RE: David Brown Speedback GT: Review

[ducini]

£594,000 ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I applaud David Brown for putting his money on the table and creating a vision for what his ideal car is, but asking that kind of money for what is essentially a XK with a not particularly pretty body kit on it is asking a lot. There are so many other custom builds that I can think of that in that price range. I think you'd feel pretty silly if you're at the lights in your Speedback GT and a Singer 911 or Eagle E-type Low Drag Coupe pulled up next to you for essentially the same money.

[Zod]

The interior is utterly horrible.

[Zod]

PaulD86 said:

+1 Saw it at FoS too. Beautiful, but I'd rather just buy an Aston and accept it will only work sometimes.

I mus tbe very lucky, given mine have pretty well always worked.

[SydneyBridge]

It was getting a lot of attention at Goodwood and looked gorgeous. The chap did not really have a stand, just a table and the car parked on the grass, but people were all over it.
Wonder if he sold any

[toppstuff]

Good luck to them.

Change the steering wheel please. Or at least the centre airbag cover - clad it in leather or something. It doesn't look right at all.

[crostonian]

Is it really 'utterly horrible' or a 'horrendous mess'? OK it's divisive and stretches value for money to the extreme but I would hardly describe it as such, there really are some pricks on here.

[Z28DUNC]

I'd like to see it without the wire wheels. Somehow they just don't work and look out of place (too big, too little tyre), alloys of some type would look better.

[yeti]

Knocked my socks off at the FofS, I was genuinely surprised at how it looked. Those comparing it to what else you could buy don't seem to understand; buyers at this level don't make their decisions based on that. They buy it if they want one.

At LM24 one year, I was nosing around a chap's DB4 GT which he'd driven down and by all accounts absolutely thrashed al the way there. he confessed it wasn't a real one, it was a recreation based on a regular DB4 - he has a GT at home but it's too fragile to be treated like that. When money is no object... why not have something you really can treat as you will.

If I could own this or a DB5, I'd own the DB5 and potter round car shows and the English countryside.

If I had to drive to Monaco tomorrow on the Route Napoleon, I'd go in this.

Realistically, if I could afford either, I could afford both.

[Bigchiefmuffin]

I think the thing with this car is it is a marmite concept - it is designed so that 99.99% of the people won't want it, and .01% will, and, of those, maybe 1 in 100 will buy it. They are only looking to sell miniscule quantities and I suspect, if the current amount of money going into top end cars continues ( and this is a big if ), then they will succeed.

[smilo996]

All credit to them for pulling off the UKIP car. If you like that sort of thing then this must be the car. Like a very luxury Bristol.

However for that much, there are 10's of other cars and bikes I would buy (as if) and have more pleasure owning.

When sorted I suppose there will be the market they weant for it. Glad for their success.

[pthelazyjourno]

crostonian said:

Is it really 'utterly horrible' or a 'horrendous mess'? OK it's divisive and stretches value for money to the extreme but I would hardly describe it as such, there really are some pricks on here.

There are some pricks on here because they don't agree with your sense of beauty? Strange chap.

It's ugly. Looks like the lights are off a MINI, it's a mish-mash.

If that makes me a prick, so be it.

[MyCC]

365daytonafan said:

Core market - I don't see any market for this at all?

Won't appeal to classic car buyers as what they want is a classic not a modern car that looks a bit like one.

Modern buyers will be put off by the lack of branding, not to mention it is less attractive than the car it is based on.

Expect to see this very car in a Coys or Bonhams auction catalogue in five years time with a description of 1 of 3 made and an estimate of £120k.

I assume they can and will be exported? If so, wealthy Russians, Chinese and those in the UAE will love this. Those individuals really buy into 'Britishness' and all the better if they can have something that is modern yet extremely bespoke.

Trust me that is where the market is for this car.

Regards,

MyCC.

[Coldfuse]

...for 600k you should get a bespoke interior. Other than that, i like it.

I find it funny that a new company as taken a Jaguar and made an aston out of it... its practically what they have been doing all these years on their own.

[Slurms]

600k - I'm sorry no

So many others that just do everything better, making it look like a DB5 is one thing but you can't get away from the underpinnings being an XK.

For the money no object crowd - they might buy into it looking like a bond car but if money is no object wouldn't you just buy a DB5 and restore that?

[krisdelta]

It's impressive in the metal - but still a little awkward from some angles. The steering wheel is particularly nice to hold. It makes a reasonable case for itself vs. a restored DB6, but besides that - it's a tough price point. The worlds better for quirky, small volume vehicles like this.

[unpc]

There's a few things wrong with this aesthetically speaking to my eye but not a bad first attempt. Some deep dish Borrani type wire wheels would look much better and the wood inside kills it for me, especially the wheel.

I wish them well with this but I really don't know who would buy this. I know a couple of people who could easily afford this but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't. I'm guessing they won't need to sell many to break even though.

[soad]

I think it should appear in the next Bond film - From Bad Taste With Love.

[666 SVT]

The price is not relevant at all. The people who it's aimed at only have to want one and that's it it's a done deal. Saying oh I'd buy this or that and have change for a house again not relevant. The people who will buy it already have or can have if they want all the other cars you mention. Good luck to him I say.

[Edmundo2]

Dreadful - Imagine what you could buy for £600k. To think that a pastiche 60s aston based on a modern Jag was a good idea is bad enough but not unimaginable if it was to be sold to the kitcar fraternity. But to think of chucking such time and effort at this to then pitch it at this level is ridiculous.

That said theres probably enough millionaire numpty Michael Winner types out there to order them!

[PaulD86]

Zod said:

I mus tbe very lucky, given mine have pretty well always worked.

Classic Astons? I'm not having a go at the brand by the way. I love them and am planning a Vantage for a couple of cars time. New ones seem much better....though my uncles DB9 wouldn't start when I went to see him a few weeks back, choosing instead to display a key error and brake failure error message. My uncle didn't look overly surprised. Stood an looked at it instead. Beautiful object.