Bonhams Auction - Aston Martin and related Automobilia
Aston Martin Lagonda Works Service
Tickford St
Newport Pagnell
Bucks
17 May 2008

Automobilia 10:30
Aston Martin motor cars 15:30

Aston Martin revived the Lagonda name in 1961 with the luxurious Rapide four-door saloon, a car that was very much David Brown’s personal project. The Rapide’s sales brochure, which unusually was signed by him personally, stated: ‘It has long been my ambition to build a car which would be equally suitable to drive or be driven in...’

Beneath the Superleggera aluminium coachwork by Touring of Milan was a lengthened DB4 chassis reconfigured by Harold Beach to accept De Dion rear suspension, the adoption of which allowed rear compartment space to be maximised. Powered by a 4.0-litre (236bhp) version of the DB4’s twin-cam six that would later power the DB5, the Rapide certainly lived up to its name with brisk acceleration and a 130mph-