Aston Martin

The world's best sports car show

By Gizmag Team

20:19 August 20, 2009 PDT

Imagine a sports car show held not in an exhibition center, but at the safest racetrack in the world, so the cars can be appreciated in their natural surroundings, without speed limits. The first “International GT & Supercar Show” will be held at Circuit Paul Ricard in the South of France on September 26 and 27. Exhibitors include Ferrari, Gumpert, Koenigsegg, Ad Tramontana, Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, F&M, Morgan, Audi Wiesmann, Spyker, Mosler, Pagani, Porsche, Saleen, TVR, Yes, Venturi, Alfa Romeo Zagato, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Castagna Milano, Maserati, Lotus, Lightning and Tesla. Read More

The creation of a new font – using a Toyota IQ

By Mike Hanlon

20:16 July 22, 2009 PDT

Be of no doubt that the Toyota IQ is a landmark automobile. It may look like another city car, but it's the first genuine luxury super compact and the recently announced relationship with Aston Martin to create bespoke interiors for the vehicle is just the start of a massive push by the world's biggest automobile manufacturer to recalibrate public consciousness on the magnitude of luxury motoring. The creation of the IQ Agility computer font is another step in that process, and a devilishly clever one at that. Watch the video of how it was done and admire the work, not to mention be astonished that the IQ writes better than most humans. Read More

Aston Martin Rapide: four-door sports car

By Mike Hanlon

20:22 April 14, 2009 PDT

April 15, 2009. The Aston Martin Rapide (first pic at top) has moved into the final stages of its development programme, on course for a public debut in late 2009, with the first customer cars due to be delivered in early 2010. First revealed as the Aston Martin Rapide Concept at the Detroit Auto Show in 2006 (pic at bottom), the Rapide is Aston Martin's first true four-door production sports car. The Rapide encapsulates the core values of the brand within an elegant, high-powered sports grand tourer, with four full-sized seats, generous accommodation and luggage space and trademark Aston Martin performance. Powered by a version of Aston Martin's 6.0 litre V12 engine producing 470bhp and 600Nm of torque and, hand built at the company's engine facility in Cologne, the Rapide's rear wheels are driven through a highly responsive Touchtronic gearbox. Read More

Aston Martin reveals One-77 technical showcase

By Mike Hanlon

19:07 March 3, 2009 PST

The One-77 is Aston Martin’s definitive sports car, one that epitomises everything Aston Martin from technology, the hand-craftsmanship of the hand rolled aluminium panels to the attention to detail. A culmination of all the marque’s know-how, the One-77 delivers effortless beauty guaranteed to stir the senses with performance potential eclipsing any previous Aston Martin. Which makes the Geneva Auto Salon quite special because Aston Martin will be presenting a One-77 technical showcase with chassis no.1 will be on display as an exposé throughout the show detailing the quintessence of Aston Martin engineering and design expertise. Read More

P1-E electric car with a McLaren F1 beating 0-60 in 2.9 sec

By Paul Evans

23:09 January 27, 2009 PST

From the country with more cottage industry sports car manufactures per capita than anywhere else in the world, the British are at it again. No sooner has the much publicized British Lightning GT - an all electric Aston Martin look-a-like with four wheel motors - vanished from sight following wheel motor manufactures PML flight link being put into administration another previously unknown British sports car hopeful has announced an all electric sports car. Former McLaren employee Jim Dowle whose company JJAD first released details about his P1 sports car in February 2008 has now announced the P1-E. The P1 was originally conceived as a 200hp 870 kg petrol powered challenger to the Lotus Exige but Dowle has obviously seen the writing on the wall and the P1 has now been reincarnated as an All Wheel Drive battery electric sports car. Read More

Genuine Bond cars gathered for historic photo shoot

By Noel McKeegan

23:33 October 21, 2008 PDT

In some interesting news for Bond fans, the build-up to the latest film release in the long-running franchise has resulted in a photo-shoot featuring the largest number of genuine 007 cars ever captured in one location. The 19-page spread in the November issue of Octane magazine showcases nine cars that appeared in films shot between 1964 and 2008. Not surprisingly, the Aston Martin marque features heavily staring with the DB5 from 60's classics Goldfinger and Thunderball. Read More

The Climax bioethanol-powered supercar

By Darren Quick

23:36 October 19, 2008 PDT

Greener motoring doesn't usually mean high-performance, but bio-ethanol powered sports cars like the Lotus Exige 265E and Aston Martin's Vantage GT2 have shown that the two terms aren't always mutually exclusive. Now another British company is joining the ranks with the Climax mid-engine open-top two seater. Read More

Aston Martin to revive Lagonda Marque

By Jack Martin

06:35 September 2, 2008 PDT

September 03, 2008: Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez has confirmed his intention to revive the Lagonda marque. The Lagonda name is one of the British automotive greats of the pre-WW2 period, founded in 1906 (by American Wilbur Gunn who named the company after a river near his home in Springfield, Ohio). The company was integrated into Aston Martin in 1947. Aston Martin will use the name to develop cars of “a different character than a sportscar, and therefore offer a perfect synergy” with the existing range. Lagonda will use a new and unique design language using “elements of DNA from the past” but the new marque will be “very future orientated” and offer “exclusive, luxurious and truly versatile products with high quality and usability.” The first concept will be shown during the marque’s 100th anniversary year (2009) and will be brought to market as early as 2012. Read More

Automotive alchemy – Gold- or Platinum-plating your car

By Jack Martin

02:29 August 27, 2008 PDT

As we’ve written before, you don’t drive cars, you wear them. To the male of the species, a set of wheels is largely a reflection of who they are. Customizing one’s wheels is accordingly a highly personal pursuit – some go for show, some go for go, and some go to extraordinary lengths to show how uncompromisingly “top shelf” they are. Appropriately-named London-based Alchemist now numbers amongst its customization techniques a process which coats the roof of your car in 24-carat gold. “Gold-leafing vehicles isn’t a new luxury, said company spokesperson Jacques Blanc. “The Egyptians mastered the technique more than 3000 years ago and Tutankhamun’s chariot was decorated with gold leaves. We are simply continuing this ancient and opulent tradition.” Read More

The Aston Martin One-77

By Mike Hanlon

02:47 August 10, 2008 PDT

August 10, 2008 The first image of a delectable new supercar has emerged from Aston Martin. Though details of the new One-77 are scarce, it is already undoubtedly the ultimate vehicle yet to emerge from the esteemed and thoroughly British marque. All that’s known for certain is that it has a carbon fibre chassis, a hand-built (err, sorry … hand-crafted) aluminium body, and is powered by a seven litre V12 motor. Read More

Official pictures of Aston Martin's Vantage GT2

By Noel McKeegan

18:43 March 30, 2008 PDT

March 31, 2008 Aston Martin Racing has revealed the first official pictures of the Vantage GT2. Based on the V8 engined Aston Martin Vantage and designed to run on both standard and E85 bio-ethanol fuel, the new race car will make its debut at the Le Mans Series at Barcelona on 5 April 2008. The addition of the Vantage GT2 gives Aston Martin Racing a full complement of cars covering each of the four categories in the FIA GT Championship: GT1 – DBR9; GT2 – Vantage GT2; GT3 – DBRS9; GT4 – Vantage N24. See the gallery for more pics. Read More

Jaguar XK 120 C – brand new – US$133,000

By Mike Hanlon

23:34 January 9, 2008 PST

If you’ve ever lusted after a Mercedes 300 SLR, Jaguar XK 120 C or Aston Martin DB3S, no doubt your enthusiasm waned when you checked out the cost. The XK 120 C (C-Type) sold new for US$6000, twice the price of an XK120. A genuine, healthy C-Type will now set you back more than a million, and the 1953 Le Mans winner would be valued in excess of US$4 million if it was for sale (it’s not). Replicas are available from a variety of sources but few come with the heritage of Proteus which has been producing all aluminum bodied sports cars for two decades. Under new management, the company is now in expansion mode and is seeking international distribution for its thoroughly authentic US$133,000 replica. Even better news is the plan to extend the range to include SS100, XKSS, and D-Type Jaguars, Aston Martin DB3S and Mercedes Benz 300SLR. Read More

First glimpse of Aston Martin's Vantage GT2 race car

By Noel McKeegan

15:25 January 6, 2008 PST

Aston Martin Racing has released a sketch showing its first impressions of the new GT2 racing car. Based on the V8 engined Aston Martin Vantage road car and to be known as the Vantage GT2, the vehicle is designed to run on either standard race fuel or E85 bio-ethanol (where regulations allow), a conversion that was successfully completed for the DBRS9 in 2007. The new car also gives Aston Martin the mantle as the only manufacturer to offer cars in every GT racing category: GT1 – DBR9; GT2 – Vantage GT2; GT3 – DBRS9; GT4 – Vantage N24. Aston Martin chairman, David Richards, will be announcing Aston Martin Racing’s 2008 plans at the Autosport International show in Birmingham, UK, on Thursday 10 January at 10.45 am. Read More

Aston Martin unveils V12 Vantage RS Concept Car

By Noel McKeegan

19:19 December 12, 2007 PST

December 13, 2007 The wraps have been lifted on Aston Martin’s 600bhp, V12 Vantage RS concept. Based the V8 Vantage coupe, the new Concept combines a low kerb weight of less than 1600kg with the formidable horses provided by the race-developed 6.0 litre V12 to give it a power-to-weight ratio of over 375bhp per ton. On the speedo this translates to 0-62mph (100km/h) in 4.0 seconds and 0-100mph (160km/h) in just 8.5 seconds, making it Aston Martin’s fastest accelerating road car to date. Read More

Aston Martin reveals the V8 Vantage Roadster

By Mike Hanlon

November 15, 2006 Aston Martin will unveil one of the most eagerly anticipated convertibles of the year when the V8 Vantage Roadster goes on show at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday 29th November. Aston Martin Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said of the new car, “the V8 Vantage Roadster is a pure sports car, a car that heightens the senses and provides a dynamically thrilling driving experience. The Vantage Roadster adds to the unbeatable thrill of open air motoring and by combining engineering excellence, technological innovation and physical perfection, will ensure every journey is one to remember.” Read More

Aston Martin reveals James Bond’s DBS

By Mike Hanlon

May 7, 2006 When the James Bond adventure Casino Royale is released in November, it will be the 21st big screen adaptation of Ian Fleming’s spy franchise and ironically a reprise of the first Bond screen adaptation – a made-for-television one hour CBS one hour screenplay made in 1954, almost a decade before Sean Connery took the role to the world in what became the longest-running film series in history. Connery has been succeeded in the 007 role by numerous actors with all but Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan struggling to match Connery’s presence. This year a new 007 will take on the world, when Daniel Craig stars as James Bond. One of the constants in the Bond movie equation has been cars and gadgets. In 2002 we wrote about 40 years of James Bond Gadgets and we’ve written before about the famous Aston Martin DB5 (top right with Connery) (with ejector seat, machine guns and revolving number plates) which starred in the films Thunderball and Goldfinger and became the most famous automobile in the world during the swinging sixties. Aston Martin is hoping to capture the magic of one the most successful product placement deals in history once more by taking the unprecedented step of debuting a new automobile in a film – in true Bond tradition, full details of the Aston Martin DBS are top secret but the images of what it looks like have been released. The success of the DB5 helped popularise the practice of product placement and contributed to a series of high profile automotive film associations with Bond driving such machines as a Lotus Esprit, BMW Z3, 750iL and Z8 and Aston Martin DB7 and V8 Vantage. The last Bond film, ‘Die Another Day’, featured Aston Martin’s flagship model, the V12 Vanquish (bottom right with Brosnan). Read More

Nokia 8800 Aston Martin Edition

By Mike Hanlon

April 11, 2006 Marketing partnerships make sense, particularly if the brands complement each other. Which is why two of the world's most aspirational brands in Aston Martin and Nokia have collaborated to create the Nokia 8800. This exclusive iteration of the Nokia's flagship 8800 will be manufactured in strictly limited numbers, and features a discrete laser-etched 'Aston Martin' logo on the stainless steel casing. This is complemented by the words so synonymous with Aston Martin, 'Power, Beauty & Soul’, etched into the Nokia 8800's unique stand-alone charging station, plus elegantly-designed packaging bearing the Aston Martin wings. Read More

Aston Martin V8 Vantage

By Mike Hanlon

March 3, 2005 Aston Martin has finally taken the wraps off the production V8 Vantage at the 2005 Geneva International Motor Show. First shown as a concept at the 2003 NAIAS in Detroit, the V8 Vantage will be built at Aston Martin’s Headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire, UK, and completes the current Aston Martin line-up. This now comprises the flagship Vanquish S, the elegant DB9 and the agile V8 Vantage. Read More

Aston Martin DBR9 debuts

By Mike Hanlon

Aston Martin has revealed details of its all-new DBR9 that will spearhead the marque's return to international motor racing in 2005. Based on the Aston Martin DB9, a limited number of DBR9 racing cars will be made available to selected customers and three works teams will use the cars in sports car events such as the Le Mans 24 Hour. The DBR9 engine promises to be very powerful, based on the DB9's 48-valve, 6.0-litre V12 engine. Read More