Aston Martin has revealed a wild new military off-roader as a virtual concept for the new Call of Duty videogame - but Autocar has been up close with the real thing. 

Making its debut at a gaming convention in New York, the Dreadnought is named for a revolutionary British warship from the early 20th century - which tallies with its hulking, functional design and battle-ready conception.

Measuring just under five metres in length and 2.1 metres wide, the Dreadnought is slightly smaller in footprint than a DBX - but far more imposing. 

It is (virtually) powered by the same 824bhp twin-turbo V12 as in the Vanquish GT, and while Aston has not revealed any performance stats, the huge JCB tyres, Dakar-style dual-shock suspension and lofty ride height should mean it can maintain supercar levels of pace across all types of terrain.

Nods to other models in the line-up include the Valhalla-style quad-exit exhaust, the Valour-inspired rear deck and the brake lights, which are modelled on the Valkyrie's. It's also finished in Chiltern Green – a signature colour that Aston has offered on its cars since the DB7 launched in 1994 – and features fog lights in its grille, like the original V8 Vantage.

The twin tow hooks, LED light bars and exterior grab handles – to allow the two-seat Dreadnought to carry as many troops as possible – are all bespoke to the concept, though. 

Autocar understands that even though the Dreadnought's designers were unconstrained by legislation, they kept the real world in mind - and it could hypothetically be made real by Aston's bespoke division upon customer request, like the one-off Victor supercar from 2020.

As it is designed for the (virtual) battlefield, it is markedly less luxurious inside than any real-world Aston Martin, placing greater emphasis on functionality. A large screen displays the driver’s speed, direction, pitch and roll and – because the Dreadnought has been developed for the latest Call of Duty video game – how many opponents the driver has eliminated. This function is unlikely to make it to any future production car.

In keeping with the broader industry’s return to physical buttons, the Dreadnought has a suite of toggles and switches for easy access to the most commonly used functions: raising its bulletproof shield, priming the external guns, or calling in airstrikes. 

There is also dedicated assault rifle storage inside the doors, and the traditional cup holders in the centre console are swapped for a grenade rack.

While the Dreadnought has no direct production intent, many car makers have used videogames as a platform to preview shifts in design - including Aston itself, which previewed the Valkyrie with the DP100 racer for Gran Turismo in 2014.

An Aston off-road supercar is also not as incongruous a concept as it may sound; Autocar reported in 2024 that the firm was mulling a super-4x4 to rival the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. That car was internally referred to as Project Rambo.