Aston Martin is going throwback with its newest limited edition car. The British marque is nodding to the iconic DBR1 with its latest V12 Speedster.
If you feel like you’ve seen this before, it’s because you have, more or less. This Limited Edition V12 Speedster recalls the CC100 concept very much, though it is a lot more nostalgic, adopting the same color scheme as the DBR1.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, the DBR1 remains one of the carmaker’s greatest designs, being one of its most successful motorsport machines. The DBR1 garnered victories for Aston Martin at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Nürburgring 1000 and a whole lot of other events, as the carmaker outlines:
After its debut in 1956 the DBR1 recorded a string of famous victories, including at the Spa Sportscar Race (1957, Tony Brooks); the Goodwood Tourist Trophy (1958, Sir Stirling Moss, Tony Brookes; 1959, Sir Stirling Moss, Carrol Shelby, Jack Fairman); and the 1000 Km at the Nurburgring (1959, Sir Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman) in the same year as that famous Le Mans triumph which culminated in Aston Martin taking the World Sportscar Championship.
You can see, then, why Aston keeps drawing from this well for inspiration. It’s possible that Aston Martin is the DBR1's greatest fan, as it should be:
Of course, the inspiration is mostly in the outward design and in the intent of the machine, because the new V12 Speedster goes far beyond the original’s specifications, even if those were admittedly impressive for a machine that debuted in 1956.
The new Limited Edition V12 Speedster doubles the cylinder count of the DBR1, going from an inline-six to a V12. The Speedster’s impressive 5.2-liter twin-turbo engine produces around 690 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque. The only regression I see is the move from a five-speed manual gearbox in the DBR1 to the ZF eight-speed automatic in the new Speedster. But that’s just how it is.
The V12 Speedster will sprint from zero to 60 in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of 198 mph. I’m unsure I want to experience that much speed in a car with no windshield, but whether good or bad, it should be memorable.
The lack of a windscreen does make for what is probably my favorite detail of the V12 Speedster: helmet compartments! If you look behind the headrests you can see the helmets sitting in their cubbies, which have windows to show off your lid. We need more of this! I’ve said it before, but will say it again now that I know I’m in good company with Aston Martin: Normalize helmets in cars.
