This is certainly a less-than-obvious case of an automobile manufacturer recognizing a milepost in history. This year marks a half-century since the Anglo-French supersonic jetliner Concorde first took flight, and Aston Martin, which knows a thing or two about flying on the ground, decided to mark the anniversary. Limited to only 10 examples worldwide, each intensively personalized by concierge service Q by Aston Martin, the DBS Superleggera Concorde Edition commemorates not only the SST’s first flight, but also the centenary of one of the plane’s primary operators, British Airways.
The Concorde Edition is based on Aston Martin’s already existing, super-exclusive DBS Superleggera, the Italianate name a reference to its reduced weight when compared to its siblings. It’s the latest entry in Aston Martin’s ongoing Wings series of very limited-edition sporting cars, which has already seen the introduction of the Vanquish S Red Arrows Edition, the Vantage Blades Edition and the V12 Vantage S Spitfire 80. Finished in partial British Airways livery, a Concorde logo on the seat facings, seat belt buckle badges milled from billet aluminum, and a Mach Meter graphic on the driver’s sun visor. While an interesting case study in co-marketing, this is no poseur: With a 5.2-liter twin-turbocharged V-12 for power, the Concorde Edition is capable of 211 MPH as per the factory. Want one? Get in what will at least be a short line.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 