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Aston Cambridge celebrates British Spitfire with bespoke V12 Vantage S

Update: These special-edition Aston Martins are a creation of Aston Martin Cambridge, a dealer. They are being built in cooperation with Aston's Q bespoke division. The Supermarine Spitfire is well-known in the UK for its role in World War II. To commemorate the plane's first flight, which took place 80 years ago, Top Gear reports that Aston Martin Cambridge has created a limited-edition model of the V12 Vantage S. The automaker will only build eight units of the Spitfire 80, and it's safe to assume that none will make it to the US. As a special-edition model, the V12 Vantage S is finished in "Duxford Green" – aptly named after the Royal Air Force base where the first Spitfire squadron was stationed – with a yellow pinstripe along the side of the vehicle. The special edition isn't just a fancy paint job, as Duxford's Aircraft Restoration Company hand-built several components for the vehicle. The most prominent include the tailpipe finishers that have a rainbow bloom effect to match the original Spitfire's exhaust. Aston Martin's Q division added special touches to the interior with bespoke embroidered logos on the headrests, and the RAF's iconic roundel is integrated directly into the central dash. According to a Facebook post by Aston Martin Cambridge, the seats and inside of the glovebox feature Kestral Tan leather with black stitching, while the rest of the interior has black Alcantara with Kestral Tan stitching. Because of the car's exclusivity and unique touches, Aston Cambridge priced the Spitfire 80 at roughly $240,210, which is almost $50,000 more than a standard V12 Vantage S. An unspecified percentage of the vehicle's price will be donated to the RAF Benevolent Fund. All eight owners will receive their vehicles at IWM Duxford – a historic airfield and museum – on October 18th and go for a flight in a Spitfire. Related Video:

1965 Aston Martin James Bond DB5 nets record $6.4 million at auction

Remember we told you how an original James Bond-spec Aston Martin DB5, used as a promotional vehicle for the 1965 Bond film “Thunderball,” was headed to auction? The one equipped with gadgets including a bulletproof rear glass shield, smoke screen and so forth? Well, the car just sold at RM SothebyÂ’s “Evening with Aston Martin” sale at Monterey for a final, record-shattering price of $6.385 million. ThatÂ’s after receiving an initial estimate of $4 million to $6 million. 1965 Aston Martin DB5 'Goldfinger'-spec View 30 Photos Also at Monterey, a DB5 Shooting Brake from the same model year, though not equipped with James Bond gadgetry, auctioned for a cool $1.765 million. It was one of just 12 ever built, and among only four built with a left-hand drive. It was expected to fetch $1 million to $1.4 million, so it was a good week for Aston, old chap. The Bond car was one of two 1965 DB5s commissioned by Eon Productions, the British film company, and used as promotions for “Thunderball.” Neither were used on screen, but they received all the gadgets from the film, installed by Aston Martin and built to actually be used and be reliable. In addition to the gadgets mentioned above, there are bumper overriders, front guns (!) and an oil slick dispenser, plus toggle switches, weapon drawer and tracking screen. 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Shooting Brake View 20 Photos RM SothebyÂ’s had previously sold the car in 2006 for $2.09 milling, but it then went through a complete restoration, including the gadgets, that was completed in 2012. Aston Martin last year announced it would be building continuation versions of the Bond 1965 DB5.  

Here's what else you could buy for the average new-car price of $40,573

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. The average price of a new car in America hit a new record in December 2020: $40,573. Not that we're surprised — the average has been over $35,000 for the past few years — but seeing that baseline figure crest 40 large is still a sticker-shock to the system. So, as we do every once in a while, we put our collective heads together and came up with a list of alternatives that you could choose to buy for that sum, new or old, classic or practical. Now, let's be crystal clear about one thing here. We're not actually recommending you make this type of decision. That said, we wouldn't blame you if you did. Managing Editor Greg Rasa: $40,000 will buy a fully loaded Camry or moderately equipped crossover. Or, for $39,997, to be exact, one could go motoring in a fine British automobile. This 2006 Aston Martin DB9 Volante in Alabama has 21,452 miles on it, and depreciation has worked its cruel magic: It is listed for less than one-quarter of its $168,000 starting MSRP when it was new. A check of other used DB9s nationwide indicates this is a fair price. This Aston's CarFax reveals two owners. (One, really, as the second was a dealership. Looks like it got traded in for a Porsche.) If you're understandably concerned about reliability, its service history indicates no surprises to date. Remember, it has a 450-horsepower 5.9-liter V12. And spring is coming. Of course a used Aston Martin is riskier than a new Camry. But as Louis Prima sang, "Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think." What price beauty? Less than $40 grand. Associate Editor Byron Hurd: This price point opens up a ton of options in the "nearly new" luxury space, including a few good enthusiast picks, but my nod here goes to the Cadillac ATS-V. The discontinued, M3/M4-rivaling, 465-horsepower sport sedan and coupe can be had all day long in this price range with low miles. In fact, the real challenge is finding one in the spec you want, since it's one of those old-fashioned cars that actually presented the buyer with choices. Here's a clean, six-speed sedan in an actual color for less than our target price, for example. Coupes are more plentiful than sedans, especially in interesting colors, but there are plenty of them out there.