Category: Aston Martin

Well that didn’t take long! It looks as though some official info on the new Vanquish may have been posted to the Aston Martin website and then quickly removed. But not before GTspirit.com caught sight.

Official info is expected to be published in the next 24 hours, but it would appear the new Vanquish will be powered by a a 6.0 V12, as expected, with 421kW/620Nm. It can reach 100km/h in 4.1 seconds and has a 295km/h top speed.

Complementing the drivetrain is a limited-slip diff and a 6-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission. Those two features are key to the heart of the first ever Aston Martin Launch Control system as well.

The all-new Vanquish is built on the company’s new VH architecture and features carbon fibre body panels. Compared to the previous Vanquish torsional rigidity has been improved by 25 per cent.

Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston’s CEO, explains the One-77 hypercar provided plenty of inspiration for the new Vanquish: “This is the latest incarnation of everything we know, informed and developed from One-77. It is the ultimate Super Grand Tourer—confident and assured—and is the newest representation of Power, Beauty and Soul.”

UK pricing is a fiver under £190,000 and deliveries will commence later this year.

[Source: GTspirit.com & WCF]

Despite the new Vanquish Project AM 310 being unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este recently nothing official has been published by Aston Martin. According to a new teaser video, that’s all about to change.

Word came to us via an Aston Martin email announcing they have upgraded their media site:

“This summer as the team here at Aston Martin prepare for one of our most significant car launches of recent years, it seems an ideal opportunity to recreate and relaunch our global media website. I would like to invite you to join us and become one of the first to experience the impressive new site which we have thoroughly and thoughtfully re-engineered to better reflect the needs of the 21st Century journalist.”

So a “most significant” car launch is on its way. Will that simply be the Project AM 310, or will there be more? Perhaps, we may be told, officially, that the AM 310 will be the next Vanquish?

It’s 53 years since Aston Martin won Le Mans. It’s not a landmark anniversary by any means, but for the British marque this year’s appearance at the Circuit de la Sarthe is significant.

With the recent passing of winning drivers Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori, along with chief engineer Ted Cutting, it will be the first Le Mans race for Aston Martin without the men who led them to victory back in 1959.

To commemorate this Aston Martin has released some archival footage from the 1959 race. There’s no voiecover and no audio. Just the simplicity of a bygone era. Adding to the memories at this year’s race, the winning DBR1 will be dusted off and driven around the famous circuit once more.

Aston Martin’s Head of Motorsport, David King, sums up the company’s feelings: “We were deeply saddened by the loss of Carroll, Roy and Ted. They all played a hugely important role in Aston Martin’s racing history and will forever remain part of the company’s heritage. To mark their passing, we felt it fitting to return their car to the scene of its greatest victory.

“Many people have worked very hard to make this happen and we thank the Automobile Club de L’Ouest for its assistance.”

[Source: Aston Martin Racing]

Here, captured in a short video and on camera, is an undisguised Aston Martin, believed to be the company’s all-new Vanquish. It looks an awful lot like the Project AM310 concept revealed recently at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

It’s worth noting the car in this video is wearing “1 AML’ number plates, which often feature is promotional material for Aston Martin’s cars. Remember, Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin’s CEO, has already confirmed we will be seeing a new model in 2013.

Add all those ingredients together and it’s entirely plausible that this car will be in showrooms next year wearing the Vanquish badge.

Of course there’s nothing official from Gaydon at this point. So far, we like what we see and expect to be reading specs on a 6.0 V12 engine when details are confirmed.

[Source: autoblog.it]

According to the nice voiceover lady in this video the One-77 is “The pure essence of Aston Martin.” Whether one chooses to believe that or not, it cannot be denied that the One-77 is a big car. Both physically and metaphorically.

With 750hp available from its 7.3 litre V12, Aston proudly boasts the One-77 is the most powerful normally aspirated production car ever made. It takes 700 hours to hand form the aluminum body panels. And it takes a team of twelve craftsman nine days to create the 3800 carbon fibre parts used during the hand assembly. Like we said, it’s a big car. Then there’s the price.

Carrying a reported price tag of AU$3 million it will most likely be the one of the world’s most expensive used cars, as well. Due to all 77 examples being sold, second hand is the only way you’ll get your hands on one.

The video was filmed during the Auto China show in Beijing and is well worth a look. It’s all yours after the break.

Fresh from its world premiere appearance at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, comes this video of the Aston Martin Project AM310.

There’s elements of the One-77 to the styling and following suit the body work is expected to use lashings of carbon fibre.

The AM310 gives us the first inkling of what to expect for the next DBS. It’s got a 6.0 V12 under the bonnet, of course, that’s good for around 575hp (430kW). As the video shows, it’s a pretty wicked sounding engine too!

The official Aston Martin twitter account brought our attention to this trailer for the next James Bond movie, Skyfall. We figured if you have to have a bit of shameless product placement then what better product than a beautiful Aston sportscar. Things didn’t quite turn out as we expected.

There is one Aston in the clip, but we’re guessing the real Aston Martin eye candy will reveal itself in the full movie. Having said that, we’d have been quite happy to have seen a number of Cynicals in the train scene in this preview instead of the (old) New Beetles.

The official Aston Martin twitter feed brought our attention to the One-77 you see above. The car is powered by a 7.3 litre V12 and made its Australian debut a couple of weeks back at the Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast.

Taking a look at the Queensland plates you’ll soon guess the car is here to stay. It’s been reported the local purchase price was around $3 million. Wow!

The identity of the owner is being withheld for now, but we don’t imagine it will take too long for a shortlist of names to appear.

Turns out the V12 Zagato recently seen in Sydney was also on show on the Gold Coast. You can see a brief video from the swanky reveal after the break.

Next year marks 100 years since the birth of Aston Martin. Pretty cool, huh. And to celebrate the centenary they’re making a brand new car. Not another rehash of an existing model with frilly bits, but a brand new creation. Given Aston’s talent for making stunning looking machines this has made us a bit excited.

Even better, confirmation of the new car has come straight from the horse’s mouth, Aston Martin’s CEO Dr Ulrich Bez: “This will be an entirely new model. We have to do something remarkable to mark our centenary. It won’t be a DB9 with a Centenary Edition badge and it won’t be a limited edition like the One-77 supercar. This will be a mainstream Aston.”

With recent sightings of DBS-sized Astons undergoing testing and development it’s probably safe to start preparing for a new V12 coupé from Gaydon. And, knowing they’re onto a good thing, the new supercar’s exterior will be a development of Aston’s current styling.

“The best cars stand the test of time,” explained Dr Bez. “You need evolution in design, not constant change. Look at the Porsche 911.”

[Source: Auto Express]

Great news for Aston Martin with word via their latest accounts that business is booming. Headlining the financial figures is confirmation all of their One-77 supercars have now been sold. Remember, it was reported one greedy bugger ordered 10 of them!

Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin’s CEO, is only too happy to spread the good news, “Our 2011 results demonstrate the energy, passion and ongoing resilience of Aston Martin—a truly unique, independent manufacturer. We are on track with our expansion plans around the world, especially in China, and are investing in new models.

“The Aston Martin brand is stronger than ever. This is demonstrated by intense interest in the new V12 Zagato, recently shown at the Geneva Motor Show, and our $1.93-million One-77 supercar—all 77 of which are now sold.”

Aston’s revenue for the year ending 31 December 2011 came in at $817.3m, an increase of 7% and the highest figure recorded since 2008, before the GFC. Pre-tax earnings are almost $113m and they’ve locked in $122m in projected sales since the V12 Zagato was first shown to European audiences in Geneva.

Even better than that, they’ve given a couple of Aussies a factory drive in the 2012 Nürburgring 24 hour race. Details to be posted on AUSringers soon.

[Source: Auto Guide]