This bespoke luxury sedan was an homage to William Towns’ Lagonda from 1976, though with more mainstream styling. Built on the Aston Martin VH Generation 3 chassis platform (used in the DB9 and Rapide) with a lengthened wheelbase, the Taraf featured carbon fibre-reinforced plastic body panels and an ultra-luxurious interior.
Rear legroom was significantly expanded, assuming owners would spend most of their time there. The interior boasted console-mounted push-button transmission controls, an advanced infotainment system, a Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1,000W audio system, and premium leather upholstery with various trim options.
Powered by a 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 533bhp, mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, the Taraf promised impressive performance, with a 0–100km/h time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 314km/h.
Initially targeted at the Middle East market, where ‘taraf’ means ‘side’ in Turkish, the Taraf underwent extensive testing in extreme temperatures. Despite its $1 million price tag, Aston Martin aimed to produce 100 units, later increased to 200 under CEO Andy Palmer’s direction. However, production ceased in late 2016 after delivering only 120 cars globally.
Source: Bonhams Cars
