Such is the financial gain and appeal of key financial markets that many car manufacturers will develop cars at great cost and offer them exclusively to specific areas of the world. Audi, for example, make an extended wheelbase version of their A8 super-saloon, but only for Chinese customers, and not available anywhere else. In China and the financial districts of Shanghai where the economy is booming, the prestige of the brand is as important as the amount of space in the rear of a car as a symbol of your wealth, and they have capitalised to ensure sales are rocketing. Rolls Royce and Bentley have seen similar success with key financial areas and sales figures are better than ever.
Not content with their current singular offering of the Rapide super-saloon they decided an exclusive higher class then a ‘normal’ Aston Martin range of models would be introduced. With this in mind Aston Martin recently decided to revive their prestigious Lagonda badge and originally planned a similar tactic with an exclusive model aimed at stealing sales from other luxury marques in the Middle East. Initially the offering will be a modern day interpretation of their flamboyant, but by no means successful, Lagonda from 1976, eventually followed by an all-new venture for the brand in the form of a luxury 4×4. 
The majority of Aston’s cars these days are heavily influenced by sportiness, obviously in swathes of comfort and luxury, but their racing heritage has provided them with a need to also make sure their cars can provide a quick lap time when the mood takes you. With the Lagonda part of the range the focus will heavily turn in favour of opulence and luxuriousness as well as the ultimate in style and obvious class. This is where their new saloon comes in.
Aston Martin definitely knows how to build cars properly these days, so they are able to build a car reminiscent of a former model that wasn’t quite so successful. Stunning to look at and futuristically styled, the 1976 Lagonda was meant to save the then struggling company. The angular form and overly long bonnet meant the shock and awe design and style was just the ticket, however, dodgy electronics and woeful unreliability meant that the performance and desirability couldn’t match the cutting edge styling. 
Early images of the new Aston Martin Lagonda haven’t disappointed on those fronts. The shape and style of the new car borrows loosely from the original 70’s car, thankfully with a bit less shock and awe too. The meaningful grille and angular headlights up front ooze presence and the high shoulder line provides a solid yet sporty looking stance. The long bonnet and wedge angled front and rear screens mimic the design of the old car perfectly, providing just enough of a hint of a car that is slowly becoming a design classic and a very collectable Aston as it rightly should. The car appears the right blend of statesman like and dignified yet a little menacing and muscular, rightfully hinting at the awesome power that lies under the bonnet. There’s nothing outlandish or unnecessary and everything looks neat and stylish, the way an Aston should be.
A clever car design should look like its already moving quickly when it is standing still, and for a car of this size it pulls off that trick nicely. The elegance and beauty of the rest of the AM range is plain to see, yet this car is different enough to warrant the higher price and limited production numbers. The interior is a blend of the finest quilted leathers and highest quality wood as you’d expect yet it somehow seems more exclusive and finer quality. 
Such is the success of the appeal for the new car that Aston Martin have decided to abandon the idea of exclusively selling the car in the Middle East, although that is where they expect a large number of the 200 car production run will end up. After all, 60-70% of the surviving original cars are believed to be situated in the Middle East. The car, as is the way these days, is to purchase by invitation only so your lottery money is unfortunately no good here, however at least you don’t have to be a resident of Dubai or one of the many wealthy neighbouring states. Not that you should expect to see one wafting down your local high street though, yet we can always live in hope.
HYPE Automotive 