Aston Martin offers in-house customizers
Aston Martin and that international man of mystery, James Bond, are alike in that when they need something custom, they call in Q. Whereas 007 only gets help from one person, the automaker has a whole team devoted to creating and crafting bespoke versions of its British luxury vehicles.
Called “Q by Aston Martin,” the brand's in-house customizer can take care of any kind of request for customers who want the ultimate personalized ride.
Just in time for the 2020 Geneva International Motor Show, the design division has worked its personalizing magic on Aston Martin's first SUV, the DBX. When the world, and anything considered stock, isn't enough, Aston Martin offers three different levels of tailoring: Commission, Collection and Accessories.
The Commission setup includes 22-inch gloss black painted wheels. Inside the cabin, there's Obsidian Black leather, highlighted with bespoke diamond patterned satin chrome aluminum trim. There's also carbon fiber trim cladding the center console and door inserts, while a single piece can be found stretching across the car's storage floor. It boasts a herringbone-pattern and raised ribbing to prevent luggage and other cargo from scratching the expensive surface.
As if you have any doubt the pieces are high quality, the one in the center is machined from a solid block consisting of 280 layers of carbon fiber. It's all a view to thrill, being entirely laid by hand. To get the right effect, there's a 12-hour curing process followed by 90 hours of detailed milling.
Meanwhile, the Collection package adds exterior adornments like Satin Xenon Gray paint, lower carbon fiber trim, black anodized tread and sill plates.
The DBX will be going on sale later this spring and will come equipped with a 542-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V-8. Pricing for the vehicle starts at $192,986 without any of Q's special appointments. They'll surely come from Britain with love - and no doubt with an expensive price tag.
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Mercedes, Cigarette Racing partnership
Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing have collaborated on special water and road-going projects since 2007. The most recent results of this partnership is a special boat and matching SUV that released together at the Miami International Boat Show.
First up is a 59-foot Tirranna AMG Edition boat that features a hardtop made out of carbon fiber. That's also used throughout the craft's superstructure. Other cool tech is a unique gyrostabilizer, which decreases the boat's roll by 80% - quite useful while stationary in choppy water.
Power comes from six supercharged 4.6-liter V-8 Mercury Racing 450R outboard engines. Each makes 450 propshaft horsepower, for a total of 2,700 horsepower. That's good enough for a full steam ahead at a top speed of 80 mph.
It's not all go with this yacht as the luxury sport boat can carry 26 people when it slows down for entertaining. Below deck features include a California king bed, leather upholstery and skylight windows. There's also a summer kitchen at the aft and a digital switching system that uses an iPad to control different onboard electronics.
Its wheeled companion is a black metallic Cigarette Edition Mercedes-AMG G 63, which sports a matching gold diamond pattern on the exterior. It receives new 22-inch cross-spoke forged wheels, highlighted with gold accents on the center caps and at the rim flange. There's also dark chrome, matte black and glossy black exterior accents.
Inside, the sumptuous cabin matches that of the boat's, sporting macchiato beige and dark blue two-toned exclusive Nappa leather upholstery. Special floor mats and lettered grab handles round out the bespoke appointments.
While no match for the boat's forward thrust, the one-off G packs plenty of power for pavement or pawing over rough terrain. Under the blocky hood is a 4.0-liter, twin turbocharged V-8 that pumps out 577 horsepower.
There's no pricing for the striking pair but whether rolling on land or splashing through sea, they'll be sure to turn heads.
Share your car's story with Matt at auto@dailyherald.com.