Money talks. Case in point, the Aston Martin Cygnet V8, a car which is completely illogical yet came into being thanks to an insistent Aston customer with deep pockets.
The Aston Martin Cygnet is perhaps the most stupid vehicle the British marque has ever produced. Introduced in 2011 as a re-branded version of the compact Toyota iQ, the Cygnet cost roughly three times as much as an iQ and was introduced so Aston would comply with fleet-wide average emissions regulations in the European Union.
Although the car manufacturer could have worked its magic on the city car’s internals, it decided not to and instead focused exclusively on designing a bespoke body and a unique interior. Shockingly, Aston Martin thought it could sell 4000 units annually but in the end, the car was killed off after fewer than 150 examples reached the hands of customers.
The Cygnet V8 is much more desirable than the car that came before it.
Unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June, the car uses the 4.7-liter V8 engine of the previous-generation Vantage S and delivers a mighty 430 hp. Despite not being as light as its small appearance suggests, the Cygnet V8 is still a rocket and can reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in a blistering 4.2 seconds and continue through to a top speed of 274 km/h (170 mph).
The crew at Top Gear recently had the chance to get up-close-and-personal with the Cygnet S and the video is well worth a watch.
Here’s hoping an even crazy Aston customer commissions a V12-powered Cygnet.