No doubt the image of a dapper 007 winding his way through the Alps will be at the forefront of your mind already, but despite the looks, this is not a phoney Aston Martin DB5 bursting with Botox; it’s the fresh faced Speedback GT from David Brown Automotive.
The new British-made venture is funded and managed by British Businessman David Brown who, coincidently, bears no relation to Sir David Brown, the former owner of Aston Martin and creator of the iconic DB models. Although the Speedback GT draws heavily from the Aston Martin DB5 and DB6 of the 1960s, designer Alan Mobberley, the man behind the three generations of Land Rover Discovery, says there are shades of Ferrari and Maserati in the design.
Underneath the retro aluminium coachwork, lies a Jaguar XKR with engine and drivetrain intact, meaning that the GT will develop 503bhp from Jaguar’s 5-litre supercharged V8. Sporting nifty little features like a picnic bench that retracts from the boot and bespoke parts created from 3D printing, the GT showcases the best of British tradition and technical ability.
The company not only aims to build quality and bespoke British sports cars, but also hopes to pay tribute to the days of yesteryear when coachwork was nothing short of an art form. Although the company keenly point out that, “David Brown Automotive is defining coachbuilding for the 21st century,” in its current guise, is the Speedback GT really the future of the motoring industry or just a case of reshaping the past?
The Speedback GT will be officially launched at the Top Marques motor show in Monaco on April 17 2014. With each model requiring over 120 hours of labour, production will be limited to around 50 units each year, so don’t expect to pay anything less than a six figure sum. You’d better start saving, 007…
By Rory F H Smith
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