IN THIS FEATURE Lusting after the Lagonda Lady Penelope's car William Towns DBS An instant hit Driving one today As speeds increase, so does refinement Buying one second-hand Smirks among the cognoscenti

Drive a Lagonda today and it remains impressive.

You slide down into the car, which is, of course, very low-slung for a saloon. The seats are plumped and rouged in a way that says 'World of Leather Warehouse - sale now on' but they are substantial and cosseting and feel and smell just right. Those in the back travel a bit second-class, tight on legroom. Neither is the boot particularly generous.

The famous dash looks like an early Amstrad word processor and the digital display makes you think of space invaders; the Lagonda's blend of old world hand-builtness and the new fangled microchip gives it a curious appeal - a sort of Casio watch built by Purdey. It's a shame so many owners have converted to analogue instruments in frustration.

Just being in it feels dramatic with the steep rake of the screen. Fire up, select Drive in the Torqueflite gearbox and the feel of the car on the move is immediately much more urgent. The four-cam V8 engine (detuned compared to the Aston) has a muffled snarl that seems strident at low speeds but smoothes out nicely. When you squeeze the (quite heavy) throttle the Lagonda surges away with an edge of authority.

It will kick down to second even when you are doing 75mph and has a quadrant arrangement that invites you to work it through the gears. Changing into top at 110mph must have been quite an ego trip for Lagonda man, but there was no getting away from the fact that cars such as the Jaguar XJ12 and Mercedes 6.9 could beat the wedge off the line.