Imagine your parents had named you ‘James Bond’. Neither name in isolation is particularly memorable, but together there’s an inescapable link with Ian Fleming’s most famous creation.
No matter what career path you chose, everyday you would run the gauntlet of “Bond, James Bond” being funnelled into your ears as though it was the very first time you had heard it.
Empathise, if you will, with David Brown. Again, when presented separately, the names aren’t especially distinguished but together they’re synonymous with Aston Martin. Even today, almost 67 years since the entrepreneur of the same name seized control of the sports car manufacturer after responding to an advert in The Times, 2014 models still bear his ‘DB’ initials.
The eponymous force behind David Brown Automotive isn’t linked to the former Aston steward, but with his name was it inevitable he would be at the helm of a new car company crafting something with more than an air of DB5 about it, surely? Not exactly according to the man himself, as he recalled for us where the journey that ended with the Speedback GT’s debut began.
“I was on a classic car rally in southern Spain driving a fabulous old Ferrari, accompanied by several other classics, one of which broke down. We popped out and rented a basic hire car, soon discovering it had a stereo and, more importantly, air conditioning. Blissful as it was about 100 degrees in the shade. Here we were, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of sports cars and there was a fight over the rental wheels!”
Over time the notion of a car which combined the style and craftsmanship of iconic 1960s design, wrapped around modern mechanicals and technologies began to take shape. Investigations into possible donor cars soon highlighted the virtues of Jaguar’s aluminium XKR chassis, which, together with its supercharged 5.0-litre V8 pummelling out an impressive 503bhp, essentially chose itself:
“For technical and safety reasons all of the XKR’s hard points remain unchanged, as does the drivetrain and chassis. In creating the Speedback GT the bodywork and interior have been totally re-manufactured and designed to reach our highest standards, built wherever possible by hand.”
While the Speedback GT looks like it’s illustrative of the golden era of sports cars, the performance on offer is very much on the contemporary scale. Top speed is limited to the industry norm of 155mph while the sprint from nothing to 60 is dispatched in just 4.6 seconds. David Brown Automotive claims the GT should return 23mpg too, but frankly for a car as opulently indulgent as this it sounds disappointingly frugal. Rest assured halving that figure wouldn’t prove difficult with a carefree throttle application.
Revealing the Speedback GT at 2014’s Top Marques spectacular in Monaco initially seemed too ambitious, but the selection of those supercharged Jaguar mechanicals allowed Brown to save money and more importantly time.
Choosing such a venue for the reveal was important too because David Brown Automotive is no ordinary car company and the Speedback GT carries an extraordinary price tag of £495,000, plus local taxation. Where better to unveil such a car than at the world’s most glamorous motor show.
Some might question the relevance of the Speedback GT, suggesting it’s little more than a pastiche of a bygone age. It’s a line of enquiry that gains traction when the highest echelons of motorsport and builders of today’s supercars are talking hybrid this and energy recovery that. Therein lies the reason for the GT’s existence – there’s demand because it’s none of those things. It’s gloriously traditional – an analogue sports car in a digital world.
Hour upon hour of finely-honed human endeavour creates each and every Speedback, but modern techniques ensure every hand-rolled panel fits the car exquisitely and with greater accuracy than hand-beaten panels of old. Differences are beyond the appreciation of the human eye, but the brain can love the beauty of what cannot be seen.
Want one? You’ll have to hurry because orders are flowing in to David Brown Automotive with no plans to extend the production run beyond the exclusivity of the 100 destined for the road. Will that mean the demise of Britain’s newest car manufacturer when the centenary’s accomplished? “I’m a huge fan of beautiful practical design,” confirms Brown, “and I’ve manufactured things all my life – I can’t see this stopping. As for what’s next, you’ll have to wait and see.”
Whatever emerges next from David Brown’s facility, be it a luxurious drop-head or a refined sports saloon in the grand tradition, the only guarantee is that it won’t be for your eyes only.
