Aston Martin Lagonda

If you’re of an age where you can recall the original Apple personal computer, then you’re likely to remember another icon from the 1970s; the wedge-shaped Aston Martin Lagonda designed by William Towns. The car’s bold exterior design, opulent appointment and state of the art, computerised instrumentation demanded the sort of hefty price tag only Rolls-Royce and Bentley could match, and the car’s relative rarity made it a desirable piece of automotive history. Opinion was universally divided on the car but not here in the Middle East where the well-heeled tripped over themselves to be the first to own one.

Only 645 cars over the four series versions were made during the car’s 12 year production run and most of them ended up in the Middle East before brand’s name all but disappeared for two decades. There were concepts, including an SUV which surfaced in 2009 but nothing solid bearing the Lagonda name until this.

The brand’s success in the Middle East goes some way towards explaining why the company chose to relaunch the Lagonda nameplate by unveiling its new supersedan in Dubai last month. The company further underscored its links with the Middle East by giving the car an Arabic name: the Taraf which, fittingly, translates as “opulent”.

Aston Martin’s new chief executive officer Andy Palmer told C/D ME that the Middle East remained an extremely important market for the company, and that a 42 percent growth in sales has prompted the company to invest $10 million into new showrooms and aftersales facilities over the next 12 months. On top of that, Palmer said the company is pouring GBP 500 million ($780 million) into developing a whole range of future models to carry the marque well into its second century.

Palmer explained, “We’ve not announced quite where we’re going with it yet. I’ve only been in the job for a month, so we’re a little while off that at the moment; circa two years ish from the next range of vehicles. So we’re in the development phase for the first one with a strong cadence thereafter.

“It will be a brand new platform, brand new series of sports cars, and then I’m aiming towards Geneva [Motor show, 2015] to explain what the company is able to do and, rather than have another 101 years of say feast and famine, how we stabilise the company and we make it into something really rather special,” he said.

“There’s a personal challenge there, and a company challenge to be had, but if I didn't believe there was a commitment behind this from the shareholders to make something very special, obviously I wouldn't have come. I’m pretty clear in my mind where we should be going, and it’s just a matter of making sure we have the financing set to make that happen, the production capacity, the design resources and then basically a cadence I see over probably six year period where we transform what the company is all about. Some things we do on the current cars very well. There are some areas where it’s starting to look a little tired now, and now it’s time to transform.”

THE TARAF
Designed inhouse by a team of 75 led by British-born Marek Reichman, the Taraf is based on the company’s existing VH architecture and is powered by the same 6.0-litre V-12 engine you’ll find at the heart of the DB9. Like the current Vanquish and the super exclusive ) ne-77, the Lagonda Taraf is clad in an all carbon-fibre body shell which is bonded to the aluminium and carbon fibre chassis.

“It is the first Lagonda since 1976. It is an exceptional proportioned car. It is Concorde in class, not just in terms of the seating accommodation in the rear, but in its visual language. If you think about how striking it was to see Concorde in the air, think about how striking it is to see this car on the road,” he explained.

“The grille has features that extend into the lamps to give it a very proud face. The Lagonda has a very proud face: it’s a statement, a very exclusive face. One of the important features about Lagonda design is the consequence of line. If you look at any of the features or the lines, there’s a reason those lines exist to create that proportion, to create that stance but also to give you the craftsmanship and the exclusive nature of the car and the incredible detailing,” he said.

Reichman says that working with carbon fibre doesn't necessarily change the way designers approach the final shape of a car, but more in how the car is constructed.

“Take the side panel which extends all the way from the top of the A-pillar to the back of the car. That is one piece, and would be impossible to do in anything other than carbon fibre. Pressing that in any other material, you get wash away, you get spring back, and it’s so hard to define those areas.

“I know in aluminium, I’d have to have shut lines where I don't want them, we wouldn't have the kinds of lines we have here. There’s the freedom. It’s not so much the freedom of form language, but it’s putting the shut lines where you want to have them,” he explained.

There are design cues that hint at the Towns car too. The C-pillar is slightly raised which is a direct design cue from the 1970s Lagonda, as is the car’s sleek 5.4 metre length and it low-slung side profile. There’s a hint of wedge too, but the car’s short front overhang and sculpted rear are more in keeping with Aston Martin’s current range of sports cars than controversial 1970s styling.

Inside, the seats are trimmed in fine quilted leathers, and there are no limits to the levels at which customers can spec their cars, by either gold-plating metal finishes or colour matching surface materials.There’s a lot more leg room in the rear seats and a far more luxurious feel to the rear accommodation than Aston Martin’s other four door offering, the Rapide, but the centre console up front retains its Aston roots while the counter clockwise tachometer is an unusual touch. Aston’s people say the boot will also accept two sets of golf clubs, but we’ll have to wait to see just how many full bags of 14 we can shoehorn in to it.

Reichman says that while the car was initially designed for the Middle East buyer, his team’s priority was in producing a car that reflected the brand’s core heritage.

“I think apart from the choice of colours and materials, the ability to spec your car unlike anyone else’s is what is key. You could argue that having something completely unexpected is what you’re after. The original car, the Towns car, was very successful in this region because it was something that no-one had seen before. This is a brave market in that respect, and this car is here to do exactly the same thing. There aren't many cars that are 5.4 metres long with as much space in the back, and that are that low to the ground and are as dramatic. I think that is the sort of thing customers here want,” he said.

Palmer said that reaction to the initial images of the car had been extremely encouraging and that the company is looking at widening the car’s availability in other markets, though he wouldn't elaborate as to where. Both China and the US are key markets for Aston Martin, so don’t be surprised to see the car offered there.

There’s no word on price or performance figures just yet, but expect both to be equally impressive. During the Dubai launch, both Palmer and Reichman used the phrase Concorde alot, and while the supersonic jet may have been out of service for over 10 years now, its reputation for eclipsing First Class in terms of both service and price were extraordinary. If Lagonda’s heritage in the region is anything to go by, you’re best thinking in Rolls-Royce Ghost Series 2 or Bentley Mulsanne terms than upper reaches of Rapide S ownership.

And, if you’ve got a Towns designed Lagonda tucked away in the garage, it might be a good time to dust the old beauty off and get it on the road again. Who knows just what it may be worth at auction now?