Aston Martin is putting its elite and luxurious style into a sleek designer helicopter, the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition, that reeks of the DB11 sports car.
Aston Martin Lagonda launched the highly-limited collector’s piece, the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition helicopter, made in conjunction with Airbus Corporate Helicopters at an event at the ski resort of Courchevel in the French Alps.
Aston Martin is clearly trying to extend the brand’s reach. It released the limited-edition AMB 001 motorbike in November last year, and the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition helicopter adds a new dimension to the name of the independent English sports car manufacturer forever linked to the DB5 model driven by James Bond in the 1964 film Goldfinger.
“Beauty is of vital importance to Aston Martin and to our customers and we think the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is an inherently beautiful machine.”
The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition has been built for those who love the Aston Martin and for those who love luxury and things of beauty. It is for those who desire the thrill of high-performance luxury. Aston Martin and Airbus have spent a year to put together a helicopter with extraordinary amounts of attention to detail and a sleek aesthetic synonymous with Aston Martin’s flagship sports car, the DB11.
The ACH130 helicopter has been 12 months in the making with aeronautical designers from Airbus working closely with the creative team at Aston Martin in Gaydon, UK. The idea has been to distill the skills of both companies – advanced technology, high quality, a focus on design and craft – and to introduce the rigorous attention to detail found in premium car making to the helicopter market.
“We have our own set of automotive design principles but in recent years we have been learning how to apply our principles to other areas of design, such as architecture, motorcycles and now helicopters. This first application of our design practices to a helicopter posed a number of interesting challenges but we have enjoyed working through them. Beauty is of vital importance to Aston Martin and to our customers and we think the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is an inherently beautiful machine. It provided a wonderful canvas for our team to work on so we now look forward to seeing everybody’s reaction.” said Aston Martin Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman in a statement.
The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition takes the interior of a helicopter to a higher echelon that sits in the DB11 and the exterior establishes it as an Aston Martin brand.
The Stirling Green-themed external scheme, which is on the first aircraft, features a painted gradient that fades down into Jet Black on the underside of the helicopter with Skyfall Silver around the cowlings. Further external liveries are available with other Aston Martin paint colours including Xenon Grey, Arizona and Ultramarine Black.
Inside, there is an unmatched level of comfort. The trim is in Pure Black ultra-suede with a palette of selectable leathers comprising Oxford Tan, Pure Black, Cormorant and Ivory. On the rear of the front seats the same brogue detailing found in a DB11 which runs down the centre of the seat and the doors have been trimmed with leather to provide passengers with comfortable touch points during their flight. By using materials from the Aston Martin automotive palette the interior of this special edition of the ACH130 sits in harmony with the interior of Aston Martin sports cars.
Each of these special edition helicopters will have a plaque included on the instrument panel which shows the partnership logos, the registration of the aircraft, the edition number and the owner’s name, should they wish to have it included.
“The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is optimally positioned in the market for hands-on owners who draw satisfaction from personally piloting their aircraft and it generates strong brand-loyalty. In the same way Aston Martin’s products are cars for drivers who relish being at the wheel and they inspire a comparable attachment to the brand. So they are the perfect partner for us in developing this superb new ACH130 Aston Martin Edition,” said Frédéric Lemos, Head of Airbus Corporate Helicopters.
The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is available on request with deliveries taking place from the first quarter of this year.
