View Photos of the 2021 Aston Martin V12 Speedster

Aston Martin

Aston’s new V12 Speedster is a hodgepodge of sorts, with the chassis of a Vantage roadster, the engine from a DBS Superleggera, and styling inspired by the company’s DBR1 racer from the 1950s. The end result is as stunning as the car’s near $1 million price tag.

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Aston’s V12 Speedster is more automotive art than car, with no roof or windshield and a price tag that makes it twice as expensive as a DBS Superleggera.

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The V12 Speedster’s stunning design draws inspiration from both Aston’s DBR1 race car, which won Le Mans in 1959, and the CC100 concept, which was built to celebrate the company’s centennial in 2013.

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Power comes from Aston’s twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12 that’s been retuned to develop 690 horsepower.

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The torque characteristics the Speedster’s V-12 have been altered to improve drivability. It makes 555 pound-feet of torque compared to the DBS’s 664 pound-feet, and the peak doesn’t arrive until a rather high 5000 rpm.

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Storage space is limited to a pair of pods behind the seat that are sized to accommodate helmets as well as a removeable leather bag where the glovebox would be.

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The V-12’s revised engine map makes the Speedster easier to drive in slippery conditions, with better traction and less oversteer than the company’s brawnier V-12-powered models.

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Aston claims a 3.4-second zero-to-60-mph time for the V12 Speedster and an electronically governed top speed of 198 mph.

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Being based on the Vantage roadster makes the V12 Speedster surprisingly well equipped with both climate-control and infotainment systems. Both are useless above 40 mph.

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The Speedster’s V-12 engine sounds appropriately good at lower speeds, but its voice is largely overwhelmed by the roar of rushing air at higher velocities. Onlookers still get to enjoy it, though.

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Chassis settings are softer than those of the Vantage roadster, and the V12 Speedster displays impressive compliance, even with its active dampers in their firmest Sport Plus setting.

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The V12 Speedster doesn’t have anything like the McLaren Elva’s clever ducted “virtual windshield.” Instead, there are just motorsport-style flip-up deflectors to reduce buffeting for its occupants. These have a very limited effect.

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The lack of a windshield means the V12 Speedster can’t be officially sold for road use in the United States, but Aston says it is working with several potential buyers about importing the cars under show-and-display regulations.

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