Incredible Aston Martin dubbed ‘world’s poshest estate car’ goes on sale for eye-watering price
AN INCREDIBLE Aston Martin dubbed the “world’s poshest estate car” is heading up for auction later this month for an eye-watering price.
The Aston Martin Rapide Jet 2+2 created by Bertone was commissioned by entrepreneur and motor enthusiast Barry Weir back in 2012.
With a boot big enough for “luxury shopping trips”, the fancy motor is expected to draw bids up to £1 million at a local auction.
The design came to Barry while he found himself talking, by chance, to designers from Bertone at Venice Marco Polo Airport.
Quickly sketching it down on a napkin, the car eventually became a reality.
Now, the motor is set to go on auction with Dore & Rees auctioneers on Saturday, March 29, at Five Zeroes Supercar Barn in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire.
Barry said: “I wanted them to build a ‘shooting brake’, a useful Aston based on a Rapide.
“It’s a family-friendly sports car that can sit people comfortably in the back with a large boot or create a two-seater with enormous boot space, ideal for luxury shopping trips.”
Aston Martin, who approved the design, had even planned to put it into production before Bertone collapsed in 2014, reports Somerset Live.
The estate motor was completed just in time for the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, becoming the last car ever built by the Italian company.
It stole the show in Switzerland but was sold some time later by Barry – and now the most recent owner has decided to rehome it.
Barry had convinced Bertone to build the car at a cost believed to be £1 million, after bouncing the idea off Aston Martin.
The iconic British carmaker was aware of Barry at the time, following his famed round the world trip in 2000.
He became the first person to drive a historic car around the world in the time frame when he took a classic 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 across the continents in under three months.
Around 70 per cent of the donor Rapide, including its 470bhp, 5.9L V12 engine which helps it reach a top speed of 200mph, was retained.
Work on the motor began in 2012, with the design and build taking 16 weeks to complete.
Bertone craftsmen had to create the new panels for the motor by hand, using a mixture of aluminium, sheet metal, and carbon fibre.
Perfect for adding some extra light and views to the elegant motor, the car comes with a dimmable panoramic glass roof.
The Jet 2+2 also retains the Rapide’s standard wheelbase and weight, providing incredible performance in a practical package.
It comes painted in “Meteorite Silver”, with an interior adorned with wood, leather, and aluminium finishings.
Aston Martin Rapide Jet 2+2 specs
Engine: 5.9L V12
Power: 470bhp
0-62mph: 5.3 seconds
Top speed: 200mph
Torque: 443lb-ft
Transmission: 6-speed ZF 6HP 26 automatic
Weight: 1950kg
Layout: Front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Seats: 4
All of these touches were chosen by Barry.
Nick Wells of Dore & Rees said the motor pays a “well-earned homage” to the automakers DB4GT Jet of 1961.
He added: “The Jet 2+2 offers the next owner a ticket into the most prestigious concours events in the world.”
On top of this, Nick said it is perfectly usable as a regular day-to-day car, calling it a “very modern classic, beautiful and unique”.
He reckons the motor could sell for anywhere between £500,000 and £1 million.
This comes as an ultra-rare Aston Martin also went up for auction for a jaw-dropping £600,000.
The highly coveted 1965 DB Short-Chassis Volante is one of just 37 examples ever made.
Currently sitting in Italy, the British classic is the rarest series production convertible Aston Martin ever made.
The model is also the first to have the Volante badge, which means “flying” in Italian, and is on the boot.
RM Sotheby’s will be running an auction for the highly-sought after vehicle.
Britain’s most iconic car brand axes 5% of workforce after plunging into £1.16bn debt – sparking fears over its future
ASTON Martin has cut 170 jobs after losses widened by a fifth last year and it sold fewer cars than in 2023.
The luxury car manufacturer said it is planning to axe 5 per cent of its workforce as part of a cost-cutting plan as it seeks to return to profit amid a slew of new product launches.
The British manufacturing giant – famous for making fictional spy James Bond‘s cars – is understood to be making most of the cuts in the UK.
All of the company’s departments will be hit including manufacturing, office jobs and management.
Aston Martin has its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, and another factory in St Athan, South Wales.
It said on Wednesday that the aim is to make sure the company is “appropriately resourced for its future plans” calling the cuts a “difficult but necessary action”.
The company is targeting yearly savings of £25million and expects to hit about half of that total this year.
Meanwhile Aston Martin also said it will delay the rollout of its first fully electric vehicle until near the end of the decade.
It was originally set to be launched in 2026 and the delay is part of what the company is calling a “phased approach” to electrification.