$1.5m Aston Martin V12 Speedster hits the road

Aston Martin has released pictures of a prototype version of its wild Aston Martin V12 Speedster testing on British roads for the first time.

Until now, we'd only seen computer renderings of the open-air $1.5 million supercar, but at last we've been given our first real look at Aston's McLaren Elva or Ferrari Monza SP1/SP2 rival on the road.

Looking more like Luke Skywalker Landspeeder than any other current Aston, the British car-maker has already announced that it plans to build just 88 examples of the new V12 Speedster.

Instead of being developed as a core model, the powerful roadster, which lacks both a roof and windscreen, has been created by Aston Martin's Q division that normally takes care of the car-maker's personalisation and customisation requests.

Claimed to borrow from the British sportscar-maker's illustrious motorsport heritage, the V12 Speedster draws heavy inspiration from Aston icons like the DBR1 from the 1950s.

Beneath the skin is said to lie a butchered Aston Martin DBS Superleggera chassis that's been blended with elements of the smaller Vantage, headlights included. That explains why the V12 Speedster in the flesh looks smaller than the flagship Aston coupe.

Up front a huge gaping air intake dominates the V12's snout that is flanked by two large openings that are thought to aid brake cooling.

Up top, the bonnet sports an additional air intake for extra cooling while the fenders feature dramatic gills to suck air from the wheel-arches.

The visual aggression continues along the body, with front fender extractors and sharply-creased door surfacing reminiscent of Aston's mighty One-77 hypercar.

At the rear, there's a pair of roll hoops and curved buttresses that flow rearwards toward the boot deck.

The styling is completed by a Vantage rear light bar that acts as a fixed spoiler. Below it, an enlarged diffuser hints at some serious aerodynamic work.

Within the cabin, driver and passenger are separated by a central spine that runs from the bonnet to the back of the car.

The cabin is a stripped-out, race car-like affair, with no large infotainment system but carrying a liberal use of satin carbon-fibre, leather, chrome, aluminium and 3D-printed rubber components.

Since there's no boot space to speak of, the front passenger gets a removable leather bag in lieu of a glovebox. Additional storage space is also found beneath those rear humps.

Under the bonnet the V12 Speedster uses the twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 from the DBS Superleggera that pumps out 515kW and 753Nm of torque – that's 16kW and 147Nm less than the DBS.

Despite the deficit, the roofless Aston Martin still takes just 3.5 seconds to complete the 0-100km/h dash, topping out at a limited 300km/h – a speed at which you run the risk of being blinded by a gnat unless you wear a crash helmet.

The rear-drive V12 Speedster only comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission. There is no manual option.

Thought to have more of a road bias than track focus, the Aston roadster gets double wishbone suspension at the front and a multi-link rear, with bespoke adaptive dampers that feature Sport, Sport+ and Track settings.

Riding on large 21-inch forged rims, huge carbon-ceramic brakes reign in the performance.

Claimed to have been developed to deliver "raw driving thrills" rather than outright pace around a circuit, the new Aston should offer lucky buyers a sensational soundtrack, with engineers developing a special stainless-steel exhaust that's said to produce a "rousing" exhaust note.

The V12 Speedster was developed over 12 months from concept to production, and it's thought that some of the 88 build slots are still available.

Pricing is set at £765,000 ($A1.4m) before options and taxes.