Limited edition Aston Martin V12 Speedster

Aston Martin recently revealed more details of its forthcoming V12 Speedster, the open cockpit celebration of the British luxury sports car brand’s proud past and exciting future.

Just 88 examples of the Aston Martin V12 Speedster are available to buyers worldwide. The newly-unveiled details of this custom specification are certain to underscore the cars’ instant collector’s item status.

The new car aligns gracefully with a heritage that features not only the exceptional DBR1 but also the breathtaking CC100. This car made its debut in 2013 as a stunning celebration of Aston Martin’s century of sports car excellence. It reflected the sporting heritage and exceptional design capability woven throughout well over 100 years of Aston Martin history.

The most successful racing machine constructed by Aston Martin

The DBR1 is, to date, the most successful racing machine constructed by Aston Martin. This vehicle triumphed in the 1959 staging of both the 24 hours of Le Mans and the 1,000 km of Nürburgring. It also won the latter in 1957 and 1958.

After its debut in 1956, the DBR1 recorded a string of famous victories. This included The Spa Sportscar Race (1957, Tony Brooks); the Goodwood Tourist Trophy (1958, Sir Stirling Moss, Tony Brookes; 1959, Sir Stirling Moss, Carroll Shelby, Jack Fairman). Finally, the 1 000 km at the Nurburgring (1959, Sir Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman). In the same year as that famous Le Mans triumph, Aston Martin took the World Sportscar Championship.

Produced as a pure racing model

Although a car made for competitive racing, the DBR1 was also a precursor for some of the marque’s most well-known heritage ‘DB’ road cars. A highly talented designer, Frank Feeley, styled it in-house. He worked alongside Chief Racing Designer Ted Cutting. This represented what was unquestionably his ‘finest hour’. The shape of the DBR1 remains one of the most beautiful and graceful of all time.

At the car’s heart from 1958 onwards lay a 2,992 cc straight-six engine mated to a David Brown five-speed gearbox. It could power this c. 800 kg sports car to an estimated top speed above 150 mph.

It was produced as a pure racing model that was not directly derived from a road car – just five examples of DBR1 were built. This included four used to such commanding effect by the Aston Martin Works’ team and a single car for private use.

With such a rich and important history, it’s no surprise, then, that the brand should choose to create a dedicated optional DBR1 specification for its new V12 Speedster.

Aston Martin V12 Speedster DBR1

The DBR1 featured cleverly integrated custom elements reminiscent of the Le Mans-winning race car. The Aston Martin V12 Speedster DBR1 specification offers highlights such as the iconic Aston Martin Racing Green paint finish. It included Clubsport White pinstripe and roundels. It also featured Satin Silver anodised grille with Clubsport lipstick graphic. Additional features such as Conker saddle leather and Viridian Green technical textile/Caithness leather. All these features hint at the period attributes that made DBR1 the undisputed icon it remains today.

Unique Aston Martin Racing Green driver and passenger helmets sit under transparent ‘windows’. Solid silver ‘wings’ badges glint beneath transparent enamel. A finely judged application of gloss carbon fibre, Caithness Green leather and satin silver brushed aluminium switchgear in the V12 Speedster’s open cabin underline the tasteful homage to a true motoring great.

Satin black diamond turned 21-inch centre-lock wheels are a feature of this specialist specification. Each Aston Martin V12 Speedster spends more than 50 hours in the painting process alone at the brand’s advanced paint facility.

V12 Speedster tribute specification

Outlining the rationale behind this V12 Speedster tribute specification, Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman said: “Emotion and exclusivity are at the heart of this car. A rare and exceptional Aston Martin, it has been engineered to offer a visceral driving experience that belies its elegant, artistic shape.”

“Creating a bespoke specification that nods to the glory of the DBR1 has been a huge privilege for my team and I, and I very much look forward to seeing these cars being driven with the same enthusiasm that we have applied to their design.”

At the new car’s heart lies a high-performance variant of Aston Martin’s now iconic, 5.2-litre V12 Twin-Turbo engine. It is capable of generating an output of around 700 PS and 753 Nm. The engine offers a compelling breadth of performance, superb response and thrilling V12 soundtrack. The engine is mated to a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission mounted towards the rear of the car.

This translates into a 0-62 mph time in the order of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 198 mph – no mean feat in a car devoid of roof or windscreen.

Aston Martin is now accepting orders for the DBR1 custom V12 Speedsters. They will be hand-built at the company’s Gaydon headquarters. Deliveries will begin from mid-2021.

For more information visit www.astonmartin.com.