Cars like the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar and McLaren 765LT make this a terrific week to be a fan of limited-edition British supercars, and for automotive Anglophiles, things are about to get better still, because Aston Martin has a special new model of its own. It’s the V12 Speedster, and it’s the fastest way to get your daily serving of insect protein.
This windshield-free speedster was developed from a concept to reality in scarcely a year, and in that time, the Gaydon-based automaker found a way to combine the best elements of its Vantage sports car and DB11 grand tourer. Though the V12 Speedster is closer in size to the Vantage, its hood hides the 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 from the DB11, which in this application makes a robust 700 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque.
2021 Aston Martin V12 Speedster
, Dominic Fraser via Aston Martin
2021 Aston Martin V12 Speedster
, Dominic Fraser via Aston Martin
2021 Aston Martin V12 Speedster
, Dominic Fraser via Aston Martin
2021 Aston Martin V12 Speedster
, Dominic Fraser via Aston Martin
2021 Aston Martin V12 Speedster
, Dominic Fraser via Aston Martin
2021 Aston Martin V12 Speedster
, Dominic Fraser via Aston MartinForged alloy wheels and a body made almost entirely from carbon fiber shed crucial pounds from the V12 Speedster, and contribute to the supercar’s 3.5-second zero-to-60 time. Flat out, the V12 Speedster will find its limiter at 186 mph—a speed that’ll do hilarious things to your face should you not be wearing a full-face helmet. Should you spot the swarming insects in time, however, the V12 Speedster’s carbon-ceramic brakes will give you just enough time to close your mouth before impact.
Already a product of Q by Aston Martin, the company’s personalization service, the V12 Speedster can be customized to almost no end, or simply ordered in the F/A-18 tribute livery seen here. But if you’re already committed to spending $950,000 on one of the 88 V12 Speedsters Aston Martin will build, you might as well spend the extra few grand for some personalization—it’s what both Bond and his adversaries would do while building their V12 Speedsters.
Orders for the 2021 Aston Martin V12 Speedster are open now, and their numbers are presumably dwindling as you read this sentence. Delivery of the first customer cars is anticipated to begin in Q1 of 2021.
Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com