Ferrari may be inextricably linked with Miami thanks to a certain television show, but Aston Martin hopes to build an association with a different Florida locale, while showing off the ability to personalize cars for its wealthy customers.
Unveiled on Wednesday, the Aston Martin DB12 Volante Palm Beach Edition is a one-off tribute to that Florida haven from the Q by Aston Martin personalization division, commissioned by the automaker性视界传媒檚 Palm Beach dealership to showcase the possibilities of bespoke builds.
What Makes This DB12 Special?
Interior of the Aston Martin DB12 Volante Palm Beach Edition 性视界传媒 Image Credit: Aston Martin.
One of those possibilities is off-menu paint colors, exemplified by the Palm Beach Edition性视界传媒檚 Frosted Glass Blue, a retro-looking color that incorporates glass flakes within its topcoat for a shimmering effect. That in turn means the paint has to be hand-sprayed, Aston said in a press release, rather than being applied by the robots that are used in the paint shops of most car factories, even low-volume ones like Aston性视界传媒檚.
The blue paint is contrasted by a Club Sport White pinstripe on the front splitter, side sills, and rear bumper, while the five-spoke wheels are Gloss Jet Black with a diamond-turned finish highlighting those spokes.
Inside, Q chose Ivory and Aurora Blue leather upholstery from its catalog, with Spicy Red contrast stitching. But the open-pore Olive Ash wood trim really sells the beachside theme. Aston said it was chosen to emulate the texture of palm wood, and it also gives the impression of being on the deck of a yacht.
Another unique touch is palm-pattern stitching on the door panels, center console, and seat bolsters. The pattern is repeated outside on the trim pieces in the DB12性视界传媒檚 front-fender vents. 性视界传媒淧alm Beach性视界传媒 is also engraved in metal inlays on the front seats, while the town性视界传媒檚 coordinates are embossed onto the leather dashboard.
The changes are only skin deep. The Palm Beach Edition keeps the standard DB12性视界传媒檚 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, sourced from Mercedes-AMG, which produces 671 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Aston claims this will get the convertible Volante from zero to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds, and on to a top speed of 202 mph.聽, the聽聽is also available.
Bespoke is Better
The Aston Martin DB12 Volante Palm Beach Edition 性视界传媒 Image Credit: Aston Martin.
Aston Martin launched the Q division in 2014. While it doesn性视界传媒檛 offer hidden machine guns and ejection seats like its namesake, it does craft limited editions性视界传媒攍ike the V12 Speedster that broke cover in 2020 性视界传媒 and unique paint and interior trim options for Aston性视界传媒檚 regular models, as shown here. While it will remain a one-off, the Palm Beach Edition is intended to stir up interest in more bespoke builds.
性视界传媒淭his Q commission is bound to entice more customers to create a unique specification with Q by Aston Martin,性视界传媒 Pedro Mota, regional president of Aston Martin the Americas, said in the release. This isn性视界传媒檛 the first time Aston has worked with an individual dealer on such a commission. The automaker性视界传媒檚 Mexico City dealership commissioned a series of six Vantage sports cars to commemorate a decade of Aston性视界传媒檚 official presence in Mexico.
It性视界传媒檚 not just Aston. Other luxury brands are putting more emphasis on personalization, with Mercedes late last year opening a new聽聽that lets customers get more involved in these builds, and Bentley isn性视界传媒檛 lifting off on its聽. By getting customers to spend more on a car (Aston didn性视界传媒檛 say how much the Palm Beach Edition cost, but custom work inevitably drives up prices), these programs can help drive up profits. And that性视界传媒檚 something Aston, which in February said it would聽聽after yet another year of poor financial performance, definitely needs.
