Yahoo Autos A V8-Powered Aston Martin Cygnet is 3000 Lbs. of Lunacy
Limited-edition cars are making Aston Martin a ton of money, but for one-offs starting at $2.6 million a pop, the Q division has only two build slots to offer per year. According to CEO Andy Palmer, some of those cars we'll never see. But then, from the same workshop comes the 170 mph V8 Cygnet.
It took quite a bit more than a hammer and a grinder to shoehorn an old V8 Vantage engine inside a city car with a 79 inch wheelbase, but Aston Martin has mastered this crucial skill. The Vantage's 430-horsepower engine, semi-automatic gearbox, complete suspension and subframes, and a selection of interior pieces were all jammed into Aston's tiny city car. Of course the track is wider, the wheels have grown-and so has the noise level, thanks to a bespoke exhaust system. Ultimately, the V8 Cygnet is also quite a bit heavier than a stock three-cylinder model, but with 361 lb-ft of torque on tap, it easily sprints to 60 in 4.3 seconds.
And if you're wondering why anybody would spend close to $3 million on what's essentially a gussied-up Toyota city car made hilarious, that's your answer.
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