Pneus Lagonda Rapide

Lagonda Rapide History

The Lagonda Rapide, inspired by the Aston Martin DB4, was David Brown's effort to resurrect the Lagonda marque, which he had bought in 1948 and had not used since the 3.0-litre vehicles of the 1950s ceased manufacturing in 1958. It was a resurrection of the Rapide model name, which Lagonda had used in the 1930s. Carrozzeria Touring designed the automobile, which had rear-end styling akin to the DB4 convertible with an adapted Lagonda grille comparable to Ford's Edsel.

The engine of the Rapide is a 4.0 L straight-6 six cylinder double overhead camshaft engine that was later utilised in the Aston Martin DB5. Another novel innovation was the de Dion tube rear suspension, which would eventually be used in the Aston Martin DBS.

The automobile had dual-circuit, servo-assisted four-wheel disc brakes, and the majority of cars came with a 3-speed automatic BorgWarner gearbox. The outer body panels are made of aluminium alloy and are supported by a Superleggera tubular steel frame. Lagonda built the bodywork for all of the vehicles except the prototype. The inside was leather-upholstered, with a walnut dashboard. The automobile was hand-built to order and had a starting price of £4,950. There were 55 made, with 48 surviving.