Aston Martin’s latest limited-edition vehicle is called the V12 Speedster, and it is a topless—and windshield-less—two seater that will be produced in very limited numbers. Just 88 will be made, globally, at a starting price of nearly $1 million.
Aston Martin is a storied British car maker, having been established in 1913. But while the brand draws on its heritage for inspiration, styling cues, and model nomenclature, in recent years, it has been markedly forward-looking. This new Speedster takes time to look backward at the marque’s long history, especially to the winning race cars that it constructed back in the 1950s, cars like the 1953 DB3S and 1959 DBR1. Many of the same design elements contained in these vintage cars were also on display in the CC100 Speedster concept that the brand produced in 2013 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding.
This isn’t to say that this new Speedster isn’t futuristic. It is. This is evident in no small part in its construction, which consists mainly of bonded aluminum combined with structural carbon fiber and overlaid with carbon fiber body panels. This complex, woven polymer is far stronger than metal, while also being far lighter. It is also evident in the car’s sophisticated, twin-turbocharged V-12 engine, which puts out 700 hp.
This is enough muscle to hustle the Speedster from zero to sixty miles-per-hour in under 3.5 seconds, and to take it up to a top speed of 186 mph. If owners are going to get up to those speeds without a windshield, they’d be wise to bring their goggles. And they’d best pack light. Storage is limited to a removable leather bag that buckles to the dash, and some additional space under the bump-like fairings behind each seat.
The Speedster will be produced by Q, Aston Martin’s in-house specialty shop. This shop is named, rather cheekily, with the same moniker as the gadget-producing division of Mi6 in the James Bond books and movies. This is no accident, as Aston Martins have been James Bond’s vehicle of choice for decades. But not even 007 will get his hands on one of these. The entire run is sold out.
