motor

Aston Martin enters two new Cygnets into the fifth annual Bridgestone Eco-Rally this weekend. In the marque�s debut appearance at the event, the Cygnets will cement their place as the ultimate city cars, a tailor-fit solution for urban driving.

The Bridgestone Eco-Rally will allow spectators and enthusiasts a chance to see the Cygnets as they pass from the heart of Oxford to central London. The rally showcases the world�s best eco-friendly vehicles in association with �Start�, an initiative inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales to celebrate eco-friendly living.

Hand-crafted for the city with the highest quality materials and attention to detail, Cygnet is bespoke, exclusive, and offers a degree of choice not previously available in a small package, coupled with carbon emissions of just 116 g/km and fuel economy of 56.5 mpg.



One of the Cygnets entering the event will be dressed in Seychelles Blue, the paint colour of the Aston Martin DB6 Mark II Volante recently driven by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their wedding day. Aside from the two formal entries, a third Cygnet will also be supporting the event in eye-catching �Flouro Orange�, the hallmark of London-based designer Tom Dixon.

Driven by Aston Martin Racing regular, Darren Turner and David King, Aston Martin�s Director of Special Projects and Motorsport, the two Cygnets will be on the extended route from Exeter College, Oxford to The Mall, London.

Darren Turner is looking forward to the prospect of driving the Cygnet at the weekend: �I have been a fan of Cygnet from the start. It�s a great city car, easy to manoeuvreand park and a lot of fun to drive.�


David King said: �To drive Cygnet in a busy city is to experience a car ideally suited to its environment. Cygnet is tiny, with impressively low emissions but with all the style and craftsmanship of the finest luxury cars.�

�I�m looking forward to demonstrating Cygnet on the Bridgestone Eco-Rally, maybe it�s my one and only chance to beat Darren Turner!�

The rally begins on Broad Street, Oxford at 10:00 and concludes at 14:30 on the 31st July.



| Aston Martin

At the prestigious Royal Automobile Club last night, international motorsport legend, Sir Stirling Moss took delivery of his newly purchased Aston Martin Cygnet; a surprise birthday present for wife, Lady Moss.

One of the closest teams in motorsport for many years, Sir Stirling and Lady Moss planned a private celebratory dinner on the eve of her birthday at the Royal Automobile Club in its clubhouse the century old, �palace on Pall Mall� in London. On arrival they were met with the sight of the new Aston Martin Cygnet on display in the magnificent central rotunda � the culmination of six months planning and �secret� correspondence between Sir Stirling and Aston Martin to plan a surprise birthday present for Lady Moss.



Sir Stirling Moss said: �My greatest partner in everything that I do, Susie is an amazing person and frankly the best wife a man could have. Since seeing a pre-production Cygnet in January I knew that it was the perfect car for Susie; a proper little piece of British luxury and perfect for our life in town.�

Hand-crafted at Aston Martin�s headquarters in Gaydon, taking 150 hours to complete, the Aston Martin Cygnet shares much in terms of design and craftsmanship with the company�s sports cars. Elegant and distinctive, individual and practical, the Aston Martin Cygnet is the ultimate Tailor-Fit solution for city living. Launched in May 2011 with first customer orders arriving at European dealers now, Cygnet is hand-crafted for the city and like every Aston Martin it can be uniquely personalised to suit individual taste and style, bringing a new level of luxury and bespoke capability to city cars.


Specifications for Lady Moss�s car include Sir Stirling�s choice of Aston Martin Racing Green, harking back to the company�s sports cars that Sir Stirling raced in the 1950s, as the paint colour. This iconic exterior has been complemented by a simple and elegant interior hand crafted in Obsidian Black leather with a contrasting coarse silver stitch, forming a typically understated combination.

Adding to the occasion and its ongoing theme of long standing relationships with the marque, the Cygnet has been supplied through HWM Aston Martin, based in Walton-on- Thames, who were appointed as an official Aston Martin dealer in 1951. The longest serving of the company�s global network of 134 dealers, HWM Aston Martin was started 60 years ago by fellow Aston Martin Works Driver George Abecassis who actually gave Sir Stirling his first Grand Prix drives in 1951/52 in HWM-built cars.

Sir Stirling�s own driving career with Aston Martin saw him drive a number of the company�s racing cars including the famous DB3S and DBR1 models with great success. This culminated in being part of the factory team that in 1959 secured the company the World Sportscar Championship following victories in the DBR1 at such prestigious races as the Le Mans 24-hour.




| Aston Martin