Despite bearing edges so sharp you could lacerate your palms, the Lagonda appealed to buyers who were a long way from being straight down the line. That holds true today, despite values dropping to tempt the unwary at below £10,000. The Aston Martin badge, when spotted, will seal your wealth status in the eyes of the unknowing, but there’s also plenty to rob you in this most complex of luxury limos. Launched in 1975, the V8- powered Lagonda stripped away Aston’s reputation for not scaring the horses. And if the styling was radical, the dashboard was looking past Dan Dare into the future. Three different dashes were tried before the car was axed in 1989, boasting technology such as solid-state digital, cathode-ray tubes and finally vacuum fluorescent instrumentation. The second incarnation would speak to you in Arabic, if you so desired, giving a clue to the destination of many of these five-metre long behemoths. The 5.3-litre V8 stayed pretty much the same throughout its life, but the shovel nosed design was re-dressed in 1987 for the last, Series Four car. Today, owners aren’t all sticking their heads in a bucket of sump oil in despair. Regular servicing is the key, according to those who’ve successfully run one. Although it’s probably best to have a trust fund too.