The Aston Martin V12 Speedster Will Destroy Your Face With 690bhp

Aston Martin has joined an ever-growing list of manufacturers offering enormously expensive, open cockpit missiles. Its entry into the surprisingly well-populated genre is the V12 Speedster, which is yours for £765,000 and up.

Although the styling aligns it closely with much of Aston’s current line-up, the bodywork is completely bespoke to the Speedster. It’s all made from carbon fibre, and takes inspiration from three main sources - the 1959 Le Mans-winning DBR1 racer, 2013’s CC100 Speedster concept, and our favourite, fighter jets. Yes, fighter jets.

The platform is unique too, made by combining “elements from both the DBS Superleggera and Vantage model lines,” Aston Martin says. Like both of those cars, the Speedster has a double-wishbone front, multilink rear suspension layout with adaptive dampers.

Under the vented bonnet is the Aston Martin’s 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12, although it’s not as powerful nor as torquey as it is in the DBS Superleggera. Then again, 700bhp and 555lb ft is plenty when you have no roof nor windscreen to protect your epidermis.

0-62mph is done and dusted in 3.5 seconds - a tenth quicker than a DBS Volante, and a tenth slower than the coupe. The top speed is limited to 186mph. Best don some goggles before attempting to reach that figure.

Along with a wild exterior, the cabin is equally outlandish. Satin carbon fibre features heavily, notably used for the bar that partially separates the driver and passenger. It’s been pared back as much as possible, with Aston’s engineers even ditching the glovebox and giving the Speedster an old-school removable leather bag in its place.

Being a product of Aston Martin’s Q branch, the Speedster places a heavy emphasis on customisation. Whether you like the look of the F/A-18-inspired look of the show car - created in collaboration with Boeing - or would prefer something entirely different, the Q bods have you back. It’s highly unlikely that any of the 88 planned cars will have the same spec.

The V12 Speedster is available to order now, with the first examples making their way to owners during the first quarter of 2020.