Aston Martin key fob shows its true origins
LLN:
One of the biggest buying points for the world’s top tier automakers is
exclusivity. Not only will you rarely ever see another example of your
six-figure model next to you at a stop light, but everything you see
and touch is exclusive to your particular automobile – unless your
supercar was once produced by Detroit’s finest.
Ford recent sold its Aston Martin sports car brand, but, thanks to a
$65 million stake in Aston, the Blue Ovals finger prints are still all
over the fabled marque. Aston Martins still use plenty of parts
straight from Ford’s parts bin, including most switch gear and
navigation system pieces, but while Aston does little to hide its parts
from their humble origins, you don’t normally find other brand’s names
on them.
That’s why one Aston Martin V8 Vantage owner was so shocked to see the
Volvo name on his key fob. It remains unclear how the key fob was
damaged, but the trauma was enough to peel away the key’s leather
cover, revealing the Volvo name.
“Our reaction was amusement and slight horror,” the owner told Car
Magazine. “We all know they share parts, but you would have thought
someone would have invested a tenner to rub the name off.”
Hopefully under Aston Martin’s new ownership parts will become more
exclusive, but with Ford still in the mix, anything is possible. That
being said, Aston Martin is switching to a new ‘Emotional Control Unit’
glass-block key, so at least you won’t be starting your $130,000 car
with a leftover Volvo key.