Aston Martin Lagonda Rapide LH
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Car producer : |
Aston Martin |
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Model: |
Lagonda Rapide LH |
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Year: |
1961-1964 |
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Type: |
Sedan |
In 1947 the company was taken over by David Brown and moved in with Aston Martin, which he had also bought, in Feltham, Middlesex. The old Staines works at Egham Hythe passed to Petters Limited, in which A.P. Good had acquired the controlling interest. Production restarted with the last prototypes from W. O. Bentley, the 1948 2.6-Litre with new chassis featuring fully independent suspension. Its new 2580 cc twin overhead cam straight 6 became the basis for the Aston Martin engines of the 1950s. The engine grew to 3 liters in 1953 and continued to be available until 1958.
Many thought that the marque had disappeared, but in 1961 the Rapide name was resurrected with a four-door saloon based on the contemporary Aston Martin DB4, with an aluminum body by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan and a 3995 cc engine capable of taking the car to 125 mph (201 km/h). By this time, Aston Martin-Lagonda as it now was, had moved to Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire. The Rapide lasted until 1965.
The Lagonda Rapide is a hand built four-door GT car which was produced from 1961 until 1964.
Based on the Aston Martin DB4, it was David Brown's attempt to revive the Lagonda marque which he had purchased in 1948. It marked a revival of the Rapide model name which had been used by Lagonda during the 1930s. The car featured DB4 rear end styling and a horse collar Lagonda grille a little similar to Ford's Edsel.
The Rapide used a 4.0 L straight-6 six cylinder double overhead camshaft engine, which would later be used in the Aston Martin DB5. Other new features included a de Dion tube rear suspension which would find its way into the Aston Martin DBS.
The car had dual circuit, servo-assisted disc brakes, and most cars were supplied with a 3-speed automatic B & W gearbox. The exterior body panels were constructed from aluminum alloy over a Superleggera tubular steel frame. The interior was upholstered in leather and had a burled walnut dashboard.
The car was hand built to order only, and cost new a base price of £4,950 (£89,595.50 in today's money - US$143,030.26). However, 55 vehicles were produced, of which about 48 are known today.
