Lagonda · 1961–1964
Lagonda Rapide
The Lagonda Rapide is a hand built full-sized luxury four-door grand tourer which was produced by Aston Martin from 1961 until 1964 under its Lagonda marque.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Predecessor: Lagonda 3-Litre · Successor: Aston Martin Lagonda
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Description
Based on the Aston Martin DB4, it was David Brown's attempt to revive the Lagonda marque which he had purchased in 1948 and not used since the 3.0 litre cars of the 1950s stopped production in 1958. It marked a revival of the Rapide model name which had been used by Lagonda during the 1930s. The car was styled by Carrozzeria Touring and featured rear-end styling similar to the DB4 convertible, and an adapted Lagonda grille a little similar to Ford's Edsel.
Specifications
The Rapide uses a 4.0 L straight-6 six cylinder double overhead camshaft engine, which would later be used in the Aston Martin DB5. Other new features included a de Dion tube rear suspension which would find its way into the Aston Martin DBS. The car has dual-circuit, servo-assisted, four-wheel disc brakes, and most cars were supplied with a 3-speed automatic BorgWarner gearbox. The exterior body panels were constructed from aluminium alloy over a Superleggera tubular steel frame. All cars except for the prototype had their bodies constructed by Lagonda. The interior was upholstered in leather and had a burled walnut dashboard.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- Lagonda Rapide
- Manufacturer
- Aston Martin
- Production
- 1961–1964, 55 produced
- Assembly
- United Kingdom: Newport Pagnell, England
- Successor
- Aston Martin Lagonda
- Related
- Aston Martin DB4
- Class
- Full-size luxury car (F)
- Body style
- 4-door saloon
- Layout
- FR layout
- Length
- 196 in
- Engine
- 4.0 L DOHC I6
- Designer
- Carrozzeria Touring
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.
More photos
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1410060CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagonda_RapideCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1371866643 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rapide_02.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Michael Schäfer · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.