DB Rapide
There was then a gap until 1961 when the Rapide name was revived for what was, in principle, a four-door DB4, using a new 4 litre six cylinder engine, an advanced chassis with a de Dion rear axle and Superleggera bodywork. Its hand-made production method put the price so high it became difficult to sell and only 55 were made before 1964, when it was dropped. But David Brown had a soft spot for the make and had built a one-off four-door saloon in 1969 for his personal use, based on the contemporary DBS V8. This was joined in 1974 by seven more examples, but by then David Brown had stepped down and the company went through a series of owners. In 1976 the then owners launched the extremely futuristic V8, designed by William Towns, which was the star of that year’s Motor Show. But trouble with the experimental electronics delayed full production until the spring of 1978. The Lagonda was AML’s main product for the following two years and 621 were sold, in three distinct versions, ending in 1990. Since then, only a handful of cars badged as Lagondas have emerged, usually as four-door variants of the current Aston Martin, plus the stillborn Vignale prototype, which was only conceived as a Motor Show ‘concept car’.