Just about seven months ago, Aston Martin teased early renderings of a new topless supercar, the V12 Speedster. Clearly, the British manufacturer has realized that the more expensive and exclusive its cars become, the more customers will clamor to drop gobs of cash for one. Bugatti has clearly maximized this strategy with a lineup of seven and eight-figure Chiron special editions. Add Aston to the list of companies adopting this marketing strategy. And now, making the windshield and roof obsolete, Aston Martin has unveiled the first running prototype for the forthcoming V12 Speedster, which should cost just shy of $1 million.
A Historical Design Study
The V12 Speedster's topless design, with no windshield to speak of, might seem like a response to the McLaren Elva, but in reality, Aston Martin claims it harks back to earlier designs such as the DBR1 that won Le Mans in 1959, as well as the CC100 Speedster concept car. Regardless, the new pics reveal a car that will certainly stand out from the rest of Aston Martin's lineup, while simultaneously referencing the future-facing light bar at the rear of the current Vantage.
All The Specs
Aston Martin's website still only features the images released over six months ago, so the car's potential specs and stats could have changed, as well. At present, the V12 Speedster looks set to receive a twin-turbocharged 5.9-liter V12 that produces 700 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque. That grunt will be routed to the rear wheels only through an eight-speed automatic gearbox from ZF — no word on whether that's a transaxle mounted at the rear for improved weight distribution or not. In performance terms, the V12 Speedster should be good for a sub-3.5-second sprint to 60 on the way to a 186-mile-per-hour top speed that sure sounds pretty harsh without a windshield in front of the driver's face. Put together by the customizing branch Q by Aston Martin, only 88 examples are slated for production with a starting price of about $950,000.
Sources: astonmartin.com and cars.mclaren.com.