The Tickford version of the standard Aston Martin Lagonda appeared at the 1983 London motor show, alongside a Capri, Metro and a one-off VW Scirocco. The car sported an aluminium made skirt kit, which made the car look so mush better than the standard wedge shape. The body kit was designed by Simon Saunders, latter of KAT designs fame and generally the man who gave Tickford their complete early eighties look, including the body kits used on the Capri and Metro. Interior features included much more leather and walnut than standard, right down to the full leather headlining, two televisions, a video recorder and a drinks cabinet, which incorporated engraved crystal decanters and glasses with the Tickford logo. These cars would cost their new owners £85,000. Only about five cars were produced.

The following year Tickford created the Lagonda Limousine. They stretched a standard Lagonda by 10 inches and raised the roofline by 2 inches to give more overall leg and head room. All the previous year's special extras were placed on a detailed options list totalling an extra £30,000 on top of the then £100,000 base car, making the most expensive car at the 1984 Birmingham Motorfair. Only three of these car were sold.

The Ford Orion 'E' was build at Halewood as 1.6i Orions, and from there shipped in batches to the Tickford site in Bedworth for their interior transformation. The Orion was originally available in only two colours Raven, a blue-black metallic and Mercury Grey. Later a small number became available in Diamond White. Every car was trimmed in soft Shadow Grey leather, and came with front sports seats specially developed for the model from those of the Excort XR3i. The standard steering wheel was treated to a leather rim, and the gear lever knob and gaiter were likewise leather. A fillet of American Cherry wood veneer was placed on the fascia ahead of the front passenger seat, and matching wood veneer cappings were placed on each door trim panel to complete the 'mini limousine' effect. The original build schedule was for 1,500 cars being built between October 1988 and July 1989, but this was not quite reached. Between October 1988 and February 1989 the first 1,000 were produced, but a number of these had to be recalled to rectify a paint problem caused by "fall-out" from a nearby factory, which in turn led to a hiatus in production. The remaining 498 cars were built in June and July 1989. Nobody knows at present how many of these cars have survived. As with any limited run car, the prices demanded for the Orion 1600 'E' will always tend to exceed those of the 1.6i Ghia, due mainly to their rarity value.

Not many people know of Tickford involvement with Jaguar. The XJS Cabriolet hood was designed and originally fitted by Tickford at their Bedworth factory. Jaguar found it so popular that they then took over production!

The Racing Puma was the last car converted by Tickford. It was developed by Ford Racing and 500 were built at Tickford’s Daventry premises in 2000. The page shows pictures of the Puma being converted, running clockwise. Specification includes:
· Power 155ps / 7000rpm
· Torque 162nm / 4500rpm
· Wider track suspension with extended front and rear wheel arches
· Uprated coil springs and damper units
· Uprated brakes
· 17 x 7.5 aluminium alloys with ultra-low profile 215/40 ZR17 tyres
· Revised bumpers with lower front splitter
· Sparco sports seats
· Individually numbered on engine

Articles from the quarterly magazine are available by clicking the following link or via the main menu. Tickford Articles