Aston Martin will have headed to Frankfurt in buoyant mood on the back of its
centenary celebrations
and the recent announcement of its
official collaboration with AMG
. Whilst it's too early yet to expect anything from that relationship, the lack of anything significantly new on its Frankfurt stand implies some fresh ideas (and investment) are needed.
Q obviously had some Gulf orange paint left...
V12 Vantage S
Vanquish Volante
making their debuts on the stand will undoubtedly be superb cars; a genuine 200mph Vantage and a drop-top Vanquish would have to be, right? But then you also remember the Vantage has been around since 2005 now and that 5.9-litre V12 for well over a decade. The great range of Aston sports cars need modernising.
In fact, the newest product at Aston's stand is the 'Q by Aston Martin' bespoke personalisation service. It's essentially an options list beyond the options list that allows huge scope for personalising your Aston Martin. To illustrate this fact, a Vanquish Volante has been sent to Q Branch prior to Frankfurt and had returned looking, err, unique. The Red Ember paint is beautiful, so why tarnish it with Gulf Orange splitters?
Whilst the Q service will be popular given the ever-increasing desire for customisation, the sense is Aston could do with something truly new to advance its desirable product range properly.