Aston Martin V8 Volante
Aston Martin V8 Volante: The Royal One-Off with a Taste for Sugar Cubes
One of the most exclusive Aston Martins ever built wasn’t designed for the racetrack — but for royalty. The Aston Martin V8 Volante, gifted to the then Prince Charles by Emir Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain, was no ordinary supercar.
At the Prince’s request, Aston Martin made several custom modifications to this already iconic model. Among the first things to go was the deep chin spoiler, which had been added in later versions of the V8. The Prince also insisted on a manual gearbox, reflecting his love for hands-on driving.
But the real charm lies in the personalization:
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The centre console was reconfigured to hold a jar of sugar cubes — not for royal snacking, but for feeding polo ponies.
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The ashtray? It was cleverly converted into a storage space for royal sunglasses.
The car was so unique that the configuration earned a name of its own: the PoW (Prince of Wales) specification. Aston Martin enthusiasts — including the brand’s then-chairman Victor Gauntlett — found the design irresistible. Several units were later built to similar PoW specs, though no two were exactly alike.
Because, let’s face it — not everyone needs a sugar cube holder in their Aston Martin