Aston's Joker Card: Why Lagonda Should Return

Despite building better cars than ever, Aston Martin still finds itself in the red. Could the problem be strategy? Could reviving Lagonda - alongside a new entry-level sports car - provide the answer?

Under Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin has steadily repositioned itself as 'The British Ferrari,' poaching key staff from Maranello in the process. The cars are undeniably better than ever, and the Valhalla - Gaydon's first mid-engined production car - arrives soon.

But chasing Rosso Corsa might not be the right strategy for this most British of brands. While Aston's been focused on Maranello, Bentley has been quietly honing its own range in the slipstream. The Continental GT has shed its skin as the default Premier League footballers' car, evolving into a machine that's not only a credible dynamic rival to the DB12, but a more luxurious and equally stylish offering. For a brand built on effortless style, this should set off alarm bells in Gaydon.

The company faces two key challenges: attracting younger buyers, and reclaiming the ultra-luxury ground Bentley now dominates. There is, however, a way for Aston Martin to have its cake and eat it: a new model for the former, and a resurrection for the latter.

With the V8 Vantage now elevated to £165k+ and competing with the Ferrari Roma and 911 Turbo, there's a vacuum where the "affordable" Aston used to be. A £125k-£140k straight-six sports car would fill that gap without compromising the Vantage's positioning. Nor would it dilute the brand’s prestige, especially if they called it the DBSix.

AI render shows how a potential DBSix, positioned below the V8 Vantage, could look.

The fundamentals are already there. Aston has the platform, the Mercedes-AMG partnership is in place, and the 443bhp turbocharged straight-six from the E53 - already seeing use in the Chinese market DBX - would be the ideal powertrain. With bespoke bodywork maintaining the hierarchy between models, the DBSix wouldn't cannibalise Vantage sales. Instead, it would serve as an accessible stepping stone into Aston ownership, much like the M2 does for BMW.

Better still, it taps directly into Aston's heritage: a front-engined, straight-six sports car in the spirit of the DB4 and DB5. But here's what really matters - the styling. The DBSix would have to be a genuine jaw-dropper. Prospective buyers will care more about the statement owning an Aston makes as they do 0-60 times, and it's easier to forgive a looker if it doesn't quite have the omnipotent 911's number. The DBSix doesn't need to defeat the Porsche 911 - it just needs to steal a fraction of its sales. And if Aston gets it right, they wouldn't be able to make enough of them.

That's the first move. The second is bolder - a Joker card that’s been sitting dormant for decades.

Reviving Lagonda as Aston's dedicated ultra-luxury division would allow Gaydon to preserve its hard-won sports car identity while competing with Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Rather than forcing electrification into Aston's core lineup and alienating loyalists, Lagonda could become the technology-forward luxury brand - initially EV-focused, but not bound to it as the market continues to shift.

2019's Lagonda All-Terrain Concept

The symmetry is almost too perfect. W.O. Bentley shaped Lagonda into a Rolls-Royce rival in the 1930s. Now Adrian Hallmark - fresh from leading Bentley through its most successful era - has the opportunity to do the same into the 2030s. If anyone understands the demands and clientele of British luxury, it's the former boss of Crewe.

Aston tested the waters in 2019 with the All-Terrain Concept, aiming to rival the Cullinan with a BEV Lagonda SUV. It looked promising, but the timing wasn't right. Now it is. The best-selling Rolls-Royce in Europe is the Spectre. Bentley's first EV arrives next year. Jaguar is reinventing itself entirely. The ultra-luxury EV market is no longer hypothetical - it's taking shape, and Lagonda could be a major player rather than a footnote.

The Taraf should have been the foundation, not a one-off. It was a striking, unconventional luxury saloon that proved Lagonda still carried weight. Instead, it became another collector's curiosity. This time, Lagonda needs a clear vision: coachbuilt luxury, cutting-edge technology, and a distinct identity that Aston Martin - as a sports car brand - cannot and should not provide.

The UK might not be Lagonda's biggest audience, but the markets are certainly there: Monaco, Miami, Dubai and Shanghai. Like AMG, Aston Martin has another technology partnership with Lucid to exploit. They have the CEO with the perfect CV. They have the brand equity sitting dormant. All that's missing is the will to play the card.

The DBSix takes care of the new money socialites. Lagonda caters to the old money elite. Either way, it's money in the bank for Aston Martin.

Spinning the V12 Speedster into a coupe highlights how the DBSix could differentiate itself from the Vantage, despite shared underpinnings. AI generated image.