Aston Martin V12 Speedster, a roofless beast inspired by fighter jets, launched
- No roof or screen, a big engine, low, with broad shoulders and exaggerated and emotional styling with twin humps and a carbon fibre spine separating the driver and passenger.
The Aston Martin V12 Speedster has made its global debut today, with just 88 examples of this puristic limited-edition model set to hit the road. The V12 Speedster draws inspiration from both the brand’s rich racing history and fighter jets.
The V12 Speedster will come at a starting price of £765,000 (around ₹7 crore) and deliveries expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021.
The V12 Speedster has been shown in a conceptual specification that is inspired by the legendary F/A-18 and will be available for customers to order. Born from a new collaboration with Boeing and created by the brand’s bespoke customisation service ‘Q by Aston Martin’, the V12 Speedster takes the legendary fighter jet for inspiration and is finished in Skyfall Silver, with contrasting satin black on the exhaust tips, vent grilles and vanes.
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The dark theme is carried through to the interior, with satin dark chrome, machined aluminium, black leather, black technical textile, black carpets and vivid red Aston Martin scripted door pulls, creating a purposeful look for this conceptual styling.
Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO, Dr Andy Palmer said: “It makes me enormously proud to reveal Aston Martin’s latest, most exciting special model today. The V12 Speedster is an incredible demonstration of the breadth of capability and determination from the ‘Q by Aston Martin’ team, who have worked tirelessly to create this stunning, two-seat sports car aimed at our most demanding and enthusiastic customers."
The V12 Speedster utilises elements from both the DBS Superleggera and Vantage model lines to create its own unique platform. With independent double wishbone front, and multi-link rear suspension with coil springs and adaptive damping offering Sport, Sport+ and Track modes, the V12 Speedster also benefits from standard 21-inch forged centre lock alloy wheels. Carbon Ceramic Brakes of 410mm on the front axle and 360mm at the rear are also standard equipment.
Over the V12 Speedster’s unique chassis is a bespoke body constructed almost entirely from carbon fibre. Miles Nurnberger, Director of Design, Aston Martin Lagonda, said: “With the V12 Speedster we do go back a step and look into our past for inspiration. Since the DB11 launch, everything has been focused and very forward looking. Here though, we find a different tempo. There’s clear lineage from the 1959 Le Mans winning DBR1 to our Centenary celebratory CC100 Speedster Concept in 2013. There is also a bit of 1953 DB3S in the mid-section, so it really is our latest incarnation of the Speedster concept. It’s also inspired by fighter jets as much as it is by our history, and it has been created to deliver an incredibly visceral experience, hence why it is a V12, rather than a V8. With the V12 Speedster we are amplifying all the emotional strings that we can to the absolute maximum."
Nurnberger added: “No roof or screen, a big engine, low, with broad shoulders and exaggerated and emotional styling with twin humps and the spine separating the driver and passenger. The light, low, rear end contrasts with the bold, enlarged grille, unique headlights and bonnet nostril at the front. The bonnet nostril we haven’t done in a very long time, but we’ve brought them back. It’s a neat trick visually to allow us to win some space for the V12. It creates this iconic looking vent."
The V12 Speedster gets structural satin carbon fibre, contrasts with traditional hand-crafted Saddle Leather, chrome, aluminium and even 3D printed rubber. In front of the passenger is a removable leather bag in place of a traditional glove box, while there’s additional storage space under the rear bumps for luggage.
Powering the V12 Speedster is Aston Martin’s 5.2-litre, Twin-Turbo V12 engine, with a peak output of 700hpand 753Nmof torque. Front mid-mounted, the all alloy, quad cam 48-valve engine is mated to a ZF 8-Speed automatic transmission with a limited-slip differential driving the rear wheels. The V12 Speedster is able to accelerate to 100 kmph in 3.5 seconds on the way to a limited top speed of 300 kmph.
The Aston Martin’s engineers have created a bespoke stainless-steel exhaust system exiting centrally into the diffuser surface at the rear of the car for an even more rousing, characterful sound from the drivetrain.
Matt Becker, Aston Martin Chief Engineer, said: “for raw, driving thrills the V12 Speedster is unparalleled, the fully open element of the car adding a new dimension to the experience. It engages on every level, delivering a precise, involving driving experience, with agility and poise backed by abundant power from Aston Martin’s twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12. Driving doesn’t get any purer than this."