Aston Martin's (Sort Of) Answer to the Flying Car

The year is 2020 — a fitting year for Aston Martin Lagonda to launch a flying car. The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition, the first offering from the recently-announced partnership between Aston Martin Lagonda and Airbus Corporate Helicopters, is not exactly a flying car — of course, it's a helicopter. But it's as close as we'll get to fulfilling our 20th century sci-fi dreams for now. For fellow Aston Martin devotees who want a $3 million helicopter to match their $150,000 car, it's a match made in supercar heaven. It comes equipped with a range of four interior and exterior designs generated by the storied British luxury automaker, "which will delight helicopter owners and pilots who appreciate the pleasures of possessing and driving high-performance bespoke luxury cars," according to the brand's press release. Available in four external liveries with complementary interiors, the helicopters are embellished with Aston Martin signature elements, starting with the iconic Aston Martin wings, which are embossed onto luxury leather features, tastefully positioned throughout the cabin. The Stirling Green-themed external design, which is already flying on the first aircraft, features a painted gradient, which fades down into Jet Black on the underside of the helicopter with Skyfall Silver around the cowlings. Further external liveries are available with other Aston Martin paint colors including Xenon Grey, Arizona or Ultramarine Black exteriors. Inside, the automotive-inspired cabin, which offers a higher level of comfort, is trimmed in Pure Black ultra-suede with a palette of selectable leathers comprising Oxford Tan, Pure Black, Cormorant and Ivory. On the rear of the front seats the same brogue detailing that is found in a DB11 runs down the center of the seat and the doors have been trimmed with leather to provide passengers with comfortable touch points during their flight. By using materials from the Aston Martin automotive palette, the interior of this special edition of the ACH130 sits in harmony with the interior of Aston Martin sports cars. Each of these special edition helicopters will have a plaque included on the instrument panel which shows the partnership logos, the edition number and the owner’s name, should they wish to have it included. Is the ACH130 a teaser of Aston Martin's future in flying cars? Marek Reichman, Aston Martin Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, leaves the question open-ended: “We have our own set of automotive design principles but in recent years we have been learning how to apply our principles to other areas of design, such as architecture, motorcycles and now helicopters." The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is available on request with deliveries taking place from Q1 2020. More information can be found at www.airbuscorporatehelicopters.com.

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