Straightline
Aston Martin
July 7, 2008
Gotta love those wacky Brits! Oh wait... this wacky off-roadster wasn't created by wacky Brits, but rather by two wacky Germans who love classic wacky British vehicles!
The idea behind the Bell Aurens Longnose Land Rover "off-roadster" was to combine two icons of the British auto industry, that being the classic Land Rover, with that of the powerful, long-hooded sports cars (think Jag XK120, Aston Martin, etc.) into one vehicle. What a wacky idea! ...And oh so British, even if it was done by Germans. Have to wonder though if these guys aren't really just closet Jeepster fans?
What you see here is a computer-generated image, but this sucker is scheduled for production! Pricing is expected to be over €100,000 with each vehicle custom built to order. Suppliers so far include Land Rover tuning company JE Engineering who will supply 4.6 and 5.0 Liter Rover V8 engines, which includes stage 3 tuning and a special SU carburator set up. And Delta4x4, the German wheel manufacturer will supply a special set of Loder wheels. There will also be a V12 option, hence the ultra-long hood. More details are to come later.
Full story here.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland July 7, 2008, 4:00 AM
- Categories: Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, SUVs, Sports Cars
March 5, 2008
Aston Martin will tell you that this V12-powered Vantage RS is just a concept. Yeah, and the Pussycat Dolls can sing.
To create the Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS, Aston's engineers put the company's largest V12 engine in its smallest car. The result is a a 600-horsepower monster that can reach 200 mph...
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- Posted by: March 5, 2008, 2:19 AM
- Categories: Aston Martin, Geneva Motor Show
January 7, 2008
More evidence of the impact of the green movement upon motorsports is the announcement of Aston Martin's GT2 race car can run on either E85 bioethanol or standard race fuel. In 2007 Aston Martin converted a standard DBRS9 to run on E85, and this is the next logical extension of that experiment.
"Thanks to our experience with the DBRS9, we have been able to develop a bioethanol-fueled version, which will be eligible to compete in an increasing number of series now accommodating this greener fuel, including the American Le Mans Series," said Robin Brundle, Aston Martin Racing's new managing director.
Here's Inside Line's take: Aston Martin Goes Green With Vantage GT2
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- Posted by: Bob Holland January 7, 2008, 5:00 AM
- Categories: Aston Martin, Motorsports, Sports Cars
September 15, 2007
Tragedy strikes the world of rallying as Colin McRae, one of the world's great rally racers, was killed along with his 5-year old son Johnny after his helicoper crashed near Strathclyde Scotland, a half mile from his home. There may also have been another child and adult aboard who also perished.
Jean-Eric Freudiger, McRae's agent, last night said that he had spoken to the driver's brother and that he had confirmed the former champion had been piloting the Squirrel aircraft. Freudige added: "I have heard that it was his aircraft...
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- Posted by: Bob Holland September 15, 2007, 1:32 PM
- Categories: Aston Martin, Ford, Motorsports, Subaru
September 11, 2007
According to Aston Martin's CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, the new DBS is like Muhammad Ali. It is, in other words, all about grace, elegance and power. Having been introduced to us in the James Bond movie Casino Royale, the DBS is finally available for (rich) mere mortals to buy. The first customer cars will be delivered in November and will cost $265,000. Aston claims already to have orders for a thousand cars, equivalent to two years production...
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August 30, 2007
Inside Line has obtained these spy shots of a new, uprated version of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Developed to complement the standard Vantage, the new model will feature upgrades to the suspension, brakes and engine. Expect better breathing and a new ECU to deliver improved throttle response with more power and torque.
Comparisons with the Porsche 911 GT3 are obvious, but Aston insiders insist the new car will not be as radical as its German rival...
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July 9, 2007
AutoExpress is reporting that the Lexus LF-A coupe may get a V10 engine. The genesis of this engine was the Toyota's F1 effort, which developed the V10. The production version could well have over 500 horsepower.
The front-engined, rear-wheel-drive car appears to be aimed directly at the Aston Martin DB9, as well as the Ferrari F430, Mercedes SL65 AMG, and the Porsche 911 turbo...
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March 12, 2007
The announcement of the Aston Martin sale is expected today by Ford. Word has it that it will be sold to group of private investors, in a deal worth about $870 million, so say sources familiar with the situation.
The group is led by auto racing entrepreneur David Richards, a founder of Prodrive Ltd., which runs Aston Martin's racing program. Richards would be backed by Kuwait's Investment Dar Co., among others...
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- Posted by: Bob Holland March 12, 2007, 7:44 AM
- Categories: Aston Martin
February 1, 2007
BREAKING NEWS!
According to MarketWatch, French luxury-goods company LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA has agreed to acquire Ford Motor Co.'s Aston Martin brand. Autobild is also reporting that Ford would retain a 15% stake.
Full story here.
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- Posted by: Bob Holland February 1, 2007, 2:43 PM
- Categories: Aston Martin, Auto Industry, Ford, Trends
January 9, 2007
Hello? Is there anybody in there? (add echo effect here)
Award for the strangest (and quietest) auto show stand goes this year to Aston Martin. Well, we say "stand," but it's really nothing of the sort...
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- Posted by: Daniel Pund January 9, 2007, 9:09 AM
- Categories: Aston Martin, Auto Industry, Detroit Auto Show, Ford
Not to be lost among all the new car news at Detroit is the fact that Ford is zooming in on a short list of serious bidders for the Aston Martin brand.
Executive Vice President Lewis Booth said the sale will occur "sooner rather than later" this year, he said today in an interview at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "We're assessing the bids," while declining to discuss specifics.
Full story here...
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November 28, 2006
Twenty one hours before the company's official LA Auto Show press conference, Aston Martin showed off its new drop dead gorgeous droptop V8 Vantage Roadster at the Beverly Hills home of noted car collectors Ginny and David Sydorick. Invited press and VIPs were treated to an evening of beautiful cars and postcard views of downtown LA. The champagne wasn't bad either.
One section of the Sydorick's massive garage houses a Aston Martin DB7 Zagato, which is one of just 100 cars of its kind, and the buck used by the Zagato Coachworks to form its voluptuous body panels...
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- Posted by: November 28, 2006, 11:52 PM
- Categories: Aston Martin, LA Auto Show, Sports Cars
November 16, 2006
Has Aston Martin ever produced an ugly car? I can't recall even one...
This new (and as expected) gorgeous Vantage Roadster will be introduced at the LA auto show at the end of this month, with deliveries beginning in the second quarter of 2007. The powertrain is shared with the Vantage coupe...
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- Posted by: Bob Holland November 16, 2006, 7:15 AM
- Categories: All Auto Shows, Aston Martin, LA Auto Show, Sports Cars
September 30, 2006
For those who want to drive a V8 Vantage but don't want to do their own clutchwork, Aston Martin introduced a Sportshift Vantage coupe at the Paris show. It's not a fancy dual-clutch setup like Audi's DSG. Rather, Aston Martin has taken the existing six-speed manual gearbox and fitted it with electro-hydraulic control and column-mounted magnesium paddle shifters. Eighteen months of development work went into this modification, and shifts come three time faster than with the regular manual, says the company...
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- Posted by: Erin Riches September 30, 2006, 3:44 PM
- Categories: Aston Martin, Coupes, Paris Auto Show
August 31, 2006
Hmm... Sell Aston Martin, and not Jaguar or Land Rover? Ford is considering it. Will this help Jaguar, as they've always been positioned under Aston Martin on the corporate Prestige-o-Meter?..
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- Posted by: Bob Holland August 31, 2006, 6:37 AM
- Categories: Aston Martin, Ford
June 29, 2006
If you haven't already heard, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage has one of the sweetest sounding exhaust notes this side of a Flowmastered big block. We can only imagine how much better it will sound without all that roof structure in the way. Judging from our latest spy pics it won't be long, as the V8 Vantage Volante looks like it's in the final shake down stages before an imminent world debut.
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig June 29, 2006, 12:09 PM
- Categories: Aston Martin, Coupes, Spy Photos
February 20, 2006
When Aston Martin unveiled the Rapide sedan at this year's Detroit auto show, it was labeled a concept car. Now a report in Automotive News says suppliers to Aston Martin have told the trade publication the car will go into production next summer. That's good for anybody who wants a drop dead gorgeous sedan with an Aston badge. It's not so good for Porsche...
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig February 20, 2006, 11:23 AM
- Categories: Aston Martin, Detroit Auto Show, Luxury Cars, Sedans
January 9, 2006
Call me uncynical. Call me unjaded. Call me Ishmael. Call me Ishtar if you want, but the fact is, this Detroit is getting better...
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The Aston-Martin boys deserve credit. The four-door Rapide looks stunning and should give Maserati (Quattroporte), Porsche (Panamera) and even Bentley (Flying Spur) something to worry about.
Lewis Booth, head of PAG, said three of the four brands he oversees are in the black. If they can keep producing models like this they might just be a floatation device (versus dead weight) during Ford's turnaround effort...
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- Posted by: Karl Brauer January 9, 2006, 11:39 AM
- Categories: All Auto Shows, Aston Martin, Detroit Auto Show
