Lagonda Taraf

Lagonda has an honourable history dating back to 1906. It can even boast a Le Mans victory (in 1935, the year that W.O. Bentley himself joined the marque). But up to now the most recent model was the iconic Lagonda of 1976, a low, square and wedge-shaped four-door designed by William Towns.

So the Taraf super saloon will be the first new Lagonda for almost 40 years. It will be built on the versatile extruded and bonded VH body structure, with carbon fibre composite body panels (apart from the bonnet). There are hints of the 1976 design in the new Lagonda, but with much more sculptural appeal, and although the look is low, lean and elegant there’s plenty of room inside for occupants of the four individual seats. Aston Martin’s design director Marek Reichman describes it as ‘a super saloon…for customers seeking the ultimate in luxury and personalisation.’

Examples of ultimate luxury include a 1000-watt Bang & Olufsen BeoSound audio system with ICEpower® technology, integrated connectors for iPhone and iPad with an optional media hub in the boot, a cool box and the option of Lagonda badges in solid silver, rose gold or 18ct gold. Three new paint finishes (Platinum White, Topaz Gold and Topaz Chrome) and three pearlescent interior leathers are unique to the model, and quilting is one of many bespoke options for the interior.

Why tinker with the sublime? Clearly Aston Martin’s engineers didn’t have to look far to specify a powertrain. The Taraf is powered by Aston Martin’s all-alloy, quad-cam, 48-valve V12 of 5925cc capacity. This drives a carbon-fibre propshaft inside an alloy torque tube to the rear-mounted, 8-speed Touchtronic III transmission. It’s a layout and a powertrain that has served Aston Martin well, with a magnificent V12 snarl and good handling balance. The Taraf’s 540bhp and 630Nm deliver a supercar-like 0-60mph time of just 4.4 seconds and a top speed in excess of 195mph. A three stage adaptive damping system offers a choice of Normal, Sport and Track modes; this is not a car many owners will be leaving to the chauffeur to pilot.

As with the One-77 and V12 Zagato, the new Lagonda will be built at the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon in a dedicated facility for such hand-built and bespoke projects. It’s the perfect showcase for the company’s capabilities in unique and ultra-desirable vehicles and comes soon after the announcement of further investment and expansion at Aston Martin.