Aston Martin Celebrates its 100th Birthday with the CC100 Speedster
How do you celebrate your 100th birthday? If you’re English carmaker Aston Martin, you treat yourself to a jaw-dropping concept car that reflects a century of the company’s heritage while signaling the future of the brand. This was the mission for the car’s designers, who impressively took the CC100 Speedster from sketched idea to reality in less than six months. Chief Exterior Designer Miles Nurnberger explains: “The idea of an iconic speedster concept that nods to the Le Mans- and Nürburgring-winning cars of 1959 soon came, and we have had complete freedom to shape this car.”
The concept was fittingly unveiled May 19th at the Nürburgring racetrack, where it completed a parade lap alongside the 1,000km race-winning 1959 DBR1. The company’s chief executive, Ulrich Bez, has nicknamed it DBR100 and believes “the soul of Aston Martin is as powerful as ever.” The company’s long history includes the DB5 made famous by James Bond films and seen a few weeks ago at the All British Field Meet in Vancouver. While Aston Martin has suggested the Speedster’s wild style may influence future designs, those in car sales training aren’t likely to see the CC100 Concept in production any time soon.
The CC100’s hand-built shapely carbon-fibre body is just about the opposite of the sharp, angular Lamborghini Egoista concept presented last week by the Italian carmaker for its 50thanniversary (seen below).
The CC100 Speedster doesn’t need a roof, windshield or even doors, but it might need some extra room to park! It is almost four and a half meters long and over two meters wide with a smooth, flowing, light-weight, entirely carbon body. The 6-litre V12 engine rides on the company’s “VH” platform, powering it from zero to 100 km/h in a hair over four seconds, while top speed is limited to 290 km/h. Any auto mechanic will want to take a closer look and listen to it rev like a ferocious animal here!
It will be interesting to see if this rounder, more full-bodied car signals the future of automobile design. Regardless, it is quite the accomplishment to develop such an impressive vehicle in only six months. Anyone excited about the idea of auto careers focusing on design will be fascinated by this video that demonstrates the creative process from paper to racetrack.
How do you think the CC100 compares to the Egoista?
