Aston Martin

RM Auctions’ inaugural Sporting Classics of Monaco event held on Saturday leaves little doubt that fine automobiles can be a rapidly appreciating investment. The average price achieved by the 88 cars which crossed the block was in excess of US$500,000 while the highest price fetched was EUR2,800,000 (US$3,799,600) for a 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina SWB (pictured top right). Some remarkable cars were sold on the day, including (pictured clockwise from bottom right) one of the world’s most significant pre-war sports racing cars, the 1937 BMW 328 MM ‘Buegelfalte’ (undisclosed but believed to be in excess of US$6 million), a handmade Rolls Royce which was the most expensive car made in the world in 1933 (US$1,975,792) and a Maserati Tipo 61 ‘Birdcage’ (US$3,343,648). Full details, images and story inside.  Read More

To celebrate the success of its V12 Vantage Aston Martin has debuted a Carbon Black Edition at this year’s Geneva Auto Show. Additionally, to commemorate Dr. Ulrich Bez’s 10th year as Chief Executive of the company, a DBS UB-2010 edition was unveiled along with a new Works Service Tailored service. The new service offers customers of both new and existing Aston Martins personal tailored options focusing on customizing color and materials to customer’s personal tastes.  Read More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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