Aston Martin V12 Speedster Revealed in Sketch

[Nairrk]

• Aston Martin's lightweight Speedster appears from this just-released sketch to have no windscreen or roof.
• The new V12 Speedster was inspired by the CC100 concept and the 1950s DBR1 race car.
• Pricing is unconfirmed but will be more than $1 million, with only 88 buyers to get one and deliveries expected in early 2021.

Aston Martin has just revealed a sketch of a forthcoming Speedster model that appears to carry no weather protection. Add that to Ferrari's introduction last year of the equally naked Monza, and McLaren's announcement late last year of the similarly stripped Elva, and it makes one wonder.

The Aston will be rarer than either of the alternatives: the British sports-car maker says it plans to build just 88 examples of the V12 Speedster, compared to 399 Elvas and up to 499 of the Monza SP1 and SP2. But buyers will still need to be extremely rich—we're told to expect a seven figure price tag—and be willing to wear helmets or goggles while driving their car unless they want to risk injury from flying road debris.

Aston Martin CC100 Speedster concept was an inspiration for this new V12 Speedster.

The official announcement promises "advanced materials" but gives no more details. It's a safe bet that the V12 Speedster's chassis will use the same bonded aluminum construction as Aston's other models, and given the price point, we imagine it will use carbon-fiber bodywork, as the CC100 did. The sketch isn't detailed enough to show whether the Speedster will have conventional doors or will offer a similar lifting top-bar arrangement to that was fitted to the earlier show car.

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[Nairrk]

Aston Martin Reveals V12 Speedster, a Track Car for the Purist

Pay more, get less. That seems to be the logic at the very top of the auto industry, where luxury makers are competing to launch minimalist hypercars with prices in stark contrast to their modest tally of creature comforts, or even basic weather protection. In the case of the new Aston Martin V12 Speedster, that means the equivalent of $815,000 at current exchange rates for a car without a roof or a windscreen.

The V12 Speedster was one of the cars scheduled to make its debut at the canceled Geneva auto show, meaning that we have only seen these images rather than a concept vehicle. Yet they make clear that the finished version is not going to be short on road presence. Design takes inspiration from the DBR1 race car that won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, but also the CC100 one-off that Aston built to celebrate its centenary in 2013. It also gains what is being termed a "bonnet nostril"—the enlarged gap at the leading edge—which has enabled the front of the car to be lowered slightly while still allowing room for the V-12.

The concept's interior features a predictable abundance of carbon trim and has seats trimmed with both leather and cloth. There is also a removable leather bag in the dashboard in front of the passenger seat instead of a conventional glovebox.

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