Hailed by contemporary commentators as “The British Zonda”, the Aston Martin One-77 was introduced to the world as a partially covered non-running prototype at the 2008 Paris Salon.

The project was led by then-president Dr.

Ulrich Bez, who stunned the world when he announced that Aston Martin—newly purchased by a consortium led by ProDrive’s Dave Richards—intended to sell the prestige vehicle for £1,000,000.

It was a signal to the likes of Bugatti and Koenigsegg that the new players in the Aston Martin hierarchy meant serious business—and to reassure marque enthusiasts that Aston Martin had returned to its roots of building boutique speed machines for their customers.

At the Geneva Salon six months later, a full-size model of the One-77 dropped jaws the world over.

The total price was now quoted as £1.1 million, with a mere £200,000 down-payment necessary to reserve one of these ultra-exclusive vehicles.

At Geneva, Aston Martin released the full technical specifications of their ...