While most car manufacturers are busy churning out electric crossovers with all the personality of a dishwasher, here's a chance to own perhaps the most interesting Aston Martin ever made. The Aston Martin Bertone Jet 2+2 – a name almost as long as the car itself – is headed to auction on March 29th. And unlike most "rare" Aston Martins that claim exclusivity despite being produced in batches of 150, this one genuinely is one-of-a-kind. As in, the only one. In the world. Ever. This four-door hatchback oddity was commissioned by Aston collector Barry Weir to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the marriage between Aston Martin and Italian design house Bertone. Originally, they planned to build 10 of these peculiar machines, but before they could crank out the remaining nine, Bertone went bust. Timing, as they say, is everything. What makes this automotive curiosity genuinely interesting is its bizarre amalgamation of parts. It's based on the first-generation Vanquish platform but draws inspiration from the 2004 Bertone Jet 2 concept. In essence, it's a re-bodied Rapide with a chopped tail – the automotive equivalent of going to the barber and asking for "business in the front, party in the back." The interior is pure Rapide, which means it has all the luxury you'd expect from a six-figure Aston, including leather so soft it makes you question your life choices for not being born rich enough to experience it daily. Under that long, sculptured bonnet sits a glorious 6.0-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine producing 476 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. By today's standards, that's barely enough to raise an eyebrow, allowing the Jet 2+2 to reach 62 mph in a leisurely 5.3 seconds – about the same as a modern hot hatchback costing a tenth of the price. But that's entirely missing the point. This isn't about straight-line speed or lap times. It's about owning a slice of automotive history that combines British engineering, Italian design, and a healthy dose of eccentricity. It's for the collector who walks into their climate-controlled garage and thinks, "You know what's missing among my collection of perfectly normal supercars? A V12-powered shooting brake." What's particularly fascinating is that this car represents a road not taken for Aston Martin. Before the DBX SUV became their bread and butter, the Jet 2+2 hinted at a more practical yet still exotic direction the brand could have pursued. There's no estimate on what this odd duck might fetch at auction, but considering its uniqueness and the fact that both Aston Martin and Bertone have signed off on it, expect a figure that would make your financial advisor spontaneously combust. For the right collector, this isn't just an Aston Martin – it's the Aston Martin.
