Aston Martin CC100 Speedster (2013) first official pictures

This insane creation is Aston Martin's 100th birthday present to itself. Christened the CC100 Speedster, the one-off concept hints at future design details for production Astons.

The CC100 is inspired by the 1959 DBR1 racer driven by Sir Stirling Moss at the Nurburgring 1000km. The split cockpit, cutaway doors and twin rear buttresses pay homage to classic Aston racing cars, though the underpinnings are (mercifully) more 21st century. The car's chief exterior designer, Miles Nurnberger, said: "The brief was very simple, yet enormously testing: create something that reflects the 100 years of Aston Martin heritage and signals the future of the brand."

It's another showcase for Aston's super-flexible 'Vertical-Horizontal' VH platform philosophy, which underpins the entire Aston range, from the entry-level V8 Vantage right up to the four-door Rapide S (we'll politely forget about the Cygnet for a moment.) The entire body is carbonfibre, and was designed and built at Aston's Gaydon headquarters in six months. The car measures four and half metres in length, and two metres wide - close to Vanquish dimensions.

The oily bits are pinched from the quietly discontinued V12 Vantage model: that means a 510bhp 6.0-litre V12 driving the rear wheels. The CC100's race-appropriate transmission is a six-speed hydraulically automated manual, with steering column-mounted paddleshifters.

Aston claims the flyweight anniversary special will launch from 0-62mph in 'a little over four seconds' (a regular V12 Vantage takes 4.2sec with a perfect launch) and reach a limited top speed of 180mph.

By Ollie Kew