1979 Aston Martin Lagonda

Lot Number: 553

1979 Aston Martin Lagonda

The first Lagonda sold to the public, as confirmed by the AMOC Registry, and showing just 4,300 miles since a complete rebuild by Aston Martin in 1986.

  • Sold for: £61,875

LIVE AUCTION: This lot was auctioned on Sunday 14th November, 2021 at 1.00pm GMT at NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT

  • Body Colour

    BODY COLOUR
    Gold

  • Drive

    DRIVE
    RHD

  • Registration Number

    REG NUMBER
    WWH 111

  • Odometer Reading

    ODOMETER READING
    4294 Miles

SUMMARY

The first Lagonda sold to the public, as confirmed by the AMOC Registry, and showing just 4,300 miles since a complete rebuild by Aston Martin in 1986.

DESCRIPTION

  • This car’s AMOC Register entry reads: “First real production car, delivered February (1979)”
  • First registered on the 8th February 1979 with the penultimate owner, prior to our vendor, owning the car for 30 years
  • Clothed in striking 'razor edge' bodywork designed by William Towns with a luxurious interior of selected Connolly hides and Walnut
  • Documented restoration by Aston Martin Works in 1986 and further enhanced by our vendor since purchase in 2017 with bills for over £30,000
  • With an odometer reading of 4,294 miles (atoc) and believed to have featured in the Lagonda brochure, this car is of serious consideration.

With the success of its sports coupe and volante roadsters, Aston Martin periodically revived the Lagonda name seeing it applied to a stretched, four-door AM V8 in the mid-1970s, a mere handful of which saw production. When the concept re-emerged as an entirely new product type, it was the sensation of the 1976 London Motor Show. Clothed in striking 'razor edge' bodywork designed by William Towns - the man responsible for the DBS - the new Lagonda saloon, designated 'Series 2', used the same long-wheelbase V8 chassis as its immediate predecessor, while breaking new ground in terms of digital LCD instrumentation and touch-button switch gear.

The aftermath of the mid-1970s fuel crises and issues with this advanced concept would delay production until April 1978, by which time a simplified arrangement had been adopted. The interior though, was every bit as luxurious as the exterior was futuristic, featuring selected Connolly hides, Wilton carpeting and Walnut veneer, all hand-finished by skilled craftsmen in the best Aston Martin tradition.
 
In the Lagonda, Aston's well-proven 5.3-litre V8 employed a quartet of twin-choke Weber 42DCNF carburettors and produced a maximum of 280bhp at 5,000rpm with 320lb/ft of torque available lower down the range. A Chrysler Torqueflite automatic gearbox was the standard transmission. More than 17' long, 6' wide and weighing two tons, the Lagonda was an imposing sight from any angle, yet despite its bulk proved capable of reaching 60mph in 7.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 145mph.
 
Production got into its stride towards the end of 1978, with one car per week being completed at the Newport Pagnell factory. The Lagonda was face-lifted in 1987 as the Series 4, acquiring a slightly softer, less hard-edged look and continued in production until May 1990 by which time a total of 638 had been built, including 98 Series 4 models. Even today, almost 30 years after its sensational debut, there are few cars that can match the visual presence of the Aston Martin Lagonda.
 
One of the very first production cars completed, chassis number '13010' is an example of Towns' design in its purest, original form. Formerly registered 'YHX 722T', it is the second Lagonda produced for retail sale. The chassis numbering sequence commenced with '13001', and of the preceding nine cars, some of which were prototypes, only five survive. This example's AMOC Register entry reads: "First real production car, delivered February (1979)". It's believed that this car also featured in official Aston Martin sales literature of the period.

'13010' belonged to the previous owner for 30 years and has covered only 4,294 miles since a complete rebuild by Aston Martin in March 1986, invoices and correspondence on file. Stored for the fourteen years until purchase by our vendor in 2017, the car required extensive re-commissioning with bills on file amounting to some £30,000. Accompanying paperwork consists of a V5 registration document and the aforementioned bills from Aston Martin relating to the 1986 rebuild and a fresh MOT is planned prior to auction.

SPECIFICATION

Lot Number
553
Make
ASTON MARTIN
Model
LAGONDA
Registration Number
WWH 111
MOT Expiry
Exempt
Chassis Number
L00R13010
Engine Number
V/540/3010
Transmission
Automatic
Body Colour
Gold

CONSIGNOR

Consignor

For further information regarding this lot please contact Arwel.

CONTACT

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SEE IT IN ACTION

SEE IT IN ACTION

Vehicles can be collected from The NEC on Monday 15th November between 9am and 2pm.

Motor vehicles

Our transport partners, EM Rogers, can assist with collection and delivery. Please contact them on 01604 755511 or trafficdesk@emrogers.co.uk for a quote.

Any cars not collected by 2pm on Monday 15th November will be taken to our EM Rogers storage facility in Northampton for a fee of £175 plus VAT. Storage will be charged at £10 plus VAT per day from the Monday onwards.

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Our motorcycle transport partners, Moving Motorcycles, can assist with collection and delivery.

Please contact them on 01933 448555 or info@movingmotorcycles.co.uk for a quote.

Any motorcycles not collected by 2pm on Monday 15th November will be taken to our transport partners facility in Northamptonshire for a fee of £110 plus VAT, including 3 days storage. Storage will be charged at £5 plus VAT per day thereafter.

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