Outgoing Aston Martin boss, Ulrich Bez, gave himself a retirement gift by unveiling the radical CC100 Speedster concept car at the Nurburgring 24 Hour race on Sunday.
Dr Bez displayed the dramatic concept car to tens of thousands of spectators with a demonstration lap before the start of Germany’s classic production car race.
Based loosely on the 1959 DBR1 racer, the CC100 Speedster was designed to celebrate the cash- and technology-strapped company’s 100th anniversary and to give hints about future styling.
It speaks volumes about Aston’s lack of research and development focus that in an era of the Ferrari LaFerrari and the McLaren P1, the CC100 Speedster carries over a 6.0-litre V12 powerplant and a six-speed automatic transmission.
The stylistic future of the Italian-owned British brand could contain parts of the CC100 Speedster’s reinterpreted Aston grille, exaggerated side strakes and a completely new design language for the rear-end.
While it uses carbon-fibre for most of its body panels, it retains the same VH aluminium architecture that sits beneath all Aston V12 models.
The use of an established chassis and powertrain meant the car was, unusually for a concept, a full runner at the Nurburgring and capable of 160km/h. Theoretically, the CC100 Speedster could hit 100km/h in a flat four seconds and would be good for in excess of 300km/h.
Aston Martin claims it weighs less than 1200kg, which is difficult to believe given that would make it 400kg lighter than the lightest production car in the family, the V8 Vantage. It is 4.5 metres long and two metres wide, including its mirrors.
“The CC100 Speedster is the epitome of everything that is great about Aston Martin,” Dr Bez said.
“It represents our fantastic sporting heritage, our exceptional design capability, our superb engineering know-how and, above all, our adventurous spirit.
“I have nicknamed it ‘DBR100’ because of its affinity to the great 1959 race-winning cars and, of course, our 100-year anniversary in 2013.
“But this car is more, even, than a simple birthday present to ourselves: it shows that the soul of Aston Martin – the thing that differentiates us from all the other car-makers out there – is as powerful as ever.”
The two-seater is as stripped out as most would expect from a concept, but does reveal some actual technologies headed for production, including a TFT display for the instrument cluster and LED headlights.
Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site…