With the help of Oman Air, Aston Martin flew a pre-production version of its upcoming Lagonda over to Oman in the Middle East, affording us a first real-life look at the exotic-saloon.

Why Oman? For hot-weather testing purposes, as the Lagonda will be sold exclusively in the Middle East to select customers on an invitation-only basis – and yes, you can add us to those who suspect that we’ll be seeing these cars roaming the streets of London

Created by Aston Martin’s “Q” special project division, which brought us the CC100 Speedster, V12 Zagato and One-77, the Lagonda is based on the British firm’s VH platform architecture that underpins the Rapide saloon.

Aston Martin has not been very open with details, but we anticipate that the Lagonda will employ the Rapide S’ 5.9-liter V12, in which it delivers 552hp (560PS) and 630Nm for a 0-60mph (100km/h) in 4.2 sec, paired to an 8-speed automatic turning the rear axle.

The Lagonda will be built in a limited production run with the first cars to arrive in the hands of wealthy Middle Easters clients next year.

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