It’s now almost 15 years since the world first gawped at the Aston's ugly duckling. Back in 2010, of course, the Cygnet did make some kind of business sense; without a large parent company, Aston would have to bear the brunt of incoming fleet average carbon emissions targets on its own. With the smallest engine in its range a 4.7 V8, and the majority powered by the 5.9-litre V12, something had to change. A 1.3-litre city car, with 120g/km or less and plans to sell 4,000 annually, would help the situation.
Obviously Aston Martin didn’t have the wherewithal to produce such a car on its own, but it could give reworking the Toyota iQ a very good go indeed - which was a great little city car, let’s not forget, if a tad pricey even before Aston got involved. ‘To be as clearly conceived, thoroughly developed and cleverly executed as it undoubtedly is will have soaked up terrifying amounts of time, money and brain power’ was the Autocar verdict. It was as good a foundation as Aston could hope for.
And something like 150 hours was spent at Gaydon transforming each iQ into a Cygnet, with hand-stitched leather, Alcantara headlining and a respray in an Aston colour for every single one. While the powertrain was untouched, with customers offered the 98hp 1.3 with either a manual or CVT gearbox, there was a decent Astonification of the iQ’s interior.
But it wasn’t enough. Initial reviews found a bit too much Toyota still present for a car that was now at least £30k, and that was before considering an unaltered driving experience. All the lovely leather in the world couldn’t quite hide the reality: the Cygnet was neither fish nor fowl - not genuinely affordable enough for regular folk to think about, not special enough for proper Aston buyers to consider.
So it didn’t really sell, with fewer than 800 finding homes globally and something like 150 sold in the UK. Some way from those initial estimates needless to say, and it was dropped in 2013. Whether it was a good idea less-than-perfectly executed or a doomed plan for the start will remain open to debate for many more years yet, though the fact that the Cygnet is now a very rare Aston isn’t up for any argument. There were more DB5s and DB6s made than this, so it’s something for your i-spy book if nothing else.
This one is for sale as an Aston-approved used car (at Newport Pagnell, no less), with just 8,100 miles and three owners over 14 years of whatever driving a Cygnet is used for. Surely it’s kept company with some much more illustrious machinery in that time, maybe rolled out for the odd run into London or to run a child to a very expensive school. Certainly it looks hardly touched, the lovingly reupholstered chairs only showing a bit of bolster wear. Interestingly, too, it has appreciated a little over that time; what was a £32,115 car brand new is now a £36,950 used one all these years later. It’s only just the most affordable Aston at this dealership, in fact. So future residuals seem strong, underwritten by that rarity. And it’ll likely get more attention than a DB9 worth the same amount. The school and station run will never be the same again…
SPECIFICATION | ASTON MARTIN CYGNET
Engine: 1,330cc, 4-cyl
Transmission: CVT, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 98@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 92@4,400rpm
MPG: 54.3
CO2: 120g/km
First registered: 2011
Recorded mileage: 8,157
Price new: £32,115
Yours for: £36,950
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