The exotic Aston Martin Lagonda LUV Concept built for the Geneva Motor Show of 2009 and meant to signal the revival of the Lagonda badge will soon cross the auction block. It was one of the British marque’s first experiments with crossover SUV designs and never reached production, forever remaining in singular.
The car runs on the Mercedes-Benz GL chassis, which is remarkable because the two companies did not announce a full-fledged technological partnership until four years later. For the powertrain, it uses Aston Martin’s typical engine of that era, a 6.0-liter V12.
The unusual-looking five-door SUV was advertised as a luxury vehicle that nonetheless had AWD and enough ground clearance to be viable off the trodden path. The company strongly avoided calling it an ‘SUV’ or ‘crossover’, though. The expectation was that rich customers in China, South America and Middle East countries will show a vivid interest in the model.
In reality, however, the design study had a lukewarm reception, and the project was scrapped. The manufacturer hadn’t revisited the idea of producing an SUV until 2015, when it unveiled the much more successful DBX.
Very little is known about the vehicle, aside from the fact that the seller is a private individual. The mileage is said to be zero. It is unclear whether the car is street-legal or even drivable at all – for all we know, it could be a life-size mockup. There are also no price estimations right now.
