The Tavistocks and their faulty Lagonda

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Pictures come with stories, and this shot comes with a particular good one. Yep, it's the William Towns-designed Aston Martin Lagonda, a car unlike any other, if only for the combination of four doors, razor-sharp styling and extraordinary dimensions! In addition, some rather fantastic myths and legends surround the model - stories of sheikhs and nobility, and of oil and gold. However, stories of technical problems have also done the rounds, because teething troubles have had a pronounced impact on the eccentric Lagonda's reputation. With the Series I model, Aston Martin had to stoop before customers who complained about defects, mainly concerning the electrics which powered the digital dashboard with touch-sensitive switches (in the mid-1970s!). It was straight from the pages of science-fiction, but it wasn't quite ready for the public consumption.

One of the high-profile complaints came from Lady Tavistock, who had ordered one of these cars for her husband, the Marquess of Tavistock and Earl of Bedford. It didn’t quite make the expected delivery time. After all, Aston Martin had its hands more than full solving all the problems which existing customers had. But the marque decided to turn this problem to its advantage. With the diligently developed Series II, it would bounce back in spectacular fashion. The first of these new, improved Lagondas was to be handed over to their Lord- and Ladyships under the watchful eye of the international motoring press at the Tavistock's imposing estate, Woburn Abbey. But as the scheduled date of April 1978 pushed closer, the pressure on the development team intensified. 

You guessed it: when the time came, the very first Lagonda Series II, which was to glide down the long driveway of Woburn Abbey for the motoring press, would not start. Past a wall of journalists, the new car finally had to be pushed to its new owners. How painful! It must be said that the Tavistocks do look happy with it here, though!

Words Jeroen Booij, picture JB archive, Aston Martin PR

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