April Fools – Aston Martin Project Sparta

Why not? If luxury brands are doing yachts, why not a monster truck?

Sunday 1 April, Gaydon: Aston Martin has stunned the motorsport world, after unveiling its latest competition-crushing monster truck program – ‘Project Sparta.’ In what was already set to be a landmark year of motorsport for the luxury British marque, its entry into the monster truck world adds even more excitement for fans worldwide, on top of both Aston Martin’s Formula One and FIA World Endurance Championship campaigns.

Project Sparta, which has been engineered in parallel with the brand’s upcoming DBX SUV, is set to wreak havoc in the Monster Jam series starting in 2019, taking on some of the world’s biggest names including Grave Digger, Big Kahuna, Ice Cream Man and Jailbird.

Named after the Ancient Greek province, famous for its battlefield warriors, this monster will take no prisoners. Developed under the guidance of David King, Vice President Special Operations Officer & President of Aston Martin Racing, Project Sparta will use the same 6.5-liter naturally-aspirated V12 engine designed for the recently unveiled Valkyrie AMR Pro producing 1,100 horsepower.

The project is yet another example of the marque’s ‘Q by Aston Martin Commission’ capabilities and remains a unique build for one very special customer. Under the customer’s request, three times Le Mans winner and Aston Martin Racing Works driver Darren Turner will compete in all Monster Jam events in 2019.

Turner said with tongue firmly in cheek, “Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans was a real thrill last year, but when I heard about this opportunity, I just couldn’t say no. I hope the guys line up a great selection of cars for me to tear apart, because I’m sure this monster truck will really do the business”.