The Neptune is Aston Martin's first submarine

The new model is a three-seater 3200mm long that weighs in at 4000kg and is controlled by a joystick. Despite having four motors its top speed of under 4mph makes it by a long way the slowest Aston Martin ever. 

Do you know what it is yet? It’s a submersible, that must-have plaything of superyacht owners the world over. Never mind just being good in the wet, this Aston will dive! dive! dive! all the way down to 500m for your own personal exploration of the underwater world.

It comes with typical Aston Martin creature comforts including air-conditioning. Actually, that’s more life support system – with enough battery power for 12 hours endurance, handy if you lose track of time gazing at the parrotfish while ambling at 3 knots along the seabed with your two passengers. 

‘Project Neptune’ is Aston’s take on the three-person LP model submersible from US submersible specialists Triton (“the most knowledgeable civil submersible experts on the planet”).

Aston design chief Marek Reichman and team have waved their magic pencils over Triton’s latest model – admirable but a bit, well, functional looking – turning it into a latterday version of Jules Verne’s Nautilus with a very sleek look. Suddenly submersibles got sexy. 

Neptune is said to be a concept design which will lead to a limited-edition production model. Triton’s own version is the 1650/3 LP (for low profile – it’s under 6ft tall). Launched in 2016 its claim to fame is that it has been designed to fit within existing superyacht ‘garages’ (the bit at the back where all the toys are kept). 

No price is quoted yet but with that sleek shape and Aston Martin badges, Neptune is likely to come at a premium. Deep breath time: the standard LP Triton starts at US$3.3 million. 

Why would Aston Martin want to get involved with something so far removed from automotive? To get into the hearts and minds of superyacht owners, something already explored with the Aston Martin/Quintessence Yachts AM37 powerboat. 

Aston’s latest non-automotive foray is, in fact, the first project of Aston Martin Consulting, a company set up in 2016 with a mission to use typical Aston design, materials and engineering to grow the brand in new areas of the super-luxury world.

One thing for sure: it’s got 007’s name all over it for the next James Bond film!