While the rest of us are facing an ever-worsening credit crunch it seems that it's business as usual for the super rich. And how better to show you're doing very nicely indeed than a bespoke supercar from Aston Martin: the One-77. The British firm is following its supercar rivals by offering up a very special, extremely limited model to incomprehensibly wealthy car collectors around the world.

Aston's answer to Lamborghini's Reventon, Bugatti's Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, the forthcoming Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Speedster and track-only playthings such as Ferrari's FXX and Maserati's MC12 Corse, each One-77 will be built to its owner's exacting specifications. The single teaser picture Aston has released of it shows a dramatically styled aluminium-bodied coupe based on a new carbon fibre backbone chassis. Only 77 are thought to be planned, owners expected to be able to dictate how many seats, transmission type and the interior and exterior styling for their one-off machine. As with all the finer things in life such individuality doesn't come cheap, the One-77 expected to cost around £1.2m. Think of that as a starting point, too.

All that's currently known about the powertrain is that the One-77 will feature a 7.0-litre V12 driving the rear wheels. Performance will have to be shattering for the One-77 to compete with its contemporaries, so expect an output well in excess of 600bhp and a 0-62mph time in the in the low threes. A 200mph+ top speed is a certainty, too.

Aston Martin considers the One-77 as a piece of art rather than a car, and when put up against the tens of millions the crazily rich pay for Picassos, Van Goghs and Renoirs the hand-built One-77 looks like something of a bargain - and a lot more fun, too. Expected to make its first public appearance at the Paris Motor Show in October it's likely Aston Martin already has a list of clients queuing up for the opportunity to buy one and hide it away in an air conditioned garage never to be seen again. We're all for art cars, but only if their owners put them on display - preferably with the tyres smoking...

Kyle Fortune - 14 Aug 2008