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Just a reminder: Aston Martin is building a 700-HP, $950K V12 Speedster

Here's a look at a prototype out testing before the production car arrives next year.

Steven Ewing Former managing editor
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.
Steven Ewing
2 min read
Aston Martin V12 Speedster
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Aston Martin V12 Speedster

Talk about a breath of fresh air.

Aston Martin

It feels like it's been about five years since the would-be Geneva Motor Show definitely did not happen. In that time, we've had bigger things to consider than a limited-production Aston Martin convertible. But Aston is very much committed to bringing its bonkers V12 Speedster to production next year, and the company released a handful of photos Wednesday that confirm development is very much underway.

We don't have any new information to accompany the photos, which show a matte black V12 Speedster testing in the UK. But it's not like you need a whole lot of information to see that this Aston is something special. Just look at the damn thing.

The supercool Aston Martin V12 Speedster is almost ready for production

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As we first reported in March, the V12 Speedster is essentially a Vantage Coupe without a roof or windshield, not to mention a 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 engine. Aston says the Speedster produces 700 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque, and it can accelerate to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. Good thing the car comes with matching helmets so you can avoid getting bugs in your teeth.

The Speedster's body is made entirely of carbon fiber and there's a central spine that runs the length of the car, between the driver and passenger compartments. Leather straps and angled surfaces are all over the interior, and yes, there's even an infotainment screen hidden underneath that spine.

Aston Martin is only planning to build 88 of these Speedsters, all of which will start at $950,000. We can't imagine any will hit the road for less than $1 million after all sorts of lavish options are added, but hey, it's a small price to pay (OK, no it isn't) for something so crazy.

Aston Martin's V12 Speedster is a roofless, Vantage-based wonder

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Watch this: Aston Martin V12 Speedster proves less is more, and costs more too