Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but there’s no denying the Aston Martin One-77 is one of the most beautiful modern cars. Originally shown as a 1:1 scale model at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, this stunning supercar made its debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show where the Gaydon-based marque sported a rolling chassis in metallic blue. The actual production car was unveiled the same year at the Concorso d’Eleganza Ville d’Este.
Priced at a hefty £1 million, the One-77 was the fastest Aston Martin ever around, clocking in at over 220 mph (354 km/h). Power comes from a naturally aspirated Cosworth 7.3-liter V12 engine with 750 hp and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) which is sent to the road via a six-speed automatic manual transmission.
Only 77 production cars were ever made, but the gorgeous coupe got a little less exclusive with the 78th the car hit the road. This video tells the story of the One-77 prototype that was turned into a street legal car. Carrying the chassis number “10711”, it was the last of eleven prototypes built by Aston Martin. It was subjected to various track tests at the Nardo circuit in Italy as well as at the Nürburgring in Germany.
It climbed the famous hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and traveled to North America where it attended various dealer-organized events. The One-77 also appears on the cover duPont Registry magazine in February 2012. About three years later, this car served as the Safety Car for the Aston Martin Racing Festival in Le Mans and also attended an SRO Ultra Sports Club event where one of the side sills caught fire.
After a fateful life as a prototype, the One-77 was retired with a range of 23,835 miles (38,358 kilometers). Instead of being scrapped, the V12 beauty was sold to a private owner who decided to turn it into a road car and registered it in the United States as one of seven One-77s in the country. Aston Martin took seven months to restore the car, stripping it to aluminum and painting the body in Copper Pearl, which is hidden beneath this satin chrome finish.
AM also installed new headlights, taillights, front grille, rear diffuser and alloy wheels before replacing the entire cabin. The engineers also worked on the mechanics by overhauling the suspension and replacing the muffler, clutch and oil pan. However, the engine and gearbox were deprived of attention.
The first private owner of the One-77 drove about 500 miles (805 kilometers) over the course of two years with the car. Prior to changing hands, the car’s air conditioning system was damaged, and the sale price included a $45,000 repair bill to fix the leaking air conditioner. The exorbitant price is partly explained by the complicated procedure that involves removing the machine.
The shape is still not perfect because the windshield wiper motor doesn’t work anymore. Aston Martin apparently charged $10,000 to replace it. In addition, the One-77 motor for adjusting the side mirrors no longer works while the tilt infotainment system drive motor needs to be replaced as well.
Fast forward to 2023, it is 40,840 km (25,377 mi). This likely makes it the highest-mileage example, with an interesting history to boot.
