The only example of arguably the ultimate city car has gone on public sale for the first time.
Revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2018, the Aston Martin V8 Cygnet is a one-off built by the British marque’s bespoke Q division.
Commissioned for a wealthy customer who wanted an extreme hot hatchback, everything was tailored to his individual specification during a 10-month build process.
The sole V8 Cygnet has now been listed for sale with Hertfordshire-based Aston Martin specialist, Nicholas Mee & Company.
Small and mighty
Aston Martin’s work on the V8 Cygnet required a comprehensive re-engineering of the Toyota iQ-based city car.
The standard Cygnet has a 1.33-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which delivers 98hp to the front wheels via a CVT automatic gearbox. It can saunter to 62mph in 11.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 106mph – far removed from traditional Aston Martin performance.
The ‘Super Cygnet’ has the 430hp 4.7-litre V8 from an Aston Martin Vantage S (somehow) wedged beneath its bonnet. The Vantage also donated its seven-speed paddle-shift transmission, with the V8 Cygnet modified to send its power to the rear wheels.
Combining such oomph with a very short wheelbase was not for the faint of heart. In testing, Aston Martin’s works racing driver Darren Turner managed 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds and a 155mph maximum, helped by the V8 Cygnet’s modest kerb weight of 1,375kg.
A V8-powered go-kart
Aston Martin’s Q division incorporated the front and rear subframe assemblies from the Vantage S into the V8 Cygnet, too. The supercar’s suspension and ABS brakes could thus be carried over intact.
A set of 19-inch alloy wheels, housed in ultra-wide carbon fibre arches, give the V8 Cygnet almost comic proportions. Buckingham Green paintwork was the original owner’s hue of choice, with black exterior metalwork and yellow brake calipers.
The standard Cygnet’s body shell was suitably strengthened, with a welded-in roll cage for extra rigidity. A pair of Recaro carbon fibre bucket seats, complete with four-point racing harnesses, are fitted inside.
A bespoke dashboard houses the instrument panel from the Aston Martin Vantage, along with climate control air-con and a USB-compatible audio system.
Never to be repeated
Kept by its original owner until now, the Cygnet has only covered 2,893 miles from new. Clearly, there are only so many situations that call for a V8 city car.
The Aston Martin Cygnet is already a rare vehicle, with just 122 registered for road use in the UK. However, this V8 version is truly unique.
Listed for sale by Nicholas Mee without any price quoted, an interested party appears to have reserved the V8 tearaway already.
Still, in a world of increasing automotive homogeneity, we should simply be thankful the V8 Cygnet exists.
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