Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ulrich Bez has confirmed his intention to revive the Lagonda marque.

Lagonda was a British car manufacturer, founded as a company in 1906 in Staines, Middlesex by the American Wilbur Gunn. He named the company after a river near his hometown of Springfield, Ohio. Aston Martin purchased Lagonda in 1947.

Dr. Bez said, “after my eight years with Aston Martin, four with profitability, and 16 months of independence, it’s time to think about a longer term future. Aston Martin is an honest, authentic brand that builds the most beautiful sports cars combining modern technology with craftsmanship. Next year we will launch the four door Rapide sports car, and this will be followed by the project ‘One-77’, the most spectacular Aston Martin ever.

“We have now investigated and concluded that the revival of the Lagonda brand would allow us to develop cars which can have a different character than a sports car, and therefore offer a perfect synergy. Lagonda will use a unique design language as Aston Martin does. We will take elements of DNA from the past but will be very future orientated as we are with Aston Martin. With Lagonda offering exclusive, luxurious and truly versatile products with high quality and usability and suitable for both existing and emerging markets, I believe we can be present in more than 100 countries in the world.

No sketches or indication of what the new vehicle will look like have been released, however, a concept car is in the works. “In 2009 Lagonda is about to celebrate its 100th birthday and in its centenary year we are confident that we will show the first concept of a car which could be in the market in 2012,” Bez confirmed.

"Lagonda models would be vehicles that could be used all year round in markets such as Russia where specialized sports cars such as Aston Martins could only be used for three or four months each year", said an Aston Martin spokesperson.