As confusing as this is, try and follow us - a Yorkshire man called David Brown, who is not related to the David Brown of Aston Martin fame, but who, like the man whose DB initials are on all Astons, comes from a background in agricultural machinery, is building a 'tribute' (not a replica) to the Aston Martin DB5, one of the most desirable cars in the world and a surviving example of which David Brown (the non-Aston one) already owns. And, like the 'real' Aston Martin DB7, the car's underpinnings are all Jaguar XK. Lost? We don't blame you.
However, we brought you news of a new car company, David Brown Automotive (DBA), earlier this year, and further developments on what was codenamed 'Project Judi' as they came. Well, ahead of the official launch at the Top Marques show in Monaco, on April 17, DBA has pulled the wraps off its DB5 homage - the Speedback.
Exterior
Um... it looks a bit like a DB5. This is not a huge surprise, given the whole reason DBA came into being is that Brown wanted a car that looked like a classic but had none of said oldie's tendencies to throw regular mechanical hissy fits. It was styled by Alan Mobberley, a man whose cv includes stints with Land Rover, Humber and British Leyland (he's said to have been involved in the Marina...), and it is clearly very close to the original DB5, but not identical for obvious reasons. It's a pretty successful job, though, and doesn't look like some sort of kit car hash-up.
Perhaps the greatest factoid for fans of the original that aren't put off by a modern-day interpretation is that the Speedback's body is crafted in exactly the same way as the DB5's was - the alloy used is hand-rolled and hand-beaten.
Interior
As luxuriant and opulent as you might imagine it to be inside, there's no hiding the fact that the Jaguar XKR underpinnings shine through, as, despite the traditional 'bespoke' treatment given to the finish - a wood dash and wheel, plus lots of chrome - you can still see the Jag's central console and control screen, plus the familiar seat adjustment buttons on the door. It's very nice in there, though, all leather and fine elm, so we're not complaining.
Mechanicals
As previously revealed, the Speedback is entirely the XKR underneath - it has the same tyres, suspension and chassis, plus the R's epic 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine with 510hp and 625Nm, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. It means performance stats for the DBA are broadly in line with the Jag, 0-100km/h coming up in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h, presumably electronically pegged in the same manner as the Big Cat. All of this means the DBA Speedback is comfortably quicker than the DB5 ever was, although that's hardly the point.
Anything else?
The exact price of the Speedback will be confirmed at the Monaco event, but DBA plans a limited production number per year, which in the best-case scenario would only number 20, meaning it will definitely qualify for low volume type approval. Given that there isn't actually a factory to build these, as yet (if it gets enough orders, plans are all in place), you can bet the cost will be high. But probably a lot cheaper than trying to source and purchase one of the surviving original DB5s...