Aston Martin has launched a luxury chopper for Bond villains
If you’ve a few million to spare, the man at Aston Martin wants to talk to you
“When they make the film about your life – the one where you win the billion-dollar lottery after finding the winning ticket in the gutter – how will you arrive in the opening credits?”, asks James Gilboy in The Drive.
If you’re thinking of a limited-edition Porsche, you’re not thinking big enough. Those who find themselves in such a situation can now be catered for by French aircraft maker Airbus and luxury British car brand Aston Martin, who have teamed up for 12 months “to build branded VIP helicopters for ballers and Bond villains”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That means the standard Airbus ACH130 helicopter is getting a luxury Aston makeover, including an exterior Aston-branded paint job and a luxury leather interior with suede trim. “If you spend so much time in luxury helicopters that they all become a blur, embossed Aston Martin wings on this chopper’s headrests and a plaque on the instrument panel serve to remind you that you’re in the nicer-er version.”
The Airbus engine delivers 952shp (or “specific horsepower”, a measure that offsets power with how much the engine weighs) and can cruise at 134 knots, which is 154mph “if you don’t speak aircraft”, says Ollie Kew for Top Gear magazine. But the “tech spec” is irrelevant. For this chopper, it’s all about style. “A British Racing Green helicopter with a tan leather interior? There must be few more tasteful ways to arrive at your plastic surgeon’s dog walker’s accountant’s summer retreat.”
What can you expect to pay for such exclusivity? Prices are strictly on application, but a standard Airbus ACH130 helicopter will set you back around £2.4m, says Luke Wilkinson for Auto Express.
Aston Martin’s chief creative officer, Marek Reichman, doesn’t think the final price tag, whatever it is, will deter the helicopter’s target market. In other words, if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it. Deliveries are to start in the first quarter of this year.
This article was originally published in MoneyWeek
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Magnificent Tudor castles and stately homes to visit this year
The Week Recommends The return of 'Wolf Hall' has sparked an uptick in visits to Britain's Tudor palaces
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
I'm a Celebrity 2024: 'utterly bereft of new ideas'?
Talking Point Coleen Rooney is the star attraction but latest iteration of reality show is a case of 'rinse and repeat'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
The clown car cabinet
Opinion Even 'Little Marco' towers above his fellow nominees
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listings
Speed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
By Mike Starling Published
-
House of the Dragon: what to expect from the Game of Thrones prequel
Speed Read Ten-part series, set 200 years before GoT, will show the incestuous decline of Targaryen
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
One in 20 young Americans identify as trans or non-binary
Speed Read New research suggests that 44% of US adults know someone who is transgender
By The Week Staff Published
-
Aston Martin DBX707 review: the fastest production SUV on sale
feature A ‘true leviathan’, the 707 is a very different type of DBX
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Turner Prize 2022: a ‘vintage’ shortlist?
Speed Read All four artists look towards ‘growth, revival and reinvention’ in their work
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
What’s on TV this Christmas? The best holiday television
Speed Read From films and documentaries to musicals for all the family
By The Week Staff Published
-
Coco vision: up close to Chanel opticals
Speed Read Parisian luxury house adds opticals to digital offering
By The Week Staff Published
-
Abba returns: how the Swedish supergroup and their ‘Abba-tars’ are taking a chance on a reunion
Speed Read From next May, digital avatars of the foursome will be performing concerts in east London
By The Week Staff Published