Lincoln V8 Conversion: 1981 Aston Martin Lagonda
The Aston Martin Lagonda is one of those cars that really tends to polarize people. Some like that wedge-shaped appearance, while others don’t. It could be argued that the Lagonda was ahead of its time. When it was initially released in 1974, other manufacturers had begun the shift from the more curvaceous look, and car stylists were beginning to give their cars a more squared appearance. Aston Martin just took that to the extreme. This particular Lagonda isn’t all that it seems at first glance, and this makes it an interesting car. Located in Independence, Oregon, it is listed for sale here on eBay.
I can still remember the first time I saw a photo of the Lagonda, and how fascinated I was with the look of the car. The thing that you have to admire about Aston is the fact that they have always been willing to push the boundaries, and that low nose, steeply raked windshield, and the sharp edges certainly do that. I can remember one motoring journalist saying that the best thing about driving a Lagonda was that from behind the wheel you couldn’t see the outside of the car. Having said that, this one is quite a good looking example. One of the strong points of the Lagonda is the fact that they have never been particularly prone to rust issues. The black paint appears to be pretty good, and there don’t seem to be any major issues to report.
As with the exterior appearance, the interior of the Lagonda also pushed the boundaries of both appearance and engineering. That digital dash and the original soft-touch controls looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, but the reality was that on early examples, they were more like something out of a horror movie. The development of those original electronics cost Aston more than the development budget for the entire car, and they still didn’t work properly. As the car developed, a great many of the bugs were eliminated, and today they are a far more reliable proposition. The black leather and ostrich skin interior of this Lagonda appears to be really nice, and the owner says that the digital dash works perfectly. The car is fitted with an aftermarket CD player, but the interior is otherwise standard. Of course, being a luxury car, you do receive power windows, power locks, power seats, and air conditioning to make life a bit more enjoyable.
When I said that this Lagonda was not all that it seems, this is what I was referring to. The original Aston Martin DOHC V8 engine has been given the old heave-ho, and in its place is a professionally installed fuel-injected Lincoln V8 engine. For anyone who has ever looked under the hood of a standard Lagonda, it is cramped, with not one square inch of space as Aston tried to fit the engine and its ancillaries under that flat hood. With the Lincoln engine in place, it now looks positively spacious under there. The owner states that all of the running gear is new and that no expense has been spared in this conversion. Since the conversion, the car has only covered around 500 miles. The owner holds all of the receipts for the conversion work, detailing both the work performed and the cost. He says that the car has plenty of power and that it is reliable and quick.
When it was released, the Aston Martin Lagonda wasn’t well received, and a combination of the development costs and warranty repairs, particularly to the electronics, eventually sent the company broke. Over the years the Lagonda has become something of a cult classic, and the conversion work performed on this car makes it an interesting proposition. As a result, cars that in years past were considered difficult to even give away are now selling for reasonable prices, and the values have been increasing slowly but steadily. Really good examples will now sell for around the $55,000 mark. At the time of writing, bidding on this Lagonda has reached $4,050, but it isn’t a surprise that the reserve has not been met. I’ll be interested to see whether the modifications result in the car selling for more than average, or for less.
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Comments
Well thats one way to keep one of these heaps on the road, clever conversion.
Hideous car………………..like a Trans Am and a Slantback Seville had sex and created this…….thing.
I like that ’65 Pontiac Bonneville in the background.
The engine change is a good start. How about a dashboard change also.
If you look closely most of the dash electronic parts were also replaced with aftermarket digital dashes and Ford parts too……
These were my childhood fantasy car. Don’t worry, I’m getting the professional mental health care I need.
I can understand how you could like one as a kid, it is wild looking, like what Count Dracula would drive if he was a coke dealer…….
Good thing the Pontiac Aztec was made…………….it is preventing this car from being the ugliest thing ever built.
I think they are cool looking, like they are right out of a comic book. My question is about the “Lincoln Engine”. That to me looks like a 4.6 out of a late 90’s town car which is a modest performer, to say the least… I was expecting at least a Mark VIII DOHC engine…
This is the 3rd exotic to come out of Independence Oregon which has been on this site. Wonder if this is a flipper or someone releasing cars from a collection? Independence is a small farming community west of Salem. Not likely the home of exotic owners.
He’s a local dealer/flipper who likes unusual cars. He’s generally pretty straight forward. He isn’t going to tell you what he paid, but he’ll tell you anything else you want to know.
He’s a “flipper” frequently dealing in reprobate Rolls-Royces and beater Bentleys. I’ve wondered if he has a dealer’s license??
The engine was the least troublesome part, with the electrical system being the most. So they have added complexity and non standard parts without doing a thing for the underlying issues. I don’t know who would buy this. Not a collector with the engine swap, and not an enthusiast who would be faced with sourcing unobtanium parts and a dash that will usually not work properly, even if it is working at the moment.
If you look closely it looks like most of the dash electronic parts were also replaced with aftermarket digital dashes and Ford parts too……there is a Ford a/c control on the left of the steering wheel.
It looks like a pretty good swap, and now you can enjoy all the “beauty”…..hahahahahahaha….without any of the trouble.
“Really good examples will now sell for around the $55,000 mark. At the time of writing, bidding on this Lagonda has reached $4,050.”
Says it all really, the engine swap has killed the value. Cars like this aren’t ‘my only car,’ daily drivers anyway. Lamborghini Espadas or Ferrari 330s with SBCs are similarly worth little.The Aston V8s are reliable and tough. It would have made more sense to drop the Ford V8 engine management on the existing Aston V8.
I guess again beauty is in the eye…. I love these Lagonda’s, wish I could have one, they just look incredibly super!
I’d be happy with it if the price wasn’t too steep, and keep the hood down at shows. They look much better in person. I love em.
Ugliness on wheels!
What’s with all the ugly talk? Truly, one of the most distinctively styled sedans ever made. Apparently one of the most polarizing as well. I think they are stunning.
Jeez, the 70’s produced some really good looking cars or some hideous ones, but this takes the ugly cake. This car looks like something John DeLorean would’ve designed if he were blind and let his seeing eye dog do the work!!
It’s funny to see how polarizing this is. I’m firmly in the “love it” camp. It’s just so deliciously outrageous. The Series IV cars were a little more handsome, for sure. I think the design aged well; the 1990 cars still look ahead of their time. Looks like we have the good old SOHC 4.6 “Modular” V8 I’m well familiar with from my time driving two different Panther platform Fords under the hood. IIRC, my last Crown Vic, a 2000 LX, weighed in at just under 2 tons, and while it felt “quick” after installing 4.10 gears, my numbers at the drag strip said otherwise. The Lagonda weighs about 700lbs more, so…
I also really like the design, extra-wide & extra-flat works for me, on this one. Have often wondered if a swap to an American V8 would be worthwhile. Not likely to buy one any time soon, but the internet keeps the flame lit.
When you say “extra wide and extra flat” is that just your preference in just cars or women too?
I have never been in one but I have seen two or three on the road and when moving you you understand how shockingly low this car really is. Some cars like the E-type look great in real life and mostly good in photos. Others like this look best in person and even better when moving. I am not certain what it is about the shape. It takes off after the Rolls Royce Razor Edge cars of the 1930’s thru 1950’s. I personally like them.
you have to have respect for the car. they were a engineering marvel. LED dash board bankrupted the company. It was a different time altogether. They didnt build the car for the mass–it was built for the ultra elite !! These cars were a statement.
Its best look is from the rear corner. The little mini grill is laughable.
Evel owned this car. I painted it for him.
Did it have the Lincoln engine then??
Love love love this great looking car! I own a 98 Mark VII LSC which is a decent performer. I just have to wonder why they didn’t go with the 4 cam 4.6?
You’ve got a 98 Mk 7? Keep ahold of that, it’s a unicorn.
Love it, great looking car!
I too am in the “love it” camp. Way, way, way ahead of it’s time in the ’70s! Obviously a “clean sheet” design. Distinctive, or even just nice looking four-door sedans seem to be a thing of the past these days. Wish they had addressed the bugs and built nice used ones for $2500! 😀
Love it. And frankly doing away with all the original components makes it more interesting to me, given that I am not a collector.
I am in the like camp. Still a stunning design forty some years later.
I love the conversion. Romeo V8s are durable and powerful enough. This isn’t going to the drag strip. This is for high speed, long distance hauls.
Also, one of the all time coolest wheel designs.
Always looked to “Kit car” in a sense…fugly is a nice way to put it
I remember when these came out (and of driving age), and I thought it was the coolest thing (go look at 1974-81 American cars!). Astons were always prone to both mechanical and electrical gremlins, so you had to spend the large sum this commanded knowing you and your service tech would be on a first name basis. The swap has taken any collector value away, and I think the Aston engine probably a lot more grunt than the Lincoln motor, two strikes. But unique and daring styling for the era, no doubt.
Beautiful car, from an era when they weren’t afraid to take styling risks. Having just visited with one in the wild recently, it looks incredibly low and sleek amongst the generic bulbous transportation modules visually polluting the streets nowadays.
The Aston V8 is a hell of an engine, long running and reliable if well looked after. Break it though, and it’s Corvette money for a rebuild.
I’d be torn on this one. I’ve done a bit of Lagonda shopping, and they still aren’t fetching huge dollars. This is tempting in that you don’t face the uncertain future of a potential engine rebuild, and the electricals should work well. The engine has always been the heart and soul of an Aston though. Then again, Aston isn’t even using Aston engines anymore, so why should we care?
Straight edged cars look larger, but photograph badly. Curvy cars are the opposite. You need to see a Lagonda, 58-60 Lincoln or 60-62 Rambler/Ambassador in person to appreciate the styling.
To anyone who slags this off, I have only one thing to say: SIX HEADLIGHTS
You do not just light up the road you can melt the man in front of you LOL
Cool car for cool cats. Too bad this car will “never” pass CA smog or I’d be bidding. An E-ROD LS-3 would work great and pass smog, but now you have to spend $$$$.
Actually it does pass CA smog
Really? How does a non compliant CA engine pass…please tell me more, thanks.
A classic example of feature creep contributing the death of a product. The electronic dashboard served no real purpose, these cars were to be chauffeur driven, and that development was a huge time and money suck.
I own a 1983 series 2. Electronics all work. Really interesting car, you love the styling or you hate it. Surprisingly comfortable and quite given the sharp edges.
So that just depends on what part you’re sittin’ on, right??