One77 – inspired by the Aston Martin One77
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The Car
The Aston Martin One77 was my choice to represent the UK in the Seven Nations – Seven Cars exhibit presented at the Quail Gathering in Monterey.
I can’t entirely disagree with the viewpoint that the best years of post-War British were 1949-1965. There are many worthy Astons and Jags from that period — Triumphs MGs, and Healeys too.
Perhaps it was my tour of the Aston and Jaguar Midlands factories in 2008, but I’m also buoyed by the renaissance of the British sporting and luxury offerings since the DB7 / XK8 pair penned by Ian Callum in the mid-1990s. Of all the British cars since, its the One77 that stands out for me……a brutish styling interpretation of the flowing British lines of a front-engined V12 sports car / GT. Unmistakenly an Aston Martin in appearance, and top of that line.
Aston Martin put those of us in the world of British car enthusiasts through a protracted roll-out of the One77. In 2008 it showed a maquette at the Paris show. In 2009 at Geneva, a non-running prototype, with production specifications released. At the 2009 Ville d’Este Concours a functioning car. A Monegasque customer received the first delivery in January 2011
The car was worth the wait. The structure is a carbon fibre monocoque from Canada’s Multimatic, clothed in Gaydon with an aluminum skin, the resulting vehicle weighing ~3600 pounds. Real world top speed 220 mph thanks to its normally aspirated 7.3 liter V12 of 750 hp, (Ferrari Enzo’s V-12 was 6.0L and produced 651-660 hp).
Price of this astonishing Aston by the end of production was $2 million dollars. As sujexted by its model name, 77 examples built from 2009-2012, all pre-sold. Values are similar or higher in the resale market, as has been the trend in hyper-cars.
The Stone
The Guatemala Verde marble used in this sculpture once polished is a very dark green, indeed almost black. The luster is fantastic. No inlays were contemplated, or felt necessary, beyond the Bardiglio marble wheels inside the Belge Noir Marble tires.
I picture it placed in a drawing room, with dark woods and dark leather……or in an office of a captain of industry.