Aston Martin first teased the upcoming V12 Speedster way back in Januaury, banking on the fact that rich people would want a whole-ass other million-dollar supercar that isn’t much faster than any other car in its lineup, but also has the inconvenience of a permanently open roof. Ferrari did it with the Monza SP1 and SP2, and McLaren is delivering the Elva. They sold well enough, so Aston figured why not?
Given the economic thrashing that Aston has taken this year with CoronaBrexitDepression, the company has delayed the delivery of this car significantly. It was first shown in the sheet metal way back in March, but this is the first time the production-ready prototype has been shown testing. Apparently some minor sense of normalcy has returned to Gaydon as the Speedster is almost ready to be delivered.
While all of this might sound negative, in fairness to Aston it was probably worth the wait. The V12 Speedster absolutely kicks all kinds of ass. It sucks that it’s a limited-edition million-dollar supercar with only 88 of these things produced, which means I’ll probably never see one, but more sports cars should be delivered with parts missing.
Who wouldn’t want a McLaren 8795S longtail LM or whatever without doors? Would a Porsche GT3 RS without fenders not be totally bitchin? Where’s my Ferrari F8 Tributo missing an interior?
The car pictured here is undergoing “dynamic development” in both road and track applications, and judging by the car’s spec it’s probably a handful in both departments. Though sometimes a handful can be a whole heck of a lot of fun.
This model is based a bit on the DBS Superleggera and a bit on the V12 Vantage with 21-inch center-lock wheels, massive carbon ceramics connected to the whoa pedal, and adaptive suspension. That should take care of the handling and braking departments. Add in a 700 horsepower/555 lb-ft of torque twin-turbo V12 shuffled through a ZF-built eight-speed auto to the rear wheels, and you’ve got a recipe for a fun topless time.
With aggressive good-looks and a big engine up front under a long hood, this car reminds me a lot of the 2009 Mercedes-McLaren SLR Stirling Moss (below).
In any case, the SLR Stirling Moss is my favorite Mercedes of the last 50 years, so it would make sense that I also like the V12 Speedster. It’s cool that Aston is delivering weird shit like this, of course wealthy dinguses will eat it up, and probably never drive any of them more than 1,000 miles lest they “lose their value” or something. If you’re going to be a billionaire ghoul, the least you could do is drive your cool cars.
But I digress. I guess what I’m trying to say is that more mainstream sports cars should offer something like this. Most people aren’t going to drive their Corvettes on rainy or snowy days anyway, so why not offer a Stingray Speedster? Mazda, please give me the MX-5 Speedster, you cowards! More roofless cars, but fewer million-dollar price tags, please and thank you.
