Introduced in March 1975, this grand two-door saloon was conceived as a dramatic flagship for the company’s luxury range and became one of the most distinctive British luxury cars of its era. It was designed in collaboration with Pininfarina, with Paolo Martin shaping a car that was deliberately different from the firm’s more conservative in-house products. The result was a formal, long-hood coupe with unusually modern surfacing for its time and a cabin focused on owner-driver comfort.
Historically, it mattered for more than its styling. It was the first production model from the marque to be designed outside the company’s own studios, and it was also the first to be conceived from the outset with safety considerations built into the body structure. Underneath, it shared the brand’s familiar large V8 and automatic-transmission luxury-car formula, but wrapped it in a more exclusive, highly individual package.
Production began in London at Mulliner Park Ward and later moved to Crewe in 1978, where assembly continued until 1987. The car was never built in large numbers; total output remained very limited, which has helped it become one of the most collectible and debated designs of the 1970s. Even with mixed opinions about its styling when new, it has gained a reputation as a landmark luxury coupe and an unusually important chapter in the marque’s postwar history.