Aston Martin configurator for the Cygnet and the Virage hits the Web

The few times a year that Aston Martin graces AutoWeek with a press car, our joy is short-lived. There's never enough seat time to go around. Luckily, we can all dream together with the new Aston Martin configurator at the company's Web site, www.astonmartin.com.

Both the diminutive new Cygnet (a.k.a. the Toyota iQ) and the lust-worthy Virage are buildable, with all sorts of info and photos of Aston Martin's other models. Customers can also schedule test drives and download brochures.

For the Cygnet, buyers can choose from 24 exterior colors and some different finishes on the hood louvers and the rear diffuser. For the interior, there are 20 colors to pick from, along with six different secondary finishes. Top it all off with a handful of accent-stitching color choices, and you have more than 8,000 possible color combinations.

The Cygnet only comes with a CVT or a manual transmission, but apart from the steering wheel being on the wrong side of the car, it's a good-looking little roller skate.

The V12-engined Virage has a similarly extensive color palette, plus four color choices for the brake calipers. Obviously, the Virage is a bit more visually impressive than the city car, especially in that Madagascar orange we've been seeing in press photos. The 490-hp Virage will come only with the Touchshift 2 automatic transmission. It hits our shores with a price of $209,995.

What we don't see on the site is news of, or a configurator for, the electric Cygnet, which is rumored to be debuting in 2013.

By Jake Lingeman