The Two Craziest Luxury Cars in World Are British! Aston Martin Lagonda, Bentley Turbo RT 

I remember the 1st Lagonda launch at the Earls Court Motor Show, 1976. I was in my mid teens and my friend and I had saved up our paper round money (£1.62 1/2 per week !) to pay for the coach trip collecting us from Kidderminster, including entry (£5.00) . The Lagonda stole the show - it was so futuristic with its digital dash , and the overall look was sensational to say the least. . My friend and I also had saved an additional £5.00 to pay for a steak meal afterwards but I got pickpocketed outside Earls Court as we were making entry. So after losing one another for about 1 and half hours inside the show, despite tannoy announcements to meet on a certain stand, we made do with a toffee apple , whilst walking from Earls Court to Marble Arch via the park , over the Serpentine ( when asked London folk for directions they said get a taxi. ) Interestingly , in the Mercedes showroom at Marble Arch they had the C111 mid engined diesel car in bright orange. Different times for kids in their teens then , the Lagonda saved Aston anyway.

The garage where my father bought his used Fiat:)) was also the only AM agency in Switzerland. 1981 - I was 7 years young - flew! with my father to the Geneva Motor Show. Of course we visited the AM booth where we even were let in. While Daddy drank a whiskey with the "mechanic", I was allowed to daydream in the Lagonda. The carpets, the leather, the instruments and then I even got a brochure which I kept for more than 2 decades as it like the car(s) was from another world. Still today I have the atmosphere and smell of the leather present and will never forget it.

If I had to choose between the two I'd have to have the Lagonda just for the sheer craziness of it all. Thanks for sharing 👍

Love this visit down memory lane - I worked with Aston Martin in the 1980s on a Lagonda development - the mule car we were using was a shortened Lagonda and it was driven by the development engineer who threw it around the test route on a disused airfield. Happy days and an interesting time working on the design of a new suspension layout. Thanks for the video.

I saw an Aston Martin Lagonda first time (possibly only time) in Glasgow back in the late 70's. She (driver) was stopped at the traffic lights as I was crossing the road on my way to college, so I must've been about 18. I thought 'one day I'm going to have one of those', as it turned out I've never even seen another one on the road let alone been close to buying one.

Thank you. The real difference between these two cars is that one is a proper car, and the other is a rich man's toy, intended to impress just by its looks. As I recall, from, yes, way back then..... the Lagonda was aimed squarely at the Middle Eastern oil state purchaser, certainly not the UK market...... all far too far out and Lady Penelope for the UK. I seem to recall, that although it received lots of publicity, Aston Martin only sold a relative handful of these things.

Remember when the Aston Martin Lagonda appeared on the first motor shows. It was like a spaceship, what a dream car for a young lad. Today, I might have enough to buy one, but who dares to buy problems when the budget is limited. Yes, but I love the Lagonda more than the Bentley. It's just a big battleship.

I love them both, but I've always been obsessed with the Turbo R.

That "Wildberry" maroon/purple paint on the Bentley is absolutely stunning

I love the fuses in the Lagonda. I wish all cars had this, though it is probably just acknowledges that you are going to be trouble shooting electrics a lot.

Loving this new series Jack, you're choosing some really interesting cars. Great work!

I grew up with both of those cars in my father's garage. They were BEASTS. The Lagonda cost way more to maintain over just a few years than it cost to purchase new.

Bentley interiors have always been wonderful. A lesson to the world about style and elegance.

A very good friend of mine had a Lagonda while he lived in France - it was mad driving that thing in Paris, not least because it was painted gold! He also had a Mulsanne Turbo at his place in Cap d' Antibes which I much preferred driving. Thanks for bringing back those memories Jack.

Both great cars. I remember seeing the Aston while travelling through London to my Dads flat on Baker Street.

Really enjoyed this episode - relaxed style, v informative 👍🏻

In the late 70's I saw a Lagonda parked outside Fenwicks at Brent Cross shopping centre. Naturally I was fascinated because I knew the dash was digital and had a flat panel with what I think were touch sensitive buttons,it was space age to me and I'd only seen it in magazines at the time. It looked like it was designed & drawn with a ruler in 10 minutes,but just seemed so massively modern considering the cars of the day like marina's cortina's etc. Funny when you kicked down and the back twitched 😂 A great watch again !

Early Lagondas, especially in black, look really stunning. As a kid I thought they were hideous, seeing them in quartets card games. But the more I look at them the more I appreciate the different design.

The Lagonda is one of my all-time favorite automobiles. The final series with the six headlights is my favorite version. Simply handsome.

Great film and a reminder from my childhood of a local factory owner and his white lagonda driving around my town. It was always a real wow moment for me to see it 👏🏻👍🏼

I absolutely love that Lagonda. It has been one of my favorite looking cars ever since I saw my first one many years ago.

I really appreciate William Towns various designs. Most light aircraft have fuses and circuit breakers easily accessible in flight in the cockpit. I wonder if the fuse box in the Lagonda was some sort of weird nod to that.

The Lagonda digital gauges reminds me a lot of a 3.0 V6 Cressida an uncle of mine had. Lovely car that was although everyone joked and said he was sold that car because they did not want to sell him a Camry.

On the M4 once in the 80's I stopped to help change a tyre on a white Lagonda. The middle Eastern passengers all dressed in ahem full black and full white were looking a bit helpless standing looking at the flat tyre. In the pissing rain I got them going after about half an hour. They all hopped in and then just effed off without even saying thanks.

Premium quality, as always. Cheers, Jack!

Thanks Jack, two very interesting cars, I think you felt quite at home in the Bentley landship!

These are nice wafters, always fun to see this kind of car. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

William Towns designed an awful lot of "very low-polygon count" square and triangular cars! I well remember the Lagonda and Bulldog launches in the 70's. Maybe he did some moonlighting, designing cars for computer games in the late 80s ;-)

The A.M Lagonda is the epitome of a 70's car in it's styling. Today it looks so "yesterday", but in the day "oh yeh baby!" The Bentley, eternal class, all the way. Nice one Jack 👍.

One of my mates dad owned a Lagonda when it was brand new. It was the coolest thing we had ever seen. We both used to sit in the back and marvel at the dashboard. He sold it a year later as it was unfortunately so unreliable. Great video mate

That Bentley just looks fabulous as well as astonishingly comfortable

Fabulous cars jack. Had a ride in a friend's Silver Spirit once, great experience and such torque, bearing in mind that was n/a!! The lagonda was fabulous, was so much so it should have had an appearance on a Moore 007 outing!!! The last model you tested was part of the Victor Gauntlett era, but also the beginnings of the Ford /PAG era. Though I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice the Metro fog and light buttons which is certainly a cheap solution to parts I suppose. The lagonda reminds me of the "times" of Concorde, and the Inter City 125 diesel locomotive which were all exciting British made products roughly all launched within a year or 2 of each other. Great video. Best wishes. Ben 🚌🚍🙏🇬🇧🇺🇦

That Lagonda is awesome - also a game of spot the switchgear - the switches to the side of the instrument binnacle look like they’re from an Austin Metro! Fantastic review - thanks!

Turning into a great channel. Well done. I remember the Lagonda being introduced as a kid... We thought it was nuts then, but we liked it.

Cracking video again I enjoyed that I’d love both particularly the Lagonda Loved it when. It wiggled it’s feet 😂

These 2 are in my top 10 cars I'd love to own, and actually did regularly drive a Turbo R my friend bought in the early 2000's. Literally just a wall of torque when that turbo kicked in. The Lagonda is just crazy in EVERY department. Fell in love with them when reading the likes of Autocar and Motor in the 80's. There's really no other car can be compared to them. They're like a mad prototype that somehow made it to production

At the time I thought the Lagonda was a monstrosity, but now I love it! Maybe that says something about the generic nature of modern car design.

Great video. I have a 1996 Turbo R, it's the same colour as that RT (Wildberry) though is the SWB version so 10cm shorter. It really is a lot of fun to drive, I love it. I do love the Lagondas too but way out of my price range

I do think the Lagonda looks hideous- but a centre console fuse box is pure genius, but does suggest an expectation of needing to replace fuses frequently on those dodgy electrics. Aston Martin came a long way in the next 20 years.

Wow I'm surprised how much the Lagonda is liked. Judging by the comments. Seems to be liked more than the Bentley T. Although the Lagonda was a bit before my time I always liked the futuristic looks. Especially When playing top trump's. Didn't realize it had a digital dash in the 70s! The latter was futuristic in mates F reg Astra GTE he had in the early 90s. Although the Bentley T would be more of a car I'd still go for the Lagonda someone mentioned EV conversion perfect! Linear power for linear design! Interesting video..👍

Beautiful cars, great review! Very interesting!

Wow that Lagonda has such a delicious oddball shape👏😃 retro scifi by now✌

Two of my favorites and you managed to fine very nice ones at that! I think an SZ era Bentley would be a good next project!! Perhaps a Continental R??

Nothing looks like the Lagonda. I remember reading about them when I was a kid, and they were like spaceships compared to other cars back then. You rarely ever see them for sale, but I believe they are several hundred thousand dollars for a good example at this point. I'd love to see one in person at some point.

I've only seen one Lagonda in Toronto in the late 1970's, driving around town. Striking yes, but an acquired taste at first sight. Prefer the Taraf's styling. Enjoyed the video.

Series 1 Lagonda is best looking, still looks so futuristic love it 😍 great video Jack 👍🏻

Contemporaries but coming. from completely different directions. The Lagonda must have wowed the crowds at launch but even with dated tech it has huge appeal as it’s just so different. Thanks for bringing this to us as it’s the nearest most of us will get!

Good to hear a mention of William Towns. He was quite an eccentric but visionary gent. There’s quite a few videos of him on here, well worth checking out.

Never seen a Aston like that before Nice video Jack

Hello Jack, I hope you are well. The interior design and execution of the Bentley is just stunning!!!! If that car was half the size, half the weight, and 1/3 the price, I would need to own one for sure. Thanks for the great video. P.S. the body shape of the lagonda gives me a nervous twitch.

Great video Jack. The Lagonda is certainly distinctive both inside and out though looks will divide opinion. My vote goes to the RT as faster, will probably cost less to run as less complex and you can pick a decent one up for less than half the price of a Lagonda. The RT handles a lot better from RR's from this era which tended to be too soft and wallowy. Having said that, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage is one of my favorite cars from the 80s.

Great Video, I remember seeing a Lagonda on the road, just mind blowing. The stretched V8 Vantage looked really good, I'm sure they missed a trick.

Awesome, lovely to see those beauties from the past.

Thanks for this, well done video of two absolute classics but the Bentley in Turbo R or RT version is the one to drive and has so very much road presence. As with so very many of these "classics" upkeep and general running cost's can be a headache but once behind the wheel the downsides can be forgiven.

Very interesting comparison indeed. I have only seen pictures of the Lagonda sitting still. It was great to see one under way. Then there is that amazing Bentley. It is funny, Steph from I Drive A Classic released a video of her testing the Bentley Turbo R, I believe an 89, although I may be wrong. She did say the Turbo RT was a 96 model year car only, and the last of the line. Bonkers, for sure, but delightfully so in a way only the English could pull off.

Fantastic video review Jack 👍

Yes great video , always a soft spot for those cars , I’d take the Lagonda as it’s different.

The series 1 lagonda looks the best, still looks so futuristic absolutely love it 🥰 great video Jack 👍🏻

Great upload. Loved it. I personally would want the Lagonda as it looks so exotic. The Bentley is seriously amazing but was a bit disappointed looking at that unattractive centre panel in the headlining whilst you were driving. Great stuff. Thanks. I’d go AML.

That Bentley was very impressive. Good video. Very interesting. The Lagonda was what they call in American football, a "Hail Mary"...a last desperate try at success.

That fuse box siting is a great idea

I used to see the Lagonda often, on Tickford Street, Newport Pagnell. Occasionally, on the annual Aston Martin open day I could get a close up look.

Wooow...Lovely...I like BOTH!

Bonkers. Crazy. BUT!! If you are skilled in shaping of sheet metal, you can tell that the Lagonda's are absolutely 100% handmade. They are truely one-off's. I would go for the Bentley though!

Nice one Jack, I would go for the Bentley, only trouble is that the fuel bill, and service bill would be costly 🙁, but what luxury, 👍👍.

Thanks for a great upload and for showing us these two quite wonderful automobiles. If I had the cash to buy either of these (which sadly I most certainly don't), its a tough choice. The crazy Lagonda (which was seen as completely barking mad even back in the day) has the exclusivity. I sure haven't seen one, whereas the Beautiful Bentley is a more often seen car and an absolute steal, even at 30-40k and there's a massive amount of car and performance for your money so which would I buy? The Bentley because it is a more well sorted package and offers a better balance of luxury and performance than the Aston Martin. Still love the Lagonda though because it is so completely nuts.

Same switchgear in that lagonda as our metro. I know I shouldn't and it would probably be a nightmare but I love those weird things

I was very blessed to experience both of these new in dads home garage.. he use to prepare them for there owners.. as a child I always described the lagonda as a Rolls Royce that an elephant sat on!!.. this side by side confirmed my childhood brilliance 🙈😆

Remember the mad steering wheel and dash layout of the first Lagonda? What a crazy, amazing car!

Nice Cars 💪 Good job

Somebody show this man the map of the world (have ambulance on standby!) and then some of Betrone designs from the 70s and 80s. Or Italdesign. Or Citroen from that era. Or pretty much ANY car manufacturer.

I bought a Mercedes e320 new in 2005. It's still my daily driver. It's a wonderful car and at my old age (74) I have no plans to buy another car. I have a close friend that has a 1990 Jaguar XJ. Not her daily driver. We took it out for a spin a couple of days ago and It seemed to be smoother and quieter on the road than my Mercedes. I love the Jag.

Great video Jack on two really bonkers cars made for the wealthy.

The Lagonda is so odd that I can’t help but love it Did anybody else notice the Volkswagen Jetta power window switch bank in it?

Something fantastic about that Aston, its way ahead of its time.

"A clerk's dream, a girl with a Riviera tan and a Lagonda."

I saw the Duke of Westminster park his Lagonda up in the centre of Oxford, on double yellows, when a young copper went to find him to tell him to move he did as he was told, so funny to watch as a bystander

Both lovely cars. Wish I had the chance to drive them!

I was one of those people who saw a Lagonda going down the road in the 70s, it was straight out of Thunderbirds. Love it but still can't afford it.

I was alsot t at the motor show 76 when utterly beautiful very elegant design

Love the way you refer to the bentley as a rolls! lol....great video

I love the Lagonda completely bonkers but it is strangely beautiful. Automotive art.

The Lagonda looks like it came from the pen of Harris Mann! Great video as always.

I would love to see you or anyone review a Lagonda Tickford Limousine. Yes, it was a stretched wheelbase version of this car! I saw it once in the background of an episode of Miami Vice and have been obsessed ever since! Not much about it on the internet and haven't found video of it anywhere.

The Lagonda reminds me of the Maserati biturbo quattro porte which is one of my favourite looking cars.

I see Aston raided the Austin Rover parts bin for the switch gear

6:05 the tasteful thickness of it.... it even has a watermark

I never saw any of those Lagondas going down the road. I saw some of them sit beside the road however, most of the time with the hood open. One I even saw sit in the middle of the road with the hood up.

Gorgeous Bentley interior done in by the v6 mustang steering wheel

Incredible looking.

The front centre console in the Lagonda looks very Blue Peter !

I love the Lagonda , it’s so Joe 90… I prefer the Series 4 with its rounded edges and came with a few improvements esp in the electronics and dashboard display as seen in this highly enjoyable video presentation …

I had no idea the Lagonda was produced as late as that. What a truly, fantastically odd car, especially as late as 1989/90!

Cheers Jack,switchgear in the Aston,looks like it’s out of a Metro😂😂🚒👍

Lovely cars 🚗🚙🚘👍👍👍👍

Love it when vintage cars keep you humble haha.

I have no idea why I love the lagonda but I love it, it's like the designer only had a ruler and that is it. Must be related to the Volvo designer.

William Towns a genius with a love for pinsharp lines check out his Kit cars and the amazing little MicroDot self charging 3 abreast electric car with a removable shopping trolley boot 😎😁🤯

I've always thought the Lagonda was one of the craziest, maddest, most unique cars ever made. Triple headlights? Go on, then!

I remember quite clearly thinking the Lagonda was more like a four door Lamborghini than an Aston. Crazy looking car but sooo poorly developed. What a shame. I also remember Car magazine road tested a Bentley Turbo R. There was a picture of the front brakes very definitley on fire, according to the author they still worked! Only England could produce these cars.