Aston Martin Crafts a Combat-Ready V12 SUV That Exists Only Inside Call of Duty, Named Dreadnought

Aston Martin has stepped into the virtual battlefield with a vehicle that will never leave the digital realm. Called the Dreadnought, this armored two-door SUV was built exclusively for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and its Warzone and DMZ modes. It arrives when the game launches on October 23, and players will find it at select points of interest ready to be claimed, driven, and inevitably shot at.

Aston Martin designers had a great time working with the Infinity Ward team, but there was one key hitch. There were no real-world engineering or safety requirements to worry about, so they were able to go wild and design a beast that nevertheless bears the Aston Martin DNA. It’s made of carbon fiber, with the bodywork featuring a nice herringbone weave design. It’s a tall and wide beast, with big chunky tires filling out the trapezoidal wheel arches and a track so wide that you’d think it was designed for off-roading. Up front, the headlights are an unusual three LED strips arranged like a stairway and snugly fitted against the bodywork. The rectangular grille houses two square LED lamps, as well as a lower aperture for a silver skid plate and two large tow hooks.

A prominent ducktail spoiler stands at the back, atop a set of slatted louvres that have replaced a traditional rear window. The taillights are made up of eight LED dashes, although it’s worth noticing that there are a couple more tow hooks jutting out above those big quad exhaust pipes, and the tyres are sitting out in the open, ready to do some real work when you need to make a quick getaway. On top, there are several roof-mounted LED strips to provide additional lighting when you’re out operating at night.

Don’t get the wrong impression, though; despite all the armor and hostility on display, there’s still plenty of luxury on offer. The exterior is painted in Chiltern Green, a hue that has long been associated with the company. Inside, Oxford Tan leather wraps around the dash and door panels, while military green leather covers the seats and steering wheel. The gear lever, Aston Martin insignia, stitching and trim, and even the door hinges are all accented with metallic gold. An octagonal steering wheel sits in front of a pair of circular instruments, and a small screen across the dash displays your digital communications. If you look closely, you’ll notice that you have some backup fuel tanks and some specialized storage for your gear, which adds up to a really strong setup.

Naturally, performance revolves around going big or going home. A full-fat V12 engine is chugging away beneath the hood, and let me tell you, it makes a hell of a lot of noise when it’s running full-throttle, which is probably just as well because you’ll be able to warn folks what’s coming. All-wheel drive has been designated as the most aggressive option available, providing enough of traction, genuine speed, and just enough momentum to make a mess of things. The armor plating is about as thick as it gets, transforming this into a mobile bunker capable of withstanding some significant punishment. Because of the adaptable combat systems on board, it should be able to handle almost any setting, from the heart of the city to a wide expanse of farmland.

Every last detail of this beast was created in collaboration with Infinity Ward, so you can bet your life it feels like a true Aston Martin, even though it is armed to the teeth and ready to work in a battle zone. The name carries a lot of weight; after all, Dreadnought literally means “fear nothing,” and it immediately recalls the pioneering early twentieth-century British battleship, HMS Dreadnought: a ship whose cutting-edge design radically revolutionized naval combat.

A life-size replica of the digital design will be on display at Fanatics Fest in New York, allowing fans to get up close and personal with the game before it is released. There are no plans for actual production cars, as the Dreadnought is a one-of-a-kind digital invention, a super high-performance luxury SUV that only lives in the world of virtual reality, where gamers can climb in, crank it up, and take it for a wild ride through the virtual battlefield.