
Aston Martin has revealed interior shots of its new £4million luxury vehicle - but it's not a car, it's a submarine.

The joint venture with underwater specialists Triton will soon allow the British marque's affluent buyers to enjoy the Aston Martin experience 500 metres below the sea's surface, in a vehicle that is currently codenamed 'Project Neptune'.

For the first time since initial pictures emerged, interior shots of the 'exclusive, strictly-limited edition submersible' have been shown, revealing a James Bond-style three-seat layout offering near 360-degree visibility that would be ideal for Aston-fan 007 to escape his adversaries by water.

007-seas: This is the new Aston Martin Project Neptune that will offer the most well-heeled of customers the chance to be chauffeured into the deep for up to 10 hours

Aston Martin previously said Project Neptune would be heavily influenced by its £2.5 million Valkyrie - the forthcoming hypercar that will be able to surge past 200mph once production of the 175-only limited run commences this year.

The submarine won't be quite as quick as that, though. Far from it, in fact.

The pod-like sub will be able to travel up to speeds of 5 knots when fully submerged, which works out at just under 6mph. That means it won't be able to outsprint an Olympic freestyle swimmer - over 50 metres, at least.

While the top speed is less than 3 per cent of what the Valkyrie can do, it is four times faster than Triton's most potent model in production - the £2.2 million 3300/3 model.

While it can seat three, one perch is there for a trained and qualified pilot.

They will control the craft using a three-axis joystick and it should be able to travel for stints lasting up to 10 hours without having to come up for air.

The transparent acrylic bubble offers panoramic views of the surroundings, while the powerful LED headlights should mean there are no depths too murky for the Aston Martin vessel.

You could take control of the sub yourself, if your pockets are deep enough, though owners will need to undertake a month of pilot training in which they or their crew member will need to learn how to launch and recover the craft to a deck using a crane that's sold separately - and how to keep it safely when not in use.

These are the first images revealing the interior. The pod has three chairs - one for the pilot at the back and two for the passengers who also get an arm rest

The Project Neptune will be shown in the metal for the first time at this week's LYBRA Superyacht Show in Barcelona, Spain

Even when diving as low as 500 metres (1,640 feet), occupants will be able to enjoy the deep blue in the utmost luxury imaginable, in what is essentially a stylish torpedo.

Aston Martin says its been working closely with the Florida-based submarine builder to 'refine the detailed design of the submersible’s hydrodynamics, body styling and luxurious interior packaging'.

Marek Reichman, Aston Martin's chief creative officer, said the interior design of Project Neptune was a greater challenge than that of the ultra-light Valkyerie, despite the latter needing to protect driver and passenger in what could be a 200mph collision while feeling as opulent as a high-end penthouse suite.

'Unlike a sports car where the interiors are installed into an open-sided cabin before the doors are fitted, everything you see inside will be lowered through the upper-hatch and assembled within the completed sphere of the pressure hull,' Reichman said.

'We have been able to present a congruous aesthetic that defies its multi-part complex installation.'

Could the new Aston Martin out-run Bond's most famous submarine? The Lotus Esprit used in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) was bought by Tesla founder Elon Musk in 2013 for £616,000

The film car had been lost since its appearance in the hit Bond movie, but was rediscovered in 1989 by a storage hunter who paid $100 for a container in Long Island. There he found the vehicle - without its wheels - covered by blankets. Not a bad find

John Ramsay, chief technical officer at Triton Submarines, added: I’m particularly proud of our joint development of the acrylic canopy and iridium coating. The prototypes look incredible, being simultaneously functional and beautiful.

'The interior is quintessentially Aston Martin – a luxurious mix of hand-stitched leather and high-performance carbon fibre, assembled without obstructing the panoramic sight-lines that Triton submersibles are famous for.'

Just like when buyers spec their new Vantage or DB11 in dedicated boutique showrooms, Aston Martin submarine buyers will also get to choose from a range of colours and trims - of which the British marque's in-house design team has offered three variations, including the electric green paint that's divided opinion when used on the latest models in recent months.

Additional customisation and personalisation options will be available courtesy of Aston Martin’s bespoke service, Q by Aston Martin, the car maker revealed.

While the price has yet to be confirmed, more details are due to be made available on the vessel when it appears at this week's LYBRA Superyacht Show in Barcelona, Spain.

‹ Slide me › The submarine and a car capable of hitting 62mph in sub-4-seconds: Here's how the Project Neptune compares to the latest Aston Martin Vantage. A variety of colour options will be available - some of which will divide opinion

The design of the submarine has been inspired by the £2.5 million Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar that's due to go into production this year

Aston Martin will make 150 Valkyrie road cars with an asking price of £2.5 million and a further 25 AMR Pro track versions that will cost £3 million a piece