MIAMI: If you love your Aston Martin so much the two of you need to get a room, the bespoke supercar maker finally has the answer: it's moving into the housing business.
Yes, the ultimate gift for the supercar-driving exec who gets twitchy if you stir their Martini is now available, should you have the deposit: an Aston Martin flat.
James Bond's preferred maker of luxury wheels has set its spanners aside to take on a new project: building uber-cool apartments for the rich and famous in downtown Miami.
There won't be anything as obvious as an Aston Martin in the lobby, though up to 40 DBIIs will be thrown in for the top-end buys. AM's chief creative officer Marek Reichman says the carmaker is "bringing the unique craftsmanship and experience of driving an Aston to life by incorporating signature elements, colours and materials from its cars into the design of the interiors, common areas and amenity spaces."
Fine details will include hand-stitched leather door tabs, bespoke artisan handles, carbon fibre furniture and residence number plate plinths. You'll even be able to watch Formula 1 while sitting in a G-force effect sofa complete with side airbags, or fine dine-in sports seating with three-point safety belts (actually, we made these two up).
The Aston Martin condo project is literally a tall story: the avant-garde tower block stretches 66 floors up in the shape of a sail for uninterrupted views of the sea (and any approaching hurricanes). With the first sod cut this week, keys will be available from 2021.
But if you want that top-floor penthouse, be quick: the deal includes a free 800hp 7-litre V12 Aston Martin Vulcan - one of only 24 built and worth £2.7m. How much for the flat? If you need to ask, you're not buying.
By Simon Hacker.