Aston Martin V12 Speedster is a $950,000 exotic dream that's wild as the wind

The roofless, windshield-less, ultra-rare, ultra-expensive supercar space is getting busy. We had the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2; then we got the McLaren Elva, and now the Aston Martin V12 Speedster is joining the ranks. McLaren will let you add a windshield to the Elva, but there’s no mention of glass when it comes to the Aston. Invest in some sturdy goggles.

Revealed at Aston MartinÂ’s Gaydon HQ (instead of the canceled Geneva Motor Show), the V12 Speedster is designed to provide the most visceral driving experience in the Aston lineup. There will only be 88 of them, and pricing starts at $950,000. ThatÂ’s an absolute bargain compared to the Elva, which has a base price of $1.69 million. But if youÂ’re considering buying one of these, its price is likely the last question youÂ’ll have.

Aston says the V12 Speedster is powered by its 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12, making 700 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. That’s mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic, sending power to the rear wheels. It’ll hit 62 mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph — get some heavy duty headgear for that trip. The platform itself is made by combining elements of the DBS Superleggera and Vantage. It has 21-inch forged, center-locking wheels, huge carbon ceramic brakes and adaptive dampers. But the design is what really caught our eye.

It’s billed as “a living show car,” and we completely agree. The body is made almost entirely from carbon fiber. Miles Nurnberger, director of design at Aston Martin, detailed the design’s inspiration in a statement.

“There’s clear lineage from the 1959 Le Mans winning DBR1 to our Centenary celebratory CC100 Speedster Concept in 2013,” Nurnberger says. “There is also a bit of 1953 DB3S in the mid-section, so it really is our latest incarnation of the Speedster concept. It’s also inspired by fighter jets as much as it is by our history, and it has been created to deliver an incredibly visceral experience, hence why it is a V12, rather than a V8.”

The front hood nostril is especially eye-catching. Aston hasnÂ’t implemented this design touch on a car in a long while, and we love seeing it on a new vehicle like this. Nurnberger says it allowed for some extra space under the long hood that it needed for the V12, too.

That interior is similarly stunning. ItÂ’s separated into two distinct cockpit areas by a slab of carbon fiber, but it still allows for interaction between the two people in the car below that piece. The design, like so many supercars and sports cars before it, is said to be inspired by fighter jets. This specific spec is a special F/A-18 spec that Aston says will be available to order. It features a number of fighter jet touches throughout. YouÂ’ll get to hear the carÂ’s roar better than other AstonÂ’s, too, as the company developed an especially loud stainless steel exhaust system for the V12 Speedster. Its lack of a roof should make it even more audible for those in the cockpit.

Aston Martin says its order books are open now for the V12 Speedster, so itÂ’s not completely sold out yet. Deliveries are slated to begin in the first quarter of 2021. All 88 cars will be hand-built and made to the spec you desire.

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By Zac Palmer