Rumors of a V12-powered Aston Martin Cygnet come and go, but this time they sound more legit than ever. Sources close to the British company say they have completed a feasibility study that shows there is sufficient demand for such a car to make a business case for it.

How in the world are they going to fit that massive 6.0 liter V12 engine under the tiny bonnet of the Toyota iQ – which the Cygent really is – and how the end result is going to behave, we don’t know. But we have to say we quite like the idea of a V12 Cygent, just because it sounds wonderfully silly!

That said, the whole point of making the Cygnet was for Aston to reduce its average carbon emissions across the range, so they can keep making their big, V12 cars. And now the Cygent is getting a V12 too. Mind you, it will probably be limited to just a few units, and sold at an excruciatingly high price. Think of it as Aston’s Nissan Juke-R.

If Aston Martin finally makes the Cygent V12, they will certainly detune the engine from it original 520 hp –  the Cygnet will just explode if you give it that much power. What’s more, massive structural work is needed to fit the engine into the car, and to make the whole thing work.

The standard 97 bhp Cygnet will remain in production unchanged.

via Autocar