You Could Be The Next Owner Of Aston Martin’s Infamous V8-Powered Cygnet

Rememer the Cygnet? Aston Martin’s take on a Toyota iQ, or a Scion iQ in America. Powered by a 1.3-liter engine, this economical leather-lined city car was Aston Martin’s way of adhering to European fleet emissions rules. With a price tag of around £30,000, you could buy three iQs for the price of one Cygnet, making it a rather niche proposition. Indeed, while order books opened up in early 2011, production ended in September 2013 because the Cygnet just didn’t live up to sales expectations. Instead of a targeted 4,000 cars per year, the BBC reports total UK Cygnet sales of, um, 150.

As such, the Cygnet became something of a punchline. We still think it’s cool, but for others, it’s a bit of a joke. However, what if Aston Martin used a Cygnet to craft a millimetrically-perfect knee-slapper that knocks audiences clean out of their socks? Well, in 2018, that’s exactly what happened.

See, the team at Aston Martin’s Q branch looked at the body of a Cygnet and the 430-horsepower 4.7-liter V8 engine from a V8 Vantage S, made tea, and got to work. In addition to the mighty V8, the seven-speed paddle-shift transaxle, the front and rear subframes, the wheels, and even the brakes from the V8 Vantage S made it underneath a dramatically flared Cygnet body. However, since this was imagined from the outset as a road-legal car, this Cygnet also has air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, and even a rear defroster.

The result is a 3,031-pound car that could run from zero-to-62 mph in 4.2 seconds, top out at 170 mph, and look like a real-life Hot Wheels diecast. Watching footage of it running up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is hilarious, almost like seeing a turtle sprint the 100-meter dash. It’s a weird car made more joyous, and guess what? It’s now up for sale.

British Aston Martin specialist Nicholas Mee has got its hands on this exceptionally special Cygnet, and the car’s listing gives us a closer look at one of history’s most bonkers Aston Martins. Right off the rip, there’s a hilarious rawness to the cabin, partially necessitated by moving the firewall to accommodate the V8. In addition to a tastefully paint-matched roll cage, the carbon fiber dashboard and console with regular Aston Martin switchgear feel incredibly race car, as do the pair of Recaro bucket seats. Due in part to the narrowness of the Cygnet cabin, there’s a hilarious jankiness to the fitment of the shifter buttons, incongruent to the suaveness of the Aston Martin brand. Ever seen someone boob-luge a vodka martini before?

The make-do spirit continues on the outside, with flares more appropriate for a UTV than a high-end car, underbody bracing visible from behind, and exhaust tips like cannons complemented by little bits of heat shielding to avoid bumper immolation. The Super Cygnet almost seems like it was built in a garage in the best possible way, which makes its existence in Aston Martin canon all the more outlandish.

However, what gives me the most joy is that someone’s put 2,900 miles on this wild creation. Sure, that isn’t a huge number for a normal car, but just think of the experience this V8-powered Cygnet provides. It looks substantially more insane than the vast majority of supercars today, so kudos for at least driving it a bit.

While definitely not legal for standard import into America, it seems like a potential candidate for a Show and Display petition. Not only did Aston Martin only build one of these things, it’s almost a bespoke car. Aside from the body panels and glass, just about the only Cygnet part left on this special build is the power mirror control switch, which comes straight out of Toyota’s parts bin. It’s also historically significant, and it may help that several rare Aston Martins have already made it onto the Show and Display list.

Of course, first you’ll have to afford this wild one-off Cygnet, and it almost certainly won’t come cheap. Although it’s listed as POA, expect to pay genuine supercar money for a Super Cygnet. Still, if you already have some exotic metal in the garage and are looking for something a little less sane, look no further.

Top graphic image: Nicholas Mee

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