The Aston Martin Cygnet has been dead for a few years already. The Toyota iQ was once Aston Martin’s answer to its emissions problem. It had lukewarm sales though, which hindered the development of a second generation. One particular Aston Martin customer took full advantage of the ‘Q by Aston Martin – Commission’ service to commission the ultimate city car!
Undoubtedly the most exciting, outrageous and diminutive Aston Martin ever created, this particular one-off Cygnet features a 4.7-litre, 430 bhp V8 engine lifted from the Vantage S. The power is routed to the rear wheels through a seven-speed Sportshift II transmission.
The V8 Cygnet has been created through the ‘Q by Aston Martin – Commission’ service. It will be a one-off, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with the city car platform.
The project uses a right-hand drive Cygnet steel body shell and panels. Aston Martin have fitted a roll cage which forms an integral part of the chassis. A new front bulkhead and transmission tunnel were fabricated from sheet metal to create the space demanded by the V8 Vantage S powertrain.
The subframes and suspension are derived from the previous generation Vantage while a steel fuel tank housing has been fabricated for the boot area.
There are no extra bulges in the bonnet and only a subtle black mesh to differentiate the grille. There was no escaping the fact that the Cygnet required significantly wider front and rear axels. The flared wheel arches look outrageous! New forged, five-spoke, diamond-turned wheels measure 19 inches in diameter.
Aston Martin also fit a new central twin exhaust system with bespoke twin underfloor mufflers and catalytic converters. All in, it weights 1,375 kg with fluids. 0 to 60 mph takes just 4.2 seconds with a top speed of 170 mph.
The paintwork is finished in Buckinghamshire green. Inside, things are largely competition oriented. In addition to the roll cage there is a fully FIA compliant fire extinguisher system and seating is by composite, fixed back Recaro bucket seats with four-point harnesses.
