Aston's Centenary Edition Vanquish

We're looking back through the telescope of history today, TopGear.commers, because it's a rather auspicious occasion. Exactly 100 years ago, a couple of chaps named Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin founded a company called ‘Bamford & Martin Ltd'.

The following year, Lionel Martin made a successful run at the Aston Hill Climb in Buckinghamshire, and the pair decided to rename the company. They called it ‘Aston Martin'.

Thus, today is Aston Martin's 100th birthday, and in celebration, the company has announced a new ‘Centenary Edition' Vanquish, showcasing a special trim finish available on each of the carmaker's models: V8 Vantage, DB9, Rapide and Vanquish.

The special edition includes a graduated paint finish, solid sterling Aston Martin wing badges with an enamel inlay, ‘Deep Soft' black leather inside (only previously available on the One-77), contrast silver stitching, silver thread embroidery of the Aston Martin wings in the headrests, and solid sterling silver sill plaques individually numbered.

Not only that, you also get a special celebration box of Good Stuff: two glass keys, two bespoke key pouches made from leather matching the car's trim, solid silver cufflinks with Aston Martin script, a solid silver Rollerball pen and Bang & Olufsen headphones. There's even a silver polishing cloth to keep all this silvery goodness clean.

The paint finish, by the way, is quite a palaver: it adds 18 hours to an already 50-hour process, using a custom-made mixture that is hand sprayed panel by panel.

Price on application, but hurry - Aston is making just 100 Centenary Editions of each model (excluding the One-77, obviously). Have a click through the pictures of the Vanquish, and stay tuned to TopGear.com, as we've got a little Aston celebration coming up...

Vijay Pattni