On show at the Geneva Salon in March 2010 was a single, right hand drive silver car with a bright red leather interior which received much attention. I was fortunate to sit in and have a look around the luxuriously appointed cabin – it looked and smelt like an Aston yet had the feel of a Smart, very unusual to say the least.
Of course the Cygnet progressed from the concept stage to reach full production with only a small number of changes. The DB9 style door handles were dropped, the interior door handles were changed and the boot latch was relocated to beneath the lip.
The Frazer Tickford Metro is perhaps the spiritual grandfather of the Aston Martin Cygnet. It was introduced in 1981 at a price of £11,700 and was constructed by Aston Martin’s special engineering department, Tickford. Unlke the Cygnet, it was never badged as an Aston Martin though. It is believed that 26 were built and sold.
