Aston Martin (8 Posts)
Rule Britannia!
Germany knocked out England in the real World Cup, but not this time as it turns out revenge is a dish best served with Earl Grey and digestive biscuits. Without question, the English people will be able to sleep better tonight knowing that Aston Martin and Edmunds' James Riswick kept the British end up defeating all comers in the Face-Off World Cup.
So here's to the Aston Martin DBS, the world's favorite car and savior of England. Winston would be proud.
So here we are in the Face-Off World Cup Finals. Sadly, Spyker and Seat weren't around to create a repeat of the real World Cup, but the great powers of England and Germany will certainly do. When it comes to cars, the two countries are an exercise in contrasts. While Germany presents the epitome of engineering excellence and stern efficiency, England has devoted itself to creating cars with the unquantifiable aspect of "character."
While both countries could have brought many cars into this tournament, the ones selected certainly belong here in the finals. In Germany's black, yellow and red corner is Herr Karl Brauer and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. In England's corner waving St. George's Cross is James Riswick and the Aston Martin DBS.
Final votes will be tallied Wednesday at 3 p.m. PST.
Are you one of those car guys who wish he could go back in time and buy a brand new exotic sports car from the 1950s or 1960s? Maybe an Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato (shown above, only 19 ever produced) or Ferrari 250 GTO (shown below, only 39 ever made)? Well, provided you have the massive funds, you can commission an exacting reproduction of not only that Ferrari or Aston, but any of dozens of classic Italian and British sports/racing cars but others including Maseratis and Jaguars.
Sometimes it's fun just to look at pretty pictures.
Automotive photography can be a glorious meeting of natural and man-made beauty. If you've got the budget to fly at car to Iceland or Mallorca, as car companies do, it can elevate that photography to an even higher level. When that company is Aston Martin, well, that level becomes atmospheric.
Enjoy some of my favorites from the Aston Martin catalogue.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
Yeah, that's Left Eye, Chili and T-Boz of '90s rap/pop sensation TLC. It's the album cover of their sophomore effort, CrazySexyCool. I happened to catch a song off this album a while back on satellite radio. The title's supposed to reflect the women's different personalities (presumably, Left Eye was the crazy one, Chili was the sexy one and T-Bozwas the cool one).
Got me to thinking about the different personalities of cars, or at least our perceptions of them. So here you have it. My Crazy Sexy Cool Car list. After you've checked mine out, grace us with your very own picks for Crazy, Sexy and Cool, won't you?
In our ongoing series of future product plan coverage let's take a look at what will be coming across the Atlantic in the coming years. Glancing through the Automotive News analysis it would appear Europe's focus will be on crossovers, small cars and increased fuel efficiency. Who'd a thunk it? But a return of Alfa Romeo and a "cheap" Rolls Royce should keep things interesting. I'm only covering half of the European brands today because, well, there's a lot of them!
Alfa Romeo: After years of hints and innuendos it appears Alfa Romeo may really be coming to America in 2009. Look for the 8C Competizione
(rear-drive coupe with 450hp V8), the 159 sedan (front- or all-wheel drive), the Brea (a 2+2 coupe) and the Spider (a two-seat convertible based off the Brea platform). Momma-mia!
Aston Martin: The DBS is debuting this week in Frankfurt, and it looks to be a worthy successor to the Vanquish. But the real test of Aston Martin's future will come with the launch of it high-end, high-performance sedan, the Rapide
(in 2009). With new ownership and a new product direction the future could be very bright for this British brand.
Audi: The redesigned A4 is practically here, and the redesigned A6 follows next year. But the big news for 2009 is a sleek new A7 sedan that goes up against the CLS, plus not one but two
new crossovers (one of which is the Q5
, pictured). An A5 convertible and redesigned A8 round out the fun in 2010.
The topic of exotic car depreciation is one of those ugly truths no one wants to talk about -- at least no one who owns an exotic car. With the exception of late 90s Internet stock, exotic cars are one of the more effective money vacuums you will ever experience if you take the plunge and buy a new one. There are a few notable exceptions, such as mid-engine Ferraris, but that only holds true if you can get a new one at MSRP (which you can't unless you know the right person or put your name on a list and wait three years).
The good news is that I just drove an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The bad news is that it was raining the entire time. No matter when it rains in Southern California (which isn't very often) it never fails to screw something up. Often it's something pretty inconsequential, such as a major freeway being washed out or a landslide in millon-dollar neighborhoods. But this time it messed up my test drive. The nerve of Mother Nature!
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Recent Posts
Face-Off World Cup: Victory for England and the Aston Martin DBS!
August 5, 2010 9:00 AM
Face-Off World Cup: England's Aston Martin DBS vs Germany's Mercedes-Benz SLS
August 2, 2010 3:00 AM
Dream Car Corner: Hot Garage Time Machine
April 29, 2010 11:00 AM
Fun With Press Photos: Aston Martin
March 29, 2010 1:03 PM
March 19, 2010 6:00 AM
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