Cygnet — 2009
The Cygnet is without doubt the most surprising and most controversial car in Aston Martin’s history. Developed from the Toyota iQ — a small Japanese city car — it received an entirely restyled body in the marque’s colours, a luxurious hand-stitched cabin with materials worthy of the great Gaydon coupés, and of course the famous winged badge. Initially conceived to allow the marque to meet European CO2 emissions standards by offsetting its V12 coupés, it quickly became an object of curiosity and controversy in the motoring community.
Produced in around 150 examples over a few years — a figure well below forecasts — the Cygnet was a relative commercial failure but has today become a genuine collector’s item. Its rarity, its unique character and its status as a curiosity in the Aston Martin range give it a rising value on the used market. On Aston Passion, the Cygnet still divides members between those who see it as a betrayal of the marque’s identity and those who appreciate its conceptual boldness and artisanal refinement.