What's all this about?

It's an Aston Martin Vantage S that's had a can of Red Bull.

Where are its wings then?

It must have been a decaf version, because you won't find much F1-inspired tech here. No matter, because the Vantage S is still a hugely competent car in both V8 and V12 guises. The changes are purely cosmetic, and you can choose for an Australian or a Dutchman to scrawl their names on the sills.

Why would I want that?

The graffiti merchants in question are Red Bull Racing's Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, two of the most exciting and talented drivers in Formula 1. Aston Martin's 'Innovation Partnership' with the team will eventually give us the mad AM-RB 001 hypercar, but for now we get the Vantage Red Bull Racing Edition.

What are the changes?

Mariana Blue paint in regular or satin finish emulates the Red Bull Formula One racers, while Tungsten Silver is also available. There are lots of carbon bits inside and out, and the grilles get red accents. The brake callipers are yellow to match the F1 car's nosecone and the seats are prominently embroidered with the team's logo.

Anything else?

That's pretty much the lot, as Q (Aston's in-house personalisation department, not James Bond's quartermaster) deemed no mechanical changes were necessary. That's not entirely surprising considering the Vantage's replacement is just around the corner, but punters eager for this special edition can take delivery from April onwards.

Maurice Malone - 21 Feb 2017