The Finest of Fast Cars

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Certain cars make certain statements. A Rover or Jaguar suggests refinement, befitting perhaps a senior management position, while a Bentley would suit a man in a directorship position, provided he is content to look like a stereotypical, stuffy company director. For the high-flying businessman seeking something less conventional and more exciting, perhaps with a view to driving for pleasure as well as being driven out of necessity, David Brown presented the Lagonda Rapide.

Very few other cars could be considered in the same class as Rapide. A Jensen CV8 or Facel Vega HK500 might have appealed to a similarly wealthy leisure motorist but, as two-door coupés, they were not suitable for being driven around the city during the week. Based on the Aston Martin DB4 but also acting as something of a test vehicle for the new four-litre, dohc straight-six intended for the DB5, the Rapide had all the credentials of a sporting GT car – and with 125mph within its capabilities, it was certainly as fast as one – but with the restrained formalities that made it suitable for being ferried between directorial meetings.

As with anything so exclusive, though, the Rapide was bound to be a tough car to market and its fortunes were not helped by difficulties within Aston Martin, not least the relocation of the factory. Ultimately, each Rapide lost Aston Martin £1000, despite its immense sales price, and the model met its demise after only three years and 55 units had been sold.

Martin Buckley examines the merits and fortunes of this exceptionally refined city gent’s car in the October issue of The Automobile, available now.

(Words Zack Stiling. photographs Tim Scott / Fluid Images)

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