2012 ASTON MARTIN CYGNET

Aston Martin, as a brand, is as synonymous with British culture as the Royal family, a Black Cab or Big Ben. It’s a brand whose product has, over the years, underperformed the value of its own identity. It’s experienced more than its fair share of tribulation.

Not least in the late 2010s, when they were staring down the barrel of some rather expensive EU-led emission-based taxes. The downside of your range being exclusively powered by eight and twelve-cylinder engines is that they are rather fuel-inefficient. To combat this, a smaller, cost-effective and fuel-efficient addition to the range would need to be introduced to effectively balance the environmental and economic books.

Of course, the cost of ground-up development of such a car would likely dig an even bigger hole. So a partnership that utilised Toyota’s IQ as its base was devised. Aston would then spend circa 150 hours refinishing and retrimming these cars into true ultra-luxury city runarounds.

Externally, the Cynget's roots are clear. However, the Aston touches are obvious too. With distinct lighting, bumpers, trims and bonnet vents taken straight from the V12 Vantage drawing board. This particular car sits on a set of 16” and 16-spoke alloys that feature diamond-cut faces.

The interior is something. Hard plastics from the base car are trimmed in leather and Alcantara, as are the seats, which are bright red and black. The instrument cluster features Aston branding, but the rest of the functionality remains Toyota-derived.

Mechanically, the Cygnet is identical to an IQ. It utilises a 1.3-litre engine that produces 97bhp. The engine is mated to a CVT (Auto) gearbox. As you’d expect of a Toyota powerplant, it’s bulletproof. This one has only done 416 miles, yes, it’s not a typo.

This Cygnet has had just 1 owner from new, and throughout its life, it has been maintained yearly, despite its near-delivery mileage odometer. The full service records show 8 services.

06/2024 – Service & MOT at 403 miles – Shelby Vehicle Services

06/2023 – Service & MOT at 397 miles – Shelby Vehicle Services

06/2021 – Service & MOT at 361 miles – Shelby Vehicle Services

06/2019 – Service & MOT at 351 miles – Shelby Vehicle Services

06/2017 – Service & MOT at 339 miles – Shelby Vehicle Services

07/2016 – Service & MOT at 325 miles – Shelby Vehicle Services

06/2015 – Service & MOT at 276 miles – Shelby Vehicle Services

07/2013 – Service at 213 miles – AM Stratstone

The original intention of the Cygnet was to sell in great numbers, to both existing Aston clientele and those seeking a lower entry point to the brand. That, however, didn’t work out as planned, and production would cease in 2013.

Less than 800 cars were built in total, and only around 150 were delivered to the UK. That makes this far rarer than even a DB5! Today, the Cygnet sit in its little niche, for those wanting ultra-luxury city driving, without committing to the inconvenience of a modern EV. This example, with so few miles, is a likely as close as you’ll get to a brand-new example.

As with all our vehicles, an entire digital folder is available upon request and contains more images, walk-around videos, and scans of the service history. The car can also be viewed by appointment at our West London showroom.