The absolute joke of a project that was the Aston Martin Cygnet, a Toyota iQ with a British-flavored maquillage and a hysterical starting price of around £31,000 or more than $50,000, was put to rest last October, ending an awkward chapter in the brand’s long history. Aston never offered the Cygnet in the States, but there is at least one example on this side of the pond that mimics its looks.
It is owned by Texas lawyer Robert Kleinman, who went into a lot of trouble to transform the front half of his Scion iQ into an Aston Martin Cygnet. And by that, we don’t mean with reproduction parts, but with original components sourced from “AstonMartinBits” and shipped from England.
According to Cartalk, the project cost just under $10,000 (less than €7,300 or £6,000) to complete, and as you can see from the counselor’s pictures, he opted not to include the Aston Martin logos.
Kleinman’s story follows right below the jump.
By John Halas
[From Robert Kleinman]
“I could tell you I believed driving an iQ would send just the right message for my small Austin [law] practice, but my decision to buy the iQ was driven as much by my heart as my head. In any event, once I took delivery of the iQ, I fell deeply and profoundly in love: I’ve never had a car with a fraction of its personality. My kids promptly nicknamed the iQ ‘Pierogi’ because he’s small, chubby and white, and strangers let me into traffic and no one has ever taken a shot at me, which is a positive since this is Texas.”
“I’ve been a longtime auto enthusiast but Pierogi was the first car I ever loved enough to want trick out: factory alloy wheels from Japan; TRD sway bar and springs, OEM goodies from Toyota Europe, an aftermarket sound system, etc. I used to tell others that mine was equipped with ‘The Ancients of MuMu Sport Pack,’ a reference to THE KLF of acid house fame.”
“As a car nut, I was of course aware of the Aston Martin Cygnet. Like any self-respecting car nut, I’m a huge Aston devotee. I took Aston’s decision to develop the Toyota iQ as objective validation of the car’s bold innovation and uniqueness. From a trademark attorney’s point of view, I see the Cygnet almost as intellectual property performance art; it’s the ultimate derivative work.”
“Visually I find the Cygnet far more attractive than the iQ. When Aston Martin announced in October 2013 that the Cygnet was going out of production, it immediately popped in my head to get in touch with Aston to see if they had any spare parts lying about for sale. One thing led to another, and before I knew it I was dealing directly with Alistair Elliot, the cheerful proprietor of AstonMartinBits, which may or may not be based in Swindon. Anyway, Alistair was fun to work with and indispensible for carrying out the transformation I had in mind. He hooked me up with all the hardware.”
“While AstonMartinBits was my parts supplier, Berli’s, a quality-obsessed body shop in Pflugerville, Texas was hired to carry out the transformation. Berli’s manager, Chad Kiffe, shared my enthusiasm. And as a bonus, Berli’s even assigned the projected to a certified Aston Martin mechanic on its staff. Berli’s did a flawless job at a fair price.”
“I wanted to keep Pierogi as a Scion rather than trying to pass him off as an Aston. As far as I’m concerned, the Aston Scion is the ultimate hybrid. It’s just about done now, a couple minor tweaks remaining.
“The biggest surprise is the unexpected attention Pierogi has drawn from the opposite sex. Once Pierogi made the transition from Scion iQ to Aston Scion, stylish females made it a point to let me know how ‘adorable’ they found him. It’s amazing what a good nose job will do for you. But as a practical matter, this unexpected benefit has turned out to be of no use whatsoever since I’m boring and happily married.”
PHOTO GALLERY
