Aston Martin has unveiled the “V12 Speedster”, with just 88 examples of the limited-edition model set to hit the road.
Conceived just over 12 months ago, and created by the luxury British marque’s bespoke customisation service ‘Q by Aston Martin’, the V12 Speedster borrows styling cues from both the DBS Superleggera and Vantage model lines, while beneath its largely carbon-fibre skin it draws power from a 5.2-litre, twin-turbo V12 engine, with a peak output of 690 bhp and 555 lb-ft of torque.
Front mid-mounted, the engine is mated to an 8-Speed automatic transmission with a limited-slip differential driving the rear wheels. Aston Martin claims the V12 Speedster is able to accelerate to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds on the way to a limited top speed of 186 mph.
Chassis details include an independent double wishbone front, and multi-link rear suspension with coil springs and adaptive damping offering Sport, Sport+ and Track modes.
The roadster also gets 21-inch forged alloy wheels along with carbon ceramic brakes of 410 mm on the front axle and 360 mm at the rear all as standard equipment.
“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,” explains company design boss, Miles Nurnberger.
“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,” he adds.
Priced at £765,000, first deliveries of the V12 Speedster are expected in early 2021.
