Aston Martin V8 Cygnet is bonkers

What's got four-point race harnesses, a carbon-fibre wide-body kit, a stonking 320kW V8 and is smaller than a pygmy possum?

The Aston Martin V8 Cygnet.

Revealed at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed today, the incredible one-off creation was commissioned by a customer via the 'Q by Aston Martin' special operations group – and get this: It'll be raced up the Goodwood hill-climb!

British sports car maker Aston Martin is best known for its high-performance GT cars and race cars – not to mention the F1-rivalling Valkyrie hypercar – but the Cygnet proves that Aston can do hot hatches too.

Like the standard Cygnet that Aston Martin sold between 2011 and 2013 to help it meet European fleet-average emissions regulations, before it was axed after finding about 300 buyers – well short of Aston’s 4000 target – the Aston Martin V8 Cygnet is based on the Toyota iQ.

However, this one was developed in-house by Aston Martin and scores Aston Martin Vantage subframes, Vantage S brakes and seven-speed gearbox, a bespoke prop shaft and limited-slip differential.

The V8 Cygnet is not exactly light at 1375kg (it required a lot of structural reinforcements and a new front bulkhead) but its 320kW, 490Nm front-mounted V8 ensures it'll rip to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds.

Top speed? It'll almost match the 280km/h Audi RS 4 Avant on the autobahn, with a v-max of 274km/h.

But one thing's for sure, it turns the "size matters" slur on its head, even if Aston assures us this one-off mini-V8 doesn’t herald a new-generation Cygnet.

Measuring just over 3.7 metres long, you could fit two Aston Martin V8 Cygnets in a regular car space.

There have been a number of ridiculous micro-car chop-ups out there, including several smart cars with 1.3-litre Suzuki Hayabusa engines that scream to 10,000rpm.

But the Aston Martin V8 Cygnet is clearly a torque monster rather than a high-rev banshee and has a deep, bassy battle cry via a specially fabricated (and very short) twin exhaust system to match.

Double-wishbone suspension front and rear with coil springs and anti-roll bars are from the previous generation Aston Martin Vantage and work with Bridgestone tyres – 235/40 front, 275/34 rear – fitted to 19-inch diameter alloy rims.

The brakes are huge measuring 380mm at the front and 330mm at the rear, worked over by hefty six-piston monoblock callipers fore and quad-piston jobbies aft. The calipers are painted yellow and the ABS system is pilfered from the Aston Martin V8 Vantage S.

Inside, the miniature missile features is fairly spartan but certainly not without appeal. There's a removable Alcantara steering wheel, bespoke carbon-fibre dashboard, roll cage, fire extinguisher and Recaro bucket seats with four-point harnesses.

The instrument cluster is borrowed from the Aston Martin Vantage parts bin while the leather pulls straps will shut the tiny doors.

The zany Aston Martin will be a sprinter, not a long-distance runner thanks to a tiny 30-litre fuel tank that will be drained by the thirsty V8 relatively quickly.

But it should be more than enough for a white-knuckled blast up the Goodwood hill-climb.

"The V8 Cygnet shows the fun side of both Aston Martin and its customers," said Aston Martin vice president and special operations officer, David King.

"It is also a fine example of the engineering talent within the company as it's no small achievement to fit the Vantage's V8 engine so harmoniously into the Cygnet's compact body."

"I am sure that it will amaze and thrill people when they see and hear it on the hill at the Festival of Speed," said King.

What do you think – is this the world's wildest hot hatch? Leave a comment below.