonda hybrid, lagonda suv, LagondaConcept, LagondaCrossover, LagondaHybrid, LagondaSuv

Aston Martin Takes Another Look at the Lagonda Concept

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Ever meet a pair of siblings and notice one excels at everything and the other's a bit of a deadbeat? That's Aston Martin Lagonda Limited. If you're wondering what the Lagonda part is for, you're on the right track. It forms the full name of the company best known for producing James Bond's automobile of choice, but while Aston Martins are some of the most beautiful and successful sportscars on the road or track, Lagonda is considerably less so.

The automotive marque originally founded in 1906 was acquired by Aston Martin in 1947, and though Aston's tried at several intervals to revitalize its sister brand, not much good has ever come from it. Most recently, the company announced the rebirth of Lagonda, unveiling the concept car you see above at the 2009 Geneva auto show. It was supposed to be a luxurious crossover, based on the Mercedes GL-Class and powered by a V12 engine. Reception was rather cold, and Aston pulled the concept after the first day. But now it's back, courtesy of a new batch of photos released by Aston Martin's PR department. What they're up to – and why they've brought the one project that failed back to light – is beyond us, but you can have a look for yourself in the fresh gallery below.

Gallery: Lagonda Concept

Tags: aston, aston martin, aston martin lagonda, aston martin lagonda concept, aston martin lagonda limited, AstonMartin, AstonMartinLagonda, AstonMartinLagondaConcept, AstonMartinLagondaLimited, lagonda, lagonda concept, LagondaConcept

Aston Martin Rapide in Pictures

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Few automobiles on the road today are as breathtaking as an Aston Martin. But while the resurgent British automaker is known mostly for its two-door sportscars, the company's history isn't without its share of four-door models as well.

Aston introduced its return to the lucrative segment last month at the Frankfurt auto show, and has now followed up with a wide selection of photography, showing the new Rapide in all its glory and from every angle. We've placed all the images in the high-resolution gallery below for your browsing pleasure, so have a look and enjoy.

Gallery: Aston Martin Rapide

Tags: aston, aston martin, aston martin rapide, aston rapide, AstonMartin, AstonMartinRapide, AstonRapide, lagonda, rapide

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Aston Martin Rapide

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

An Aston Martin is a beautiful thing. Several Aston Martins, however, start to look the same. At least, that's the objection that critics levy. They're all two-door GTs with the engine up front and the driving wheels in the back, with subtly different by largely the same styling. And while the new Rapide may share familiar design cues with the likes of the Vantage and DB9, it introduces a new body style into the Aston catalogue for the first time in decades.

The four-door coupe originally debuted in concept form way back at the 2006 Detroit auto show, and is only now ready to start production. Along the way a couple of small changes have been made, but by and large it's the same car that wowed the industry three years ago. Think of it as a DB9 with a couple extra doors and you're half way there. Check out the images in the gallery below to go the extra distance.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Aston Martin Rapide

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Aston Martin Revives Lagonda Marque in Geneva with Quirky Crossover Concept

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

For such a small company, or by any measure, really, Aston Martin certainly had its hands full preparing for this year's Geneva Motor Show. The company currently offers essentially two model lines, but at the Swiss show revealed four new models that didn't step on each other's toes. In addition to the V12 Vantage, the DBS Volante and the seven-figure One-77 supercar, Aston also took the opportunity to revive the long-dormant Lagonda marque. Now celebrating its 100th anniversary, Lagonda has been out of commission for decades, but is now poised to make a comeback. Unfortunately the concept which Aston unveiled to kick off Lagonda's return disappointed what could have been an elegant affair.

Instead of showing a limousine as expected to take on the likes of Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Maybach, the Lagonda Concept is an awkwardly-styled crossover with a huge gaping mouth and unattractive shape, especially in the presence of such classically beautiful Aston sportscars. Company executives hope the production version, whenever it rolls around, will help them expand into new markets like the Middle East, China, India and Russia where luxury SUVs are even more the rage than they are in the U.S. But while this beast may strike a chord with those who have more money than taste, we would have expected a little more from Aston Martin. See for yourself in the gallery of photographs below.

Gallery: Geneva 2009: Lagonda concept

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Tags: aston martin, aston martin lagonda, AstonMartin, AstonMartinLagonda, geneva, geneva 2009, geneva motor show, Geneva2009, GenevaMotorShow, lagonda, lagonda concept, LagondaConcept

Aston Martin Lagonda Concept Confirmed for Geneva

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The Lagonda nameplate stretches back all the way to 1906, when it was first introduced in Middlesex by an American named Wilbur Gunn. The automaker continued offering luxurious automobiles until it was taken over in 1947 by fellow British automaker Aston Martin. Since September of last year, we've been expecting that a new Lagonda would be displayed at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, and now that timing has been confirmed.

Expect a four-door saloon that carries traditional Aston Martin design touches. There has been some talk that the new Lagonda may be based on the most current Mercedes-Benz S-Class chassis architecture, but that's yet to be confirmed. There is also reason to suspect that the new Lagonda could share underpinnings with the upcoming Rapide sedan, though possibly in a modified crossover form since it wouldn't make much sense to offer two models that would compete for the same sales. We'll know for sure in early March.

[Source: AutoExpress]

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Tags: aston martin, aston martin lagonda, AstonMartin, AstonMartinLagonda, geneva 2009, geneva motor show, Geneva2009, GenevaMotorShow, lagonda

Aston Martin To Revive The Lagonda Name

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

A celebrated British car brand is about to return to production. Lagonda will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year and Aston Martin will bring back the brand which produced cars independently until 1947 when it was bought by Aston Martin. After that Aston used Lagonda as a model designation from 1976 to 1989 creating a boxy four-door car. The last model Lagonda produced was the 1961-65 Rapide, a nameplate which Aston used on its upcoming four-door coupe model under the Aston Martin name. The concept car for the new Lagonda will be be unveiled at the Geneva show next March. Autoblog's sources say that the new car may be a sedan competitor aimed at Bentley and Rolls-Royce but focused on more on performance than long distance cruising.

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Tags: aston martin, cars, england, lagonda

Evel Knievel's Aston Martin Lagonda on eBay

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

When a car has been previously owned by a celebrity, it adds character to the vehicle, not to mention that "used by a celebrity" sounds better than simply "used." Autoblog dug around and found Evel Knievel's 1984 Aston Martin Lagonda on eBay. Not only does it have celebrity cache, but it is one cool car. Over 17-feet long, the car was heavily customized by Galatin Aston and features an automatic 502 big-block Chevrolet V8 engine, R-700 transmission, cream leather upholstery and a mirrored finish on the underside of the hood. The starting bid price is $149,999.

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Tags: aston martin, auction, bid, car, celebrities, celebrity, ebay, evel knievel, lagonda

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