The Lagonda sedan is a part of Aston Martin’s heritage from the 1970’s and the British marquee has been working hard to revive the iconic brand in the form of a new super saloon. With work having commenced earlier this year, Aston has started testing the first prototype of the new Lagonda four-door super saloon in the deserts of Oman, bringing an end to all our curiosities with a bunch of photos of the development prototype sweating it out under the Arabian sun.
The first Lagonda prototype is being tested as part of a 4-week testing cycle in the Middle East, running for around 800 kms per day. The Lagonda prototype has already clocked 8000+ kms out of the total 22,500 kms in the four-week cycle in temperatures ranging from 30-degress to 50-degrees Celsius. Aston Martin also stated that it purposely chose the prototype to get a black paintjob to grill the prototype under the sun, including long hours of heat soaking tests that will bring the surface temperatures inside the cabin up to 175-degrees.
While very little is actually revealed apart from the exteriors, speculations suggest that the new Lagonda will be based on the VH platform that also underpins the Rapide four-door saloon in Aston Martin’s lineup. In terms of power, the automaker is most likely to use its 5.9-litre V12 engine from the Rapide S that puts out 560 PS of staggering power and 630 Nm of torque. There is also the possibility of an AMG sourced turbo V8 that could find application under the hood of the new Lagonda.
The Lagonda also showcases the direction that Aston Martin has chosen to style its new vehicles. A major departure from its current design philosophy, the Lagonda exudes a more symmetrical, organized and suave appeal, while retaining the trademark lines seen on previous Aston cars. The first examples of the production spec model will be available in 2015 and is reserved for the folks with a fine taste in the Middle East. The saloon will carry a price tag of over 4,00,000 Pounds (Rs. 3.90 crores).
