Airbus, Aston Martin launch special edition ACH130 helicopter

 

 

On Jan. 3, luxury automaker Aston Martin Lagonda (Gaydon, U.K.) and Airbus Corporate Helicopters (Marignane, France) unveiled the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition, the first offering from a recently-announced partnership between the two companies. The special edition ACH130 helicopter comes with one of four interior and exterior designs generated by Aston Martin.

According to Airbus, aeronautical designers at Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) and automotive designers at Aston Martin have worked closely together for more than a year on the development of the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition, with the goal of achieving a new level of aesthetics and attention to detail to the helicopter market.

Available in four external liveries (Stirling Green, Xenon Gray, Arizona and Ultramarine Black) with complementary interiors, the helicopters are embellished with Aston Martin signature elements such as Aston Martin wings, which are embossed onto luxury leather features throughout the automotive-inspired cabin. On the rear of the front seats the same brogue detailing that is found in a DB11 runs down the center of the seat, and the doors have been trimmed with leather to provide passengers for added comfort. The companies used materials from the Aston Martin automotive palette in the interior to match the interior of Aston Martin sports cars.

“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,” says Marek Reichman, Aston Martin 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. 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.” 

“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,” says Frédéric Lemos, head of Airbus Corporate Helicopters. 

The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is available on request for deliveries starting the first quarter of 2020.