SANTA has arrived early for five wealthy fans of Aston Martin's handsome sports cars - they've bagged all but one of an ultra-expensive special edition of the two-seater Vanquish.

The first car of the mere six being built to mark the 60th anniversary of the company's presence in the Midlands' town of Newport Pagnell was unveiled at a Christmas party at Aston Martin Works, where owners from all over the world have their cars restored or serviced.

For decades every Aston Martin was built at Newport Pagnell, until production moved several years ago to Gaydon in Warwickshire.

Each of the six special editions carries a little bit of the old works on its dashboard - the surrounds of major controls on the centre console have been made from metal first used in the pistons of engines fitted to cars built at Newport Pagnell, drawn from each decade of construction.

Aston Martin won't say how much each of the Aston Martin Works 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Vanquish cars will cost.

A spokesman would only say "prices are available on application", but expect them to cost a great deal more than the £192,995 asked for a standard Vanquish Coupe or £204,995 for a Vanquish Volante convertible.   

Among other stand out features on the six cars are Anniversary Yellow wheels, white and black panels in the seats and inscribed sill plaques visible when a door is opened.

Mechanically, the 60th Anniversary cars are standard Vanquish, with 6.0-litre V12 engines providing more than 200mph and the sprint to 60mph in 3.6 seconds.