The Aston Martin Cygnet isn’t very fondly remembered. Based on the Toyota IQ, the compact city car was a commercial disaster and has been long forgotten since it went out of production in 2012. But Aston Martin’s Q branch may have just redeemed the Cygnet. After giving the DB11 the Q branch treatment, the customization division has revealed a new one-off Cygnet built for a customer at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This isn’t just an ordinary Cygnet with a fancy paint job either.
The Cygnet’s puny 1.3 liter four-cylinder engine has been replaced with a 4.7-liter V8 from the old Vantage S. As a result, power has increased from 97 hp in the standard car to a very respectable 430 hp. Weighing just 3,031 lbs, the V8 Cygnet has an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 313 hp/tonne. With this setup, the V8 Cygnet can accelerate even faster than the V8 Vantage S, as 0-62 mph takes just 4.2 seconds. Top speed now sits at 170 mph, making the V8 Cygnet 60 mph faster than the standard car. While the original car had a front-wheel-drive layout, the one-off Cygnet has been modified to accommodate a RWD setup.
Extensive modifications had to be made to accommodate the new powertrain, such as fitting a new bulkhead and transmission tunnel. Power is sent through the Vantage’s seven-speed transmission, but the driveshaft had to be shortened. Other modifications include a full roll cage, Ricaro bucket seats and a carbon-fiber dashboard to keep the weight down. New bespoke twin exhaust pipes have also been fitted to the back. During the V8 transplant, the one-off Cygnet was upgraded with independent double wishbone front and rear suspension.
Beefier brakes with six-piston monoblock calipers are housed in 19-inch alloy wheels, which required some massive wheel arch extensions that make the Cygnet look a lot more aggressive. You’ll get to see the one-off Aston Martin V8 Cygnet in action at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it will be taking on the famous hill climb.
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