Jump to content
Create New...
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    Aston Martin Goes Insane, Drops A V8 Into A Cygnet

      Its stupid and completely unnecessary... I love it.


    Remember the Aston Martin Cygnet? It's ok if you don't as the vehicle is a bit of an odd unicorn. This is basically a Toyota/Scion iQ in fancy clothing that was aimed at Aston customers who wanted a small city car. The model was a flop and would be killed off in 2013.

    Recently, a Cygnet owner called up Q by Aston Martin personalization department to make his/her vehicle somewhat special. The end result is this, the V8 Cygnet. Yes, Aston Martin's engineers swapped the 1.3L four-cylinder for the 4.7L V8 from the last-generation Vantage S. Horsepower has increased from 97 to 430. Aston says the V8 Cygnet can hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and reaches a top speed 170 mph.

    The Cygnet underwent some significant surgery to handle this newfound power. Engineers added a small torque tube to send power to the rear wheels, fabricated a new firewall and transmission tunnel from scratch; borrowed a number of suspension parts from Vantage, and installed wider wheel arches for larger brakes and tires.

    Inside, Q welded in a full roll cage, and installed Recaro bucket seats with four-point harnesses along with a FIA-compliant fire suppression system. The driver faces a removable, Alcantara-covered steering wheel and an instrument cluster from the Vantage. One nice touch is Aston Martin leaving in the air conditioning system.

    “The V8 Cygnet shows the fun side of both Aston Martin and its customers. It is also a fine example of the engineering talent within the company as it’s no small achievement to fit the Vantage’s V8 engine so harmoniously into the Cygnet’s compact body. I am sure that it will amaze and thrill people when they see and hear it on the hill at the Festival of Speed,” said Aston Martin Vice President & Special Operations Officer, David King.

    The V8 Cygnet will be making itself known this weekend as it runs up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK.

    Source: Aston Martin


    ASTON MARTIN V8 CYGNET: THE ULTIMATE CITY CAR

    • A one-off creation for a customer through the ‘Q by Aston Martin – Commission’ service
    • 4.7-litre, naturally aspirated V8 sits under the bonnet and drives the rear wheels
    • Carbon composite flared wheel arch extensions
    • Power-to-weight ratio of 313bhp/tonne

    Thursday 12 July 2018, Goodwood: One of the most exciting, outrageous and diminutive creations ever to wear the famous Aston Martin wings will be making its world debut at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Dubbed the ‘The Ultimate City Car’, a one-off Aston Martin Cygnet has been built with a 4.7-litre, 430bhp V8 engine from the Vantage S and a very short torque tube.
     
    The V8 Cygnet has been brought to life for a single customer through the ‘Q by Aston Martin – Commission’ service. This section of the British marque’s bespoke personalisation service allows the ultimate in freedom of expression when designing an Aston Martin and the V8 Cygnet continues to push these boundaries.
     
    Aston Martin Vice President & Special Operations Officer, David King said: “The V8 Cygnet shows the fun side of both Aston Martin and its customers. It is also a fine example of the engineering talent within the company as it’s no small achievement to fit the Vantage’s V8 engine so harmoniously into the Cygnet’s compact body. I am sure that it will amaze and thrill people when they see and hear it on the hill at the Festival of Speed.”
     
    Developed in-house by Aston Martin’s engineers, the starting point for the project was a right-hand drive Cygnet steel body shell and panels. A roll cage was welded to this, becoming an integral part of the chassis in the process, while a new front bulkhead and transmission tunnel were fabricated from sheet metal to accommodate the characterful 4.7-litre naturally aspirated V8 Vantage S powertrain. Subframes and suspension are also derived from the previous generation Vantage and a steel fuel tank housing has been mounted in the boot area, utilizing every inch of space.
     
    Despite all this work, the car remains very recognisably a Cygnet from the outside. The face of the little Aston Martin remains largely untouched, with no extra bulges in the bonnet and just a subtle black mesh for the famous grille. However, there is no disguising the extra width of the wheel arches. In order to accommodate the significantly wider front and rear tracks, beautiful carbon composite flared extensions were made. These also house the new forged, five-spoke, diamond-turned wheels, which have grown from 16” to 19” in diameter.
     
    At the rear of the car the distinguishing new feature of the V8 Cygnet is the central twin exhaust pipes. The exhaust is a bespoke system with twin underfloor mufflers and catalytic converters. With relatively short distances involved from manifold to tail pipe the V8 Cygnet has a voice that belies its compact size.
     
    The engine itself is the 4.7-litre, naturally-aspirated V8 that is more usually found beneath the bonnet of the previous-generation Vantage S. Bespoke intake trunking had to be designed and there are twin conical air filters. There is no sense in which the engine has been neutered for the Cygnet, however, with power and torque figures remaining at 430bhp and 490NM (361lb ft) respectively.
     
    The gearbox is also taken from the V8 Vantage S with a seven-speed Sportshift II transmission taking care of the shifting. Power is transferred via a miniature torque tube to the 9.5” rear wheels, which are complemented by 275/35 Bridgestone tyres.
     
    Weighing just 1375kg when full of fluids, the V8 Cygnet has a power-to-weight ratio of 313bhp/tonne. As a result, the V8 Cygnet is capable of accelerating faster than the V8 Vantage S with 0-60mph taking just 4.2 seconds. With a top speed of 170mph it is over 60mph faster than the regular Cygnet.
     
    Braking is taken care of by 380mm discs clamped by six-piston monoblock calipers at the front and 330mm discs gripped by four-piston mono block calipers at the rear. The calipers are painted yellow to contrast with the Buckinghamshire green of the bodywork. Most of the remaining parts of the braking system are taken from the V8 Vantage S with ABS and a fixed brake bias valve. Inside, there is a bespoke brake pedal housed in the V8 Vantage-derived pedal box.
     
    The rest of the interior is largely indicative of the fact that this V8 Cygnet could easily be used for competition. In addition to the roll cage there is a fully FIA compliant fire extinguisher system and seating is taken care of by composite, fixed back Recaro bucket seats with four-point harnesses. The alcantara covered steering wheel is removable and behind this sits a bespoke carbon dash with the familiar Vantage instrument cluster. There are, of course, little touches of luxury inside as well, with leather pull straps on the unique carbon door cards and two USB ports alongside the bespoke controls for the air conditioning.
     
    This very special one-off Cygnet is a timely reminder of what a ground-breaking car the original was, bringing luxury to the city car segment. What’s more, the market place shows that prices of Cygnets are rising as it looks set to become a future classic. Of course, classic status is already almost assured for this new V8 version of the Cygnet that epitomises the concept of a ‘pocket rocket’ and is sure to be a firm favourite of the crowds at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend as it joins a plethora of other Aston Martins on the hillclimb.

    V8 Cygnet – Technical Specification
     
    Body: 
    RHD Cygnet steel bodyshell and panels with integrated welded-in cage
    Sheet metal fabricated front bulkhead and transmission tunnel
    Vantage subframes
    Steel fuel tank housing mounted in the boot area
    Carbon composite flared wheel arch extensions
    Mesh front grille
    Dark exterior hardware
    Body painted Buckinghamshire Green
    Yellow brake calipers
     
    Interior:
    Two seat configuration
    Fixed back Recaro composite driver and passenger seats with
    Adjustable seat runners driver’s side, fixed position passenger side
    Four-point harnesses
    Bespoke carbon composite instrument panel incorporating Vantage instrument cluster
    Bespoke HVAC controls
    Twin USB ports
    Bespoke carbon fibre door cards with leather pull straps and Cygnet door release handles
    Full FIA compliant fire extinguisher system
    Removable alcantara steering wheel
     
    Engine:  
    All-Alloy Quad Overhead Camshaft, 4.7-litre V8
    Dry sump lubrication
    Front mid-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive
    Vantage S cooling system
    Twin concial air filters on bespoke intake trunking
    Bespoke exhaust system with twin underfloor mufflers and catalytic convertors
    Twin centre exit tailpipes
    30-litre ATL Savercell fuel tank
     
    Electrical System:
    V8 Vantage S electrical architecture
    Cygnet front and rear lights
    FIA compliant cut off and isolation system
    Rear mounted battery
    Bespoke lightweight HVAC system
     
    Performance
    Maximum Power: 430bhp
    Maximum Torque: 490Nm (361lb ft)
    Maximum Speed: 170 mph (274 km/h)
    Acceleration: 0-60 mph in 4.2secs
     
    Transmission: 
    V8 Vantage S seven-speed Sportshift II gearbox
    Bespoke torque tube with steel propeller shaft
    Limited-slip differential
     
    Suspension:  
    Front Independent double wishbone, coil springs, anti-roll bar and passive dampers
    Rear Independent double wishbone, coil springs, anti-roll bar and passive dampers
     
    Wheels and Tyres
    Lightweight forged five-spoke silver diamond turned wheels
    Bridgestone tyres
    Front 8.5×19” 235/40/19
    Rear 9.5×19” 275/35/19
     
    Brakes:  
    V8 Vantage S braking system with ABS and fixed brake bias valve
    Front 6-piston monoblock calipers, 380mm 2 piece floating ventilated discs
    Rear 4-piston monoblock calipers 330mm 2 piece co-cast ventilated discs
    V8 Vantage derived pedal box with bespoke brake pedal                     
     
    Dimensions
    Length:                                   3708mm
    Width:                                     1920mm (excluding door mirrors)
    Height:                                    1500mm
    Wheelbase:                            2020mm
    Front Track:                            1570mm
    Rear Track:                             1560mm
    Weight:                                   1375kg (kerbweight)
    Weight Distribution:                50%/50% (Front/Rear)

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • google-news-icon.png



  • Community Hive Community Hive

    Community Hive allows you to follow your favorite communities all in one place.

    Follow on Community Hive
  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • Those use cases will necessitate the purchase of something with a long range, like 300+. But even still, two hours at 11.5kW would put 50 - 70 miles of range back in the car. You might need to make one 10-minute DCFC stop if you had a really busy day, but otherwise, you could make it.
    • I can understand this, but then this is part of my daily life. With two kids with their own families and grandkids it is not uncommon for us to be out and about for the day, come home for a bit before heading out to help with the grandkids and their afterschool activities. Plus, with family that is living from both sides north and south of us, it would not be uncommon to drive 75 miles down south to deal with my wife's side of the family, see the nieces/nephews and then up north to my side to see folks and with both our parents in senior years with health issues, also moving back in forth. Course this is why Sun puts on about 15,000 miles a year on the SS. We all have different use cases.
    • That's all I'm worried about. I'm not going to spend a sht ton more money having a 19.2kW charger installed for the 1 day every 3 years I empty the battery, get home for 2 hours, and have to again drive enough that I couldn't make it back home...  
    • I could see settling on three charger rates, but definitely not one. A Bolt or Kia EV4 type vehicle simply does not need 19kW home charging.  It would be an excessive cost to retrofit a house and the number of buyers who actually use that rate would be pretty close to zero.  That would be like insisting that the Corolla has to have a 6.2 liter. It's excessive and doesn't fit the use case. Now, if we settled into 7.5kW, 11.5kW, and 19.4kW as a standard, that would probably achieve what you are proposing while still giving cost flexibility.  It would allow for entry-level EVs to get the lower cost / lower speed charger while allowing the larger vehicles or premium vehicles to have faster home charging.  For example, the EV6 could have a lower cost 7.5kW charger while the Genesis GV60 on the same platform could get the 11.5kW charger because it is a premium brand and higher cost vehicle.  Then any large EV with or near a 200kW battery could have the 19.4kW charger, but even then, unless it is a newly built house or a commercial fleet, it will still probably charge only at 11.5kW, as that's about the max that the vast majority of homes are wired to do.  Unless you're driving an EV with a 200kW battery to 10% every day, an 11.5kW charger can "fill" an EV to 80% overnight with room to spare, so most people (including me), won't want the extra expense of spending extra money just to say my EV charged faster while I slept.  Either way, it will be ready for me when I need to leave at 7 am.
    • @ccap41 @Drew Dowdell Thank you both, this is the kind of dialogue I feel the Auto buyers need to be made aware of and the various use cases in understanding as I feel most DO NOT really understand this and give into the FEAR Mongering of News Stories. While I still feel that everyone should have the same charging rate capabilities, I also understand both your points. I do feel that this will change electrical across the WORLD over time due to the need of charging.
  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings