For more than half a century, the entertainment industry’s seen a string of one-off cars specially built for screens big and small. Think Barris and Batman. Ford and Thunderbirds. Dodge and The Wraith. Now there’s a new one: Aston Martin and Call Of Duty. Huh?
Yes, Aston Martin has partnered with the franchise that gave you such hits as “No Russian” and incendiary Xbox 360-era lobby chats. Apparently, there’s a new instalment coming out called “Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4” and it needed a hero car. However, this concept is nothing like a Vantage or even a DBX. It’s a weird SUV for one of the strangest branding tie-ins in modern automotive history.
It’s called the Dreadnought, and it looks a bit like a cross between an Aston Martin Valour and a Toyota FJ Cruiser. Huge, jacked-up, chiseled and brawny, this concept’s a very different beast than what we’ve previously seen from the marque. However, despite playing in a different genre than any other Aston Martin, all the familiar styling cues are here.
Up front, there’s certainly a whiff of the old ’70s Aston Martin V8 to the Dreadnought, what with its hood bulge and outboard headlights and slim signature grille. However, not only has it gone low-poly, but it’s also sporting some off-roady hardware. The most notable addition is the driving lights in front of the upper grille, each featuring a 5×5 grid of LEDs. These lamps naturally draw comparison to Hyundai’s recent pixel detailing, probably not the likeness Aston Martin was looking for. In the event those don’t throw enough light, two more light bars sit above the windscreen. Recovery hooks on the front bumper should be good for a conceptual yank, and there’s plenty of ground clearance for … whatever you’ll be doing in the game.
Around back, the adaptation of styling cues continues with a treatment similar to that of the Victor, standalone LEDs set low beneath a dramatic ducktail. There’s loads of extra sculpting here, from the area scooped out of the tail to the aggressive rear window louvers. Even the flank surfacing is rather severe, emphasizing sharp creases and wide haunches. Also, green. A good shade. Mind you, camera mirrors seem mildly impractical for combat use. Thwack one of the spindly little arms on the move, and there goes some of your situational view.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Dreadnought isn’t a real car in the traditional sense. There’s a model for display to bring this video game creation into the real world, but that’s about it. Think of it as the much more bizarre cousin of one of those Vision Gran Turismo concepts, and you’re on the right track. While this brand partnership doesn’t seem obvious, it’s resulted in something unusual and wheeled. Hey, it’s far more elaborate than the Jeep Wrangler Call Of Duty: MW3 Edition.
Top graphic image: Aston Martin
If they took these general proportions and shape but applied the same styling language as they do on their road cars, I could see this being the first exotic car company SUV I lust after.
Seems like all of the British automakers have gone off the deep and and no longer make cars. They make non-existent fever dream concept sketches of cars that absolutely don’t look like the brands they are supposedly representing. This thing looks like some AI bullshit someone conjured up.
This would sell better than the Jaguar type 01
Please do NOT put this into FH6, Microsoft. This franchise doesn’t need any recognition and you already have the Warthog in there anyway for a scifi pseudo-military offroader.
I agree, but the fact that the Warthog is present, plus all the offroad/cross-country races means there’s a high chance it shows up in FH6.
For when ya got a REAL big wiener and ya drive around town.
It looks like a big cat, like a puma.
I thought the same thing. Back in the day, I was such a fan I even bought the “my other car is a puma” bumper sticker for my Saturn. I’m not sure anyone ever understood the reference.
Quit making up animals!