It seems open-top supercars are making quite a comeback of late. Ferrari unveiled the Monza SP1 and SP2 twins late in 2018. Towards the end of 2019 McLaren showed us the Elva. And now we have the Aston Martin V12 Speedster.

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Limited edition

The Aston Martin V12 Speedster is a two-seater open-cockpit model. It honours Aston Martin’s 1959 Le Mans-winning DBR1 and CC100 Speedster centenary concept car (seen below). Aston Martin released the teaser image of the impending model, confirming its production. The company’s press blurb also stated that just 88 units will be built. Check out another limited-edition Aston Martin at this link.

Aston Martin DBR1 and CC100 Speedster

The new car’s design clearly nods to both Aston Martin’s 1959 Le Mans 24 hours- and 1000 km of Nürburgring race-winning DBR1 and the marque’s Centenary CC100 Speedster Concept shown in 2013. The brand’s CC100 Speedster Concept was produced in 2013 to celebrate Aston Martin’s centenary.

The DBR1 had a tube chassis, torsion bar suspension and an all-aluminium six-cylinder. Its single-car 1956 Le Mans debut ended in retirement but the DBR1 started winning in 1957 (at Spa and the Nürburgring), and completed a Nürburgring hat-trick in 1959, by which time five examples had been built. It is one of only three cars in the 1950s to win both the World Sports Car Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours in the same year.

Twin-turbo V12

Powering the new car is a high-performance variant of Aston Martin’s 5,2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine. Power output is quoted as approximately 515 kW and 700 N.m. The engine is mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission mounted towards the rear of the car.

In his own words

Aston Martin Lagonda president and group CEO, Dr Andy Palmer said: “The V12 Speedster we’re proud to confirm today once again showcases not only this great British brand’s ambition and ingenuity, but also celebrates our rich and unrivalled heritage. The 88 enthusiast drivers and collectors who secure the keys to these cars can be confident that in doing so, they are also securing an iconic new piece of Aston Martin history.”