Marine

Aston Martin dives deep with new Triton submarine

Aston Martin dives deep with new Triton submarine
Aston Martin style, Triton submersible know-how
Aston Martin style, Triton submersible know-how
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Aston Martin style, Triton submersible know-how
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Aston Martin style, Triton submersible know-how
Plans call for a limited edition Project Neptune submarine
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Plans call for a limited edition Project Neptune submarine
Triton's 1650/3 LP production model is billed as its "superyacht sub"
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Triton's 1650/3 LP production model is billed as its "superyacht sub"
Triton claims the 1650/3 LP is the lightest three-person submersible in the world, weighing 8,800 lb (4,000 kg)
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Triton claims the 1650/3 LP is the lightest three-person submersible in the world, weighing 8,800 lb (4,000 kg)
The 1650/3 LP is powered by a series of electric thrusters
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The 1650/3 LP is powered by a series of electric thrusters
The 1650/3 LP stands at 5.9 feet (1.8 m) tall, 8.7 feet (2.7 m) wide and 10.5 feet (3.2 m) long
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The 1650/3 LP stands at 5.9 feet (1.8 m) tall, 8.7 feet (2.7 m) wide and 10.5 feet (3.2 m) long
The 1650/3 LP is but one of many Triton submarines
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The 1650/3 LP is but one of many Triton submarines
The Triton 1000/2 explores the waters of Antarctica .. quite an adventure
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The Triton 1000/2 explores the waters of Antarctica .. quite an adventure
The 1000/2 is Triton's smallest, lightest "beginner" model
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The 1000/2 is Triton's smallest, lightest "beginner" model
Triton 3300/3 MKII
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Triton 3300/3 MKII
Another three-person submersible from Triton, the 3300/3 MKII is designed to drop 3,300 feet (1,000 m)
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Another three-person submersible from Triton, the 3300/3 MKII is designed to drop 3,300 feet (1,000 m)
Triton's 3300/3 MKII explores the deep
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Triton's 3300/3 MKII explores the deep
Going solo: The Triton 3300/1 MD
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Going solo: The Triton 3300/1 MD
The 3300/1 MD isn't as sleek as the Aston Martin Project Neptune, but it's probably the most distinctive model in Triton's regular line
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The 3300/1 MD isn't as sleek as the Aston Martin Project Neptune, but it's probably the most distinctive model in Triton's regular line
The large Triton 1000/7 (that's 7 people and 1,000 feet of potential depth, in case you haven't figured out the naming structure)
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The large Triton 1000/7 (that's 7 people and 1,000 feet of potential depth, in case you haven't figured out the naming structure)
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After refining its nautical skills on the AM37 powerboat it showed at last year's Monaco Yacht Show, Aston Martin is back in Monaco talking up another project that puts its design expertise to use at sea. With the Project Neptune submersible, Aston declares its intent to send vessels plunging below the waterline, in addition to speeding across the surface of sea and land. A team-up between Aston Martin and the submersibles experts at Triton Submarines LLC, the new sub lets three people explore the great blue below, all dressed up in their swankiest Aston garb.

Aston Martin has been rather busy lately. Along with keeping up with its usual line-up of regularly evolving sports and luxury cars, it's been working on projects like the aforementioned AM37, the race-derived Valkyrie hypercar and an all-electric vehicle.

Project Neptune is the first effort of Aston Martin Consulting, the company's division providing cross-industry design, engineering and manufacturing services aimed at "distilling the brand's essence into exciting new projects." Aston Martin announced the brand launch in March 2016, and we reckon a distinctive personal submarine makes for a pretty conspicuous product launch to declare its full arrival.

"Project Neptune is a flagship project for Aston Martin Consulting," says AM Consulting managing director Bradley Yorke-Biggs. "It is a clear and engaging demonstration of how Aston Martin's expertise in sports car design and craftsmanship can be extended into new aspects of the luxury world."

Triton's 1650/3 LP production model is billed as its "superyacht sub"
Triton's 1650/3 LP production model is billed as its "superyacht sub"

Doing a little comparison between the initial Project Neptune renderings and Triton's regular line-up shows that Aston Martin's sports car design and craftsmanship expertise is extending into the world of submarines quite well. The silver body is much smoother and sleeker than the chunky, bright-yellow production models highlighted on Triton's website, like the three-person 1650/3 LP above.

The Neptune's flanks look as sleek and curvy as speedboat hulls, perhaps more like aircraft fuselages when you add in the fins extending upward at the rear. Aston has also blended the glasshouse more neatly into the frame, the Neptune doing its best impression of a rear-set supercar with an ever-present sense of springing forward off its rear wheels, all systems go. It's definitely a better-looking personal submarine, sure to win the hearts of design-conscious superyacht owners.

"We have used forms and proportions that express the same devotion to design, engineering and beauty that shape our cars, such as the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar project," says Aston Martin executive vice president and chief creative officer Marek Reichman.

Pity the poor sap that shows up to his local Triton owner sub rally, only to find that he's the lone pilot of a standard Triton yellow submarine in a group of Aston-Triton Neptunes ... like a Nissan Juke on a Ferrari club drive.

Plans call for a limited edition Project Neptune submarine
Plans call for a limited edition Project Neptune submarine

No specs are provided in Aston Martin's or Triton's materials, but the 1650/3 LP, the sole three-person "LP" submersible on Triton's website, relies on dual 5-hp primary and dual 5-hp vertran thrusters powered by a 30-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate main battery. The single pilot operates via a combination of joystick, touchscreen and manual override controls, lighting the way with an exterior array of five 20,000-lumen LED lights. The sub can remain underwater for up to 12 hours and reach speeds up to 3 knots (5.6 km/h). Those aboard stay comfy in an air-conditioned cockpit.

Plans call for Project Neptune to bear an exclusive, strictly-limited edition model for a "select few." If it hasn't already sold out, it seems like the kind of billionaire's toy that could show up in a future edition of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, a destination not unfamiliar to Aston Martin nor Triton. Those personal submariners who don't snap one up in time will just have to be content in exploring the subaquatic realm with their off-the-shelf submersible ... or, since they're obviously filthy rich, maybe they can keep up with the Rockefellers by putting a call into Triton's custom department.

Only two renderings of the new submarine were released with the announcement, but we've stocked the gallery with some photos of other Triton models so you can compare the styling.

Source: Triton

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1 comment
1 comment
Gaëtan Mahon
I'd say it's time for a new water themed James Bond movie...