Of all the models that Aston Martin has made over the past several years, one of the rarest isn’t a coupe. It isn’t a convertible, either. It’s a little hatchback, no bigger than a Smart. That could be why we don’t see more of them come up for sale. But that’s just what we have here.
Listed for sale on JamesEdition is a 2012 Aston Martin Cygnet, a relatively obscure model that the British automaker rebadged and sold in the UK and other European markets between 2011 and 2013.
The Cygnet was essentially rebranded Toyota/Scion iQ, offered to the luxury marque’s clients as an urban commuter so they could take that special experience of driving an Aston with them while zipping through Europe’s densely packed city centers, leaving their more powerful sports cars at home to enjoy on the weekends.
In a most un-Aston-like fashion, the Cygnet was powered by a little 1.3-liter turbo four, good for all of 97 horsepower, driven through the front wheels. That could explain in large part why, contrary to original sales projections of selling 4,000 of them each year, Aston only sold about 150 of them.
This particular example, in dark grey with a red leather interior, was purchased by its current owner in the Netherlands fresh from the factory. It has about 30,000 miles on the odometer, and is listed for €39.995, or about $45k at current exchange rates. Which might seem like a heck of a good price for an Aston Martin, but a hefty price to pay for a gussied-up Scion.
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