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Aston Martin And Airbus Team Up To Create The ACH130 Helicopter

Aston Martin may be placing its future into the hands of its new SUV, the DBX, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have some fun while it waits for the car to hit production. Its latest bit of fun comes in the form of an ACH130 helicopter it’s built after teaming up with Airbus.

The bird focusses on complete luxury, just like the Aston Martin road cars, with it being designed to “delight helicopter owners and pilots” with a range of four interior and exterior designs “generated” by Aston Martin.

Aston Martin And Airbus Team Up To Create The ACH130 Helicopter

There are four liveries that customers can choose from with a host of complimentary interiors with Aston Martin badge embellishments on the oceans of leather. Upon choosing the Stirling Green theme, the green colour fades into a piercing black as you trace it down the helicopter. The cowlings remain Skyfall Silver. Other options include Xenon Grey, Arizona and Ultramarine Black paint jobs.

According to Airbus, the cabin is inspired by sports cars with a high level of comfort with Pure Black ultra-suede trim and with leather options spanning Oxford Tan, Pure Black, Cormorant and Ivory. The rear of the front seats get the same detailing that you can find on the DB11, and the doors are trimmed with leather. Each helicopter’s instrument panel will home a plaque that outlines the partnership, edition number, and name, plus anything else the owner would like to include.

Aston Martin And Airbus Team Up To Create The ACH130 Helicopter

While it’s not a car, we can still tell you all about the vehicle’s performance. The Arriel 2D jet engine produces 952 shaft horsepower at takeoff, and will allow a cruising speed of 154mph. It will carry up to six passengers, and can stay in the air four around 4 hours on one tank of fuel.

“We have our own set of automotive design principles but in recent years we have been learning how to apply our principles to other areas of design, such as architecture, motorcycles and now helicopters,” said Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s vice-president and chief creative officer. “This first application of our design practices to a helicopter posed a number of interesting challenges but we have enjoyed working through them.

Aston Martin And Airbus Team Up To Create The ACH130 Helicopter

“Beauty is of vital importance to Aston Martin and to our customers and we think the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is an inherently beautiful machine. It provided a wonderful canvas for our team to work on so we now look forward to seeing everybody’s reaction.”

Frédéric Lemos, the head of Airbus Corporate Helicopters, said: “The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is optimally positioned in the market for hands-on owners who draw satisfaction from personally piloting their aircraft and it generates strong brand-loyalty. In the same way Aston Martin’s products are cars for drivers who relish being at the wheel and they inspire a comparable attachment to the brand. So they are the perfect partner for us in developing this superb new ACH130 Aston Martin Edition.”

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