ASTON MARTIN JET 2 Shootingbrake

“Every car enthusiast’s dream and one man’s reality: to design and build one’s own supercar” It was Barry Weir’s dream to design and build an Aston Martin supercar to his own specification and ideas.

Many share that dream, but what makes Barry different, and able to fulfill it, overcoming time, finances and know-how potential obstacles?

Barry is an adventurer, artist, and driver of historic motorcars; he needs little sleep and never gives up. My first encounter with this dynamic individual occurred at a time when he wanted to achieve more headroom in his new Aston Martin DB7.

After a number of back-to-back meetings, we proceeded substantially to redesign the interior of one of the most successful Aston Martins of its time. As a result, plenty of legroom was achieved, as well as good head clearance to stop Barry’s hair brushing on the roof panel (as shaving his head was not an option).

The modifications carried out ensured that even a tall man would feel comfortable at the wheel of his car. Some background to what happened next may be useful: in 2009, Bertone built a concept, known as the “Jet 2 shooting brake”, based on the Aston Martin DB9 platform.

Barry enquired if the car may be for sale, but was told that it was Lilli Bertone’s personal car. In October 2012 Barry received a call from Bertone: “would you like to build another Bertone Jet 2?” he was asked.

It took Aston Martin 30 minutes to agree to support the build, as long as they could see the design. When the Bertone design team flew to Gaydon to show the design, the first words were “Wow, where does this come from?” The donor car was purchased and arrived at Bertone in Turin in December 2012.

By January 2013, the full-size clay model was in place and decisions were made for interior fittings: wood, leather, and fixtures. Bertone announced that the car would be unveiled at the March 2013 Geneva Motor Show;

The car is supported with original design buck and ALL the original tooling to build more cars!