What's the news?
Aston Martin Cambridge in the UK has commissioned its third limited edition from 'Q by Aston Martin' and it's called the Vanquish S Red Arrows edition. Just 10 examples will be created, with nine of those going on sale (the same number of planes as in the Red Arrows formation) and the final car donated to the RAF Benevolent Fund.
Exterior
The special Vanquish S is immediately identifiable by its striking exterior finish. The main paint colour is called Eclat Red (Éclat, meaning brilliance or excellence in French, is the motto of the Red Arrows) and it's complemented by white and blue carbon detailing, a white 'smoke trail' feature on the sides, Union Jack enamel Aston Martin badges, a titanium exhaust and a restyled exposed carbon fibre roof that is said to mimic the canopy of a fast jet.
Interior
Inside, there are just two seats (Aston calls it the '2+0' layout and suggests the rear section can instead be used to store a pair of helmets - in the Red Arrows livery of course). There are loads of other nods to the Red Arrows, such as the green seatbelts and green inserts elsewhere referencing the classic flight suit colour. Meanwhile, the nine-plane diamond formation is embroidered into the headrests and there's more embroidery in the doors, depicting the 'Vixen Break' manoeuvre.
Mechanicals
Aston Martin doesn't make mention of the mechanicals in its release, which we assume means the Vanquish S is unchanged. No complaints there, as it's powered by a naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine, producing 600hp and 630Nm of torque. That's sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, recording a 0-100km/h time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 324km/h.
Anything else?
The press release for the Red Arrows edition alludes to special accessories that may accompany the car, including the racing helmets mentioned earlier, racing suits, bespoke embroidered bomber jackets, a Vanquish S bespoke luggage set and a highly-detailed die-cast 1:18 model of the car and the Hawk aircraft. A specially designed car cover and Build Book will also be issued to each of the nine buyers.