Airbus teams with Aston Martin to launch ACH130 helicopter
The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is the first offering from the recently announced partnership between Aston Martin Lagonda and Airbus Corporate Helicopters.
The stylish special edition of the ACH130 helicopter comes equipped with a range of four interior and exterior designs generated by Aston Martin set to delight helicopter owners and pilots who appreciate the pleasures of driving high performance bespoke luxury cars.
The aeronautical designers at Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) and the automotive designers at Aston Martin have worked closely together for over a year, marrying ACH’s key values of excellence, quality and service with Aston Martin’s commitment to beauty, handcrafting and automotive art to bring a new level of aesthetics and rigorous attention to detail to the helicopter market.
Available in four external liveries with complementary interiors, the helicopters are embellished with Aston Martin signature elements, starting with the iconic Aston Martin wings, which are embossed onto luxury leather features, tastefully positioned throughout the cabin.
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Each of these special edition helicopters will have a plaque included on the instrument panel which shows the partnership logos, the registration of the aircraft, the edition number and the owner’s name, should they wish to have it included.
Aston Martin Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman, said: “We have our own set of automotive design principles but in recent years we have been learning how to apply our principles to other areas of design, such as architecture, motorcycles and now helicopters. This first application of our design practices to a helicopter posed a number of interesting challenges but we have enjoyed working through them. Beauty is of vital importance to Aston Martin and to our customers and we think the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is an inherently beautiful machine. It provided a wonderful canvas for our team to work on so we now look forward to seeing everybody’s reaction.”
Frédéric Lemos, Head of Airbus Corporate Helicopters, also commented: “The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is optimally positioned in the market for hands-on owners who draw satisfaction from personally piloting their aircraft and it generates strong brand-loyalty. In the same way Aston Martin’s products are cars for drivers who relish being at the wheel and they inspire a comparable attachment to the brand. So, they are the perfect partner for us in developing this superb new ACH130 Aston Martin Edition.”