Today Aston Martin tips its hat to an engineering, design and performance icon, and no, it isn’t a car, it’s Concorde. To celebrate 50 years since the supersonic airliner took its first flight, Aston Martin is launching the limited-run Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Concorde.
Just 10 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Concordes will be built, all the product of Aston Martin’s bespoke Q Division in collaboration with Aston Martin Bristol, through which every example will be sold. Why Bristol, specifically? Because the final Concorde to fly, with the tail number G-BOAF, now resides in local museum Aerospace Bristol.
As a special edition, every DBS Superleggera Concorde will feature some Concorde-specific special details. The vent behind the front wheels now features a solid-aluminium Concorde, a black-tinted carbon-fibre roof with a Concorde silhouette graphic, an enamel filled Union Jack Aston Martin wing badge and, just in front of the rear wheels, the tail number G-BOAC.
The DBS Superleggera Concorde pays tribute not just to the plane itself but also to British Airways, the company that took British Concordes to the skies. Look behind the front wheels and you’ll notice the British Airways ‘Speedmarque’ emblem above a Q Division badge, and British Airways colours on the carbon-fibre splitter and rear wing.
Inside you’ll notice three tiny Concordes surrounding the speakers, and a single Concorde at the bottom of each gearbox paddle behind the steering wheel. There’s a Concorde silhouette in the roof lining and one between the rear seats, too, and the word ‘Concorde’ with the British Airways logo pressed into the leather seats. Finally, the sills of every car have been signed by Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer and British Airways Chairman Álex Cruz.
Sadly the DBS Superleggera Concorde doesn’t rival Concorde for outright pace, falling short of Concorde’s top speed by 1,143mph. Then again, 211mph is plenty fast enough, as is 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds. Power comes courtesy of Aston’s twin-turbo, 5.2-litre V12 with 725PS (715bhp) and 900Nm (664lb ft) of torque. It’s a shame we can’t create a DBS Superleggera v. Concorde drag race…
Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, said: “It’s only fitting that our great British sports car brand marks the achievement of the incredibly dedicated, talented and ambitious teams of British and French scientists, engineers, designers and aircraft workers who made Concorde, and supersonic air travel, a reality in our skies 50 years ago.”
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Aston Martin has celebrated aviation. The DBS Superleggera is the fourth model to feature in the ‘Wings Series’ that so far has included the Vanquish S Red Arrows Edition, the Vantage Blades Edition and the V12 Vantage S Spitfire 80.
If you do fancy buying one some of the proceeds will be donated to the Air League Trust, a not-for-profit organisation that teaches under-privileged children how to fly, and offers support for them to work in engineering.
The price? Aston Martin hasn’t said, but we’re willing to bet its substantially less expensive than the rough cost of a single Concorde: £65,000,000.
Aston Martin
DBS Superleggera