Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Spitfire 80
A limited-edition run of the Aston
Martin V12 Vantage S has been launched to mark the 80th anniversary of the
Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane’s first flight. The Spitfire 80 isn’t
actually a Gaydon-inspired idea, but that of Aston Martin Cambridge. The
dealership commissioned the car, which will be limited to just eight units in
its run.
Kitted out by the company’s Q by Aston
Martin personalisation service, the special’s exterior is finished in a unique
shade called Duxford Green. Yellow accents are to be found, on the grille, rear
lid as well as a pinstripe running along the sides of the car, a homage to that
which dressed the fighter’s wings. The brake calipers are also dressed in
yellow.
The car features a black
Alcantara/Kestral Tan leather upholstery interior (with plenty of carbon-fibre
trim), and aside from an embroidered Spitfire 80 logo on the front headrests,
there are nods to the past – the saddle leather floor mats feature sheepskin
inserts in the vein of the Irvin flying jacket, while the door pulls are
finished with a red ‘webbing’ to replicate that found on the aircraft.
Other references include a rainbow
“bloom” effect on the tailpipe finishers to match the plane’s exhaust stack as
well as an aluminium strut finisher in the rear end of the cabin to mimic the
strut brace seen on the Spitfire.
No mechanical changes, and so the
Vantage continues on with the familiar AM28 6.0 litre V12, with 573 PS and 620
Nm for output numbers. The mill is mated to a Sportshift III AMT seven-speed
automated manual gearbox.
The occasion isn’t just limited to the
car. Buyers will get a host of Spitfire-related accessories, and items include
an Irvin jacket with a stitched Spitfire 80 logo as well as an Irvin flying helmet
and flying goggles. All eight cars will be handed over their buyers during a
special presentation at the IWM Duxford museum in Cambridge on October 18.
