Order book opens for $1.5m Aston Martin V12 Speedster

More details have been announced for the Aston Martin V12 Speedster, the order book for which is now open ahead of first deliveries around mid-year.

First revealed in March 2020, the V12 Speedster is the British car-maker’s answer to special-edition open-top supercars like the McLaren Elva and Ferrari Monza.

Just 88 examples of the V12 Speedster, which is now being hand-built for worldwide consumption at Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters in the UK, will be available – each priced at around $1.5 million.

Apart from opening the global order book, Aston Martin today announced an optional bespoke DBR1 specification featuring “meticulously crafted” details that pay homage to 1959 Le Mans-winning original and the CC100 concept unveiled in 2013 to mark a century of Aston sports cars.

Aston Martin says the custom specification is “certain to underscore the cars’ instant collector’s item status”, since the DBR1 remains the most successful race car it has ever produced.

Revealed in 1956 and powered from 1958 by a 3.0-litre straight six matched with a David Brown five-speed gearbox, the 800kg DBR1 was conceived as a pure racer – not directly derived from a road car – and had an estimated top speed of 150mph (241km/h).

Just five examples were built – four for the Aston Martin Works team and a single car for private use – and 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 1000km at the Nurburgring (1959, Sir Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman).

Also in 1959, the DBR1 won the Le Mans 24 Hour and the World Sportscar Championship, following its victories in Nurburgring 1000 in 1957, 1958 and 1959.

But the DBR1 wasn’t just a race car; it was also a precursor for some of Aston’s best-known heritage ‘DB’ road cars and arguably the best work ever by talented designer Frank Feeley and the company’s chief racing designer Ted Cutting.

Based on the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera but wearing an all-new body, the V12 Speedster is powered by a circa-515kW/753Nm 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 and a rear-mounted ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.

Aston says the combination is capable of 0-100km/h acceleration in 3.4 seconds and a 198mph (318km/h) top speed, which is pretty rapid for a car with no roof or windscreen.

In addition, the bespoke DBR1 spec brings highlights including iconic Aston Martin Racing Green paint with a Clubsport White pinstripe and roundels, a Satin Silver anodised grille with Clubsport lipstick graphic, Conker saddle leather and Viridian Green technical textile/Caithness leather.

Furthermore, unique Aston Martin Racing Green driver and passenger helmets sit under transparent ‘windows’ and solid silver ‘wings’ badges glint beneath transparent enamel.

Combined with satin silver brushed aluminium switchgear, Aston says the open-top Speedster’s gloss carbon-fibre and Caithness Green leather “underline the tasteful homage to a true motoring great”.

Satin black diamond-turned 21-inch centre-lock wheels complete the package, each of which is said to spend more than 50 hours in the painting process at the brand’s advanced paint facility.

“Emotion and exclusivity are at the heart of this car. A rare and exceptional Aston Martin, it has been engineered to offer a visceral driving experience that belies its elegant, artistic shape,” said Aston Martin chief creative officer, Marek Reichman.