Aston Martin Vantage Roadster A3 by Q

The oldest Aston Martin still in existence today rolled out of the then production plant on Abingdon Road in Kensington, London, 100 years ago. It was the third car ever produced by the brand, therefore bears the chassis number 3 and is known today as the “A3”. As part of a prototype fleet of five vehicles, company founder Lionel Martin in particular used this car for testing and development purposes before series production started. Under the hood sits a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 11 horsepower, which powered the A3 with a streamlined bodywork to some records in the light car category. For example, this car won the Essex Motor Club Kop Hill Climb in 1922 and lapped Brooklands in 1923 with an average speed of 84.5 mph. Since an auction in 2002, the restored A3 has been the pride and joy of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust (AMHT) collection.

Details inspired by the A3

To mark the A3’s milestone anniversary, British dealer HWM ordered a worthy homage based on the current Vantage Roadster from the customization department Q by Aston Martin. HWM is Aston Martin’s oldest dealer and is based in Walton on Thames. Founded in 1938, the showroom still sits in the buildings they moved into in 1948. In creating the Vantage Roadster A3, they began by looking closely at details on the original A3. For example, the grille was given a polished aluminium frame and a black square mesh. On the left side it shows the old brand logo as used on the A3. Q by Aston Martin worked black leather belts into the special front fender panels. Underneath sits the engraving “No_3”.

Classy interior

Other exclusive details on the Vantage Roadster from the Q department include bronze-colored brake calipers behind the 20-inch alloy wheels in gloss black. Of course, the body wears black just like the restored A3. The interior is also finished in “Obsidian Black” to match. Tan-colored decorative stitching and the classic “Aston Martin” lettering embroidered between the seat backrests in the 1921 font provide accents, as do leather areas in “Chestnut Tan” on the center tunnel and brass-colored control knobs on the dashboard. Below the gear buttons for the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the old brand logo is embossed into the leather. In keeping with the original, the third Aston Martin ever built, HWM limited the Vantage Roadster A3 to just three examples.

Exclusive Aston Martin meeting

Together with the Aston Martin Owners’ Club, Aston Martin is presenting the A3 and the Vantage Roadster A3 in the company of various models at an exclusive event. This will take place on Saturday (26th of June) at the Dallas Burston Polo Club in Southam in Warwickshire. Other cars announced include pre-war Aston Martin and Lagonda models, some DB2s, six-cylinder models (DB4, DB5, DB6 and DBS), V8 cars from the era between 1968 and 2000, DB7 and V12 Vanquish, modern cars from the Gaydon era, but also Tickford conversions. Of course, other current models such as the DBS Superleggera or the DBX will also be on site.

Images: Aston Martin