Aston Martin Vanquish Centenary Edition (2013)

Aston Martin Vanquish Centenary Edition

Iconic British sports car brand Aston Martin is marking the start of its 100th birthday celebrations - 15 January - with the unveiling of a bespoke new Aston Martin Vanquish Centenary Edition.

The luxury brand's ultimate GT car showcases a painstakingly created Centenary Edition specification that will be available worldwide on just 100 examples of each of the car maker's model lines: V8 Vantage, DB9, Rapide and Vanquish.

Featuring a unique graduated paint finish, solid sterling silver Aston Martin wing badges with tailored 'trans flux' enamel inlay and a special Aston Martin hallmark, the exterior represents an exclusive new celebration of the company's 100-year history.

Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, played a key role in the creation of the unique paint treatment, tasking Design Director Marek Reichman and his team with the development of a suitably exclusive and desirable specification.

Dr Bez explained: "Clearly, the centenary of Aston Martin is a great occasion for our business, our customers, and our fans around the world.

"It is only right, then, that we have developed these exceptional Centenary Edition models which will, I am sure, quickly become highly desirable and sought-after."

He added: "The chance to own and enjoy such a stunning piece of Aston Martin's heritage is made all the more rare by the fact that we are limiting numbers to just 100 of each model line. I am sure supporters and enthusiasts of the brand worldwide will be anxious to secure their chosen model quickly!"

A Centenary Edition Aston Martin is identified inside by its exclusive and luxurious treatment. Deep Soft black leather - previously featuring only in the One-77 hypercar - with contrasting silver stitching, a special silver thread embroidery of the Aston Martin wings in the head restraints and solid sterling silver sill plaques individually numbered with an Aston Martin hallmark are among the features unique to the car.

Each Centenary Edition model will also be supplied with a unique presentation box containing a number of exclusive gifts to mark the first 100 years of the company. These include two glass keys, two bespoke key pouches made from leather matching the car's interior trim, solid silver cufflinks featuring the Aston Martin script, solid silver Rollerball pen and high quality Bang & Olufsen headphones.

The gift box will also include a silver polishing cloth to help owners ensure the silver centenary wings badges and sill plaques on their car keep their lustre.

Some specification details will vary market by market around the world but all cars will, as ever, be painstakingly handcrafted at Aston Martin's global headquarters and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Gaydon, in Warwickshire.

The process of creating the unique Centenary Edition paint finish, for instance, clearly demonstrates the brand's commitment to bespoke luxury. Adding an average of 18 hours to a paint process that can already take more than 50 hours to complete, the unique graduated finish is meticulously built by adding special 'tinters' to create the darker inner colour. This custom-made mixture is then applied to each panel by hand, using a special mini-jet spray gun.

Aston Martin Design Director Marek Reichman explained: "The team has looked closely at the individual contour lines of each of the cars to determine not only the right colours and shades, but also to create a template by which the paint changes from dark to light and where the graduated effect sits."