Posts Tagged Aston Martin

Aston Martin V8 Vantage

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Aston Martin is bringing its racing experience to the road, as the company is launching the V8 Vantage N420 edition. The vehicle is inspired from the carmaker’s experiences at the Nurburgring 24 hour race and follows the V8 Vantage N400 edition launched in 2007.

The car uses the standard 4.7 liter V8 powerplant developing 420 hp, which offers it a top speed of 180 hp and is available in both the coupe and roadster versions, being available with a six speed manual or an optional Sportshift automated manual transmission.

The most important feature of the new edition is a 27 kg weight reduction, which has been achieved through the use of carbon fiber. Read the rest of this entry »

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Aston Martin DB9 into a DBS

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Within the space of six months, edo competition, located in the Westphalian Ahlen, has transformed a 5 year old DB9 into an Aston Martin DBS. And that’s exactly what a Russian customer asked for: Turn a DB9 into a DBS

This not so trivial conversion involved replacing steel body panels with carbon fiber pieces and increasing the engine output from 470 to a staggering 550 horsepower. That’s why it will now do 320 km/h (199 mph) when the old car topped out at 295 km/h (183 mph). Its new 20 inch wheels and wider body contribute to a more muscular appearance, and numerous aerodynamic parts, such as a carbon fiber front skirt as well as a carbon fiber rear diffuser, underline the car’s sporting credentials.

The custom interior presented a unique challenge: The dashboard, center console, headliner, door panels and seats were refinished with utmost precision. The choice of materials and colors was left to the customer, who, in this case, opted for an Alcantara/leather interior with carbon fiber inserts and metal accents. Read the rest of this entry »

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2011 Aston Martin DB9

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Aston Martin is on a roll of late, the latest creation its four-door masterpiece, the Rapide. While that car has its quirks, it’s certainly one of the most attractive four-door sports cars in existence. Last year, the company shoe-horned a brawny V-12 engine into the Vantage, taking the car’s performance to a new level. Now Aston Martin is preparing a facelift of its DB9 grand tourer, captured testing in prototype form in these latest spy shots.

Not wanting to muck around with the beautiful lines of the DB9, Aston Martin designers are preparing only a small facelift for the car, consisting of new bumpers, a bigger rear spoiler and side skirts borrowed from the more extreme DBS.

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Mr. Bean Is Racing

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Rowan Atkinson, the British comedian famous for his role as Mr. Bean, is to partner with Prodrive and Aston Martin chairman, David Richards, to race an Aston Martin Vantage GT4, Aston Martin Racing announced recently.Atkinson and Richards will team up at the second round of the Aston Martin British GT4 Challenge, scheduled to take place at Silverstone on May 22.

Richards, who won the World Rally Championship in 1981 as a co-driver, and has been waiting for a while now to get behind the wheel of the Vantage GT4.

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Aston Martin Goes to Nurburgring 24 Hour Race

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To underline the sporting pedigree of its latest model, Aston Martin released today photos and information of the race-spec version of the Rapide. The car will meet the racetrack during the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring, on May 15-16, 2010.

One of the drivers of the Rapide will be Aston Martin’s CEO, Ulrich Bez, who is a traditional competitor at the Nordschleife as a gentleman racer. The modifications of the car are not extensive: it has only been prepared for racing, not upgraded. The engine is the same, the interior has been fitted with racing seats, rollcage and fire extinguishers and the suspension has been retuned. Of course, the Rapide will roll on slick tires.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Aston Martin V12 Vantage

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Buyers of mainstream cars couldn’t care less about the advanced production details of their vehicles as long as the wheels keep spinning, but when it comes to supercars, like Aston Martins, some users would even like to know what medical school the surgeon that stitched the leather upholstery went to.

We’d like to tell you that (actually, we’re more interested in Alcantara operations) but, unfortunately, we can’t right now, as we’re still gathering information. However, we do know that the toff adrenaline junkie-destined V12 Vantage rides on lightweight rims supplied by Alcoa Auto Wheels.

These feature a “diamond-turned”, ten-spoke design and are wider than the wheels used on the “torque working class” V8 Vantage. The set that flanks the V12 powerplant comes in a 19 inch x 9 inch size, while the one that handles the engine’s fury comes in a 19 inch x 11 inch size. This is not marketing, it is engineering, as the rims have to accommodate wider tires. All the work results in maximum supported cornering force of up to 1.3g, a record for Aston Martin and a more-than-enough value to bring your female partner closer to you when you really want to.

T he forging technology behind these wheels enables significant weight savings directly benefiting handling performance, ride quality, acceleration and braking,” explains David Yates, marketing manager for Alcoa Europe. “Our forging process results in a superior metal structure that also improves strength and durability, allowing finer wheel detailing and lighter weight.

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Aston Martin Rapide, the Most Beautiful Supercar of 2009

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The Aston Martin Rapide has been named “The most beautiful Supercar of the Year’” at The Festival Automobile International held in Paris.

A jury lead by Alain Prost, four times Formula One Champion and architect Jean-Michael Wimotte offered the limited edition Daum Trophee created by French designer Christian Ghion “to the most fascinating project of the year that balanced ingeniously both art and automobile,“.

The Aston Martin Rapide is a balance between automotive design art and engineering excellence, a beautifully proportioned and elegant four-door sports car, without compromise - a true icon,“, Marek Reichman, Design Director of Aston Martin, said during the award ceremony.

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Aston Martin Goes Le Mans Series

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Following a mist of uncertainty over the participation of the Aston Martin LMP1 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and March’s Sebring 12 Hours, the British carmaker confirmed its entry for both events.

In addition to the entry in the two races, Aston Martin confirmed Mexican driver Adrian Fernandez as one of the drivers for American Le Mans Series, while Stefan Mucke, Darren Turner, Harold Primat and Chris Buncombe will remain with the factory team. According to Autosport, a sixth driver is to be announced in the following weeks.

“We are looking forward to a great season of racing and we hope to have another strong showing at Le Mans,” team boss George Howard-Chappell was quoted as saying by the source.

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JWR Motorsport Sign Aston Martin Deal

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After they’ve run Ferrari machineries during their maiden Le Mans Series campaign last year, JMW Motorsport have now confirmed they will field an Aston Martin Vantage GT2 in the 2010 Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 Hours race.

No further from last week, Aston Martin confirmed that JMW Motorsport have been chosen as the manufacturer’s new development partners for its GT2 programme. No doubt about it, the team’s great season in 2009, when they managed to finish runner-up in their class, was pretty important in Aston Martin’s decision-making process.

Following the closing of the three-year partnership programme, the team headed by principal Jim McWhirter will start developing the new Vantage GT2 right away, meaning in the very first month of 2010. A testing programme has already been put in place by the team’s officials in order for the car to be highly competitive for the season opener at Castellet, on April 11th.

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Aston Martin Lagonda Crossover Concept

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Aston Martin tried to revive the Lagonda brand at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show but people’s reaction after this first public appearance was somehow… unexpected. The car failed to impress and most Aston Martin fans considered that the concept doesn’t fit the main attributes of the Lagonda brand. Still, the luxury car manufacturer is still in doubt whether to push Lagonda into production or not so here is another set of photos showing both the interior and the exterior of the car.

As you can see for yourselves, the interior looks pretty awkward, although the rear seats seem to be quite comfortable. Still, the kitschy fur on the front seats might make you think you’re actually sitting in some bad taste creation belonging to an anonymous tuning house.

Unfortunately, Aston Martin really believes the car would be successful but, once again, a final decision on whether to start production of the car or not is yet to be made.

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