2013 Aston Martin Vantage

The history of the Aston Martin Vantage began back in 2005 with the unveiling of the V8 version. Then in 2009, the model expanded with the addition of a V12 version. After a series of technological updates received in 2008, the model has now been revised once again. The updated Vantage will be displayed this year at the Geneva Motor Show next to the recently announced Zagato version.

Most changes have been made to the V8 version, while the V12 model continues unchanged. For the V8 model Aston Martin has replaced the optional six-speed Sportshift automated manual transmission with a new seven-speed Sportshift one. Also, a series of updates have been made to the car’s chassis and a new braking system has also been added.

As for the exterior and the interior updates, most changes have been inspired by the Vantage Sand N400 limited edition and make the car looking more aerodynamic and sportier.

UPDATE 03/23/2012: Aston Martin has unveiled the first promo video for their new V8 Vantage. "With its combination of sensational design, exquisite craftsmanship and phenomenal performance, agility and dynamism, the New 2012 V8 Vantage is the aspirational choice for the discerning driver." So, what do you think, is Aston Martin right?

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2011 Aston Martin V12 Zagato Concept

Aston Martin will be celebrating the iconic DB4GT Zagato’s 50th anniversary with a new concept car developed in collaboration with the Italian design house Zagato. The concept car made its first appearance at the Villa D’Este Concours on May 21st, 2011 and will make its racing debut at Nürburgring on May 28th.

Dr. Ulrich Bez, Chief Executive said: "The DNA of both Aston Martin and Zagato has combined successfully to make some of the world’s most desirable collector cars in the past and in this special anniversary year of the DB4GT Zagato it is appropriate to explore a modern collaboration. Now is the right time for a new Aston Martin Zagato and in combining our design intelligence I think we can create something fitting of the iconic DB4GT Zagato that has gone before and since established itself as one of the most famous Aston Martins of all time."

The original Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato made its first appearance in 1960 at the London Motor Show. It was essentially a much lighter DB4 GT that got worked on by the Italian Coachbuilder to include a 3670 cc straight-6 DOHC engine that produced 314 HP with a top speed of 154 mph.

UPDATE 07/01/2011: The V12 Zagato has finally been listed on the Aston Martin web page, giving us an official confirmation that it will soon go on sale. According to the web site, "only a strictly limited run of road going cars will be built" and we will get more details about in the next few weeks.

Hit the jump to read more about the new V12 Zagato endurance racer concept.

And the second one:

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Aston Martin Pays the Price for All New Platform

Investors are getting more and more strict when it comes to allowing people to borrow their money and it seems as if Aston Martin is getting the short end of that stick. The British sports car maker has secured a £304 million bond - about $440 million at the current rates - from global investors at a rather high 9.25% interest over the next seven years. That’s a 3-4% increase over the typical interest rate. Desperate or not, Aston Martin now has the money to design an all new platform for their full line of sports cars, including the DB9,Vantage and Rapide. Expect the new line to debut in 2015 or 2016 with the first details of the new design and production engineering showing up in a concept car sometime in 2012.

Before the British automaker moves to the new platform, however, their current VH platform will have to be modified to obey the new Federal FMVSS pedestrian impact rules. This re-engineered platform will be used for facelift versions of all three models. The new models will also benefit from new skin panels, revised interiors, and tweaked chassis and engines.

gallery:2011 Aston Martin DB9

 

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gallery:2011 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S

 

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gallery:2010 Aston Martin Rapide

 

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Source:AutoCar

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2011 Aston Martin Cygnet & Colette Limited Edition

The automotive and fashion world collide quite a bit to make some of the coolest, albeit expensive, vehicles for the uber elite. The latest collaboration between the two is Aston Martin’s "Cygnet & colette" model built in conjunction with Parisian fashion authority, colette. The special edition will only be built in a limited run of 14units, each hand-crafted via the company’s ultimate personalization service. The price? A staggering €48,995 ($69,325 at the current rates) compared to the £30,995 ($43,856 at the current rates) of the standard Cygnet. Something tells us the extremely limited number was a good idea.

The Cygnet and collette will be painted in a Lightning Silver paint with exclusive colette blue styling details, including a race collection inspired front bumper and bonnet livery, mirror caps, and diamond turned road wheels. The silver of the exterior is being combined with a Bitter Chocolate themed for the interior.

Next to these special colors, the limited edition Cygnet will also get an onslaught of features, including stainless steel hand formed and engraved door handle badges and "Cygnet & colette" branded hand enameled boot badging manufactured by Thomas Fattorini. The city car will also receive quilted Alcantara sun visors to complement the quilted leather door and seat inserts and hand trimmed, quilted colette blue leather occasional cushions for the rear seats. Other notable features include "Cygnet & colette" branding on satellite navigation start up and a unique "Cygnet & colette" key ring machined from solid aluminum with blue enameling.

gallery:2010 Aston Martin Cygnet

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Aston Martin Rapide doing double duty at Nurburgring and Nevada

Aston-Martin Rapide

It looks like the V12 Zagato Racer won’t be the only Aston Martin model participating in the Nürburgring 24-hour race in Europe and the Spring Mountain 24 hours in Nevada. The Rapide will also be making its presence known at the race, first to demonstrate the durability of Aston Martin’s four door sports coupe, then to help raise money for charity. Surely this has something to do with the fact that the company has been experiencing slow demand for the luxury sports sedan and has since chopped production for the Rapide from 2,000 units all the way down to 1,250 per year. Since they took care of cutting costs - Step One - we’ll do our part in helping them out with Step Two: Marketing.

Julian Jenkins from Aston Martin the Americas, said: "Since its launch, the Rapide has been popular with customers looking for an exclusive sports car with a combination of exhilarating performance, handcrafted style, and added four-door practicality. As well as raising money for Heart for Japan, this 24-hour initiative will give us an opportunity to showcase the endurance capabilities of the Rapide which in turn demonstrates its everyday usability and durability."

"We’re truly excited to participate in this challenge. Since the Rapide made its racing debut at last year’s 24-hour race at the Nurburgring, we wondered how a street version would compare if driven continuously for a day over a closed circuit. Seeing how close we can get to the race distance covered last year will be an excellent measure of the car’s real-world performance."

The Rapide is going to need all of the publicity it can get in order to jumpstart the vehicle’s reputation once again. It shouldn’t be too difficult, though. We are talking about an Aston Martin after all.

gallery:2010 Aston Martin Rapide

 

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Aston Martin and Maybach will bring a concept car to Frankfurt

Rumors about a partnership between Aston Martin and Maybach first appeared at the end of last year when we reported that the two companies would team up for a luxury sedan. Now, AutoCar reports that the two companies are set to bring a concept car developed together to the Frankfurt show in September 2011.

While neither Aston Martin nor Maybach would comment on this rumor, it is believed that the concept to be displayed in Frankfurt will be a luxury car with a high-quality interior finished to the hand-crafted standards of a British luxury saloon.

This news shouldn’t really surprise anyone considering Mercedes needs to decide by the end of June which partner they will choose to develop replacements for the 57 and 62 saloons. This type of partnership is mutually beneficial because Aston Martin can bring its interior design skills to the table, particularly the use of traditional materials in conjunction with hi-tech features, and Mercedes can share its new alloy body technology and engines for third-generation Vantage and DB9 models.

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2012 Aston Martin Rapide S

Aston-Martin Rapide

The spy photographers are out again and they’ve caught a special Aston Martin Rapide testing at the Nurburgring. Initial rumors on this vehicle suggested it was a facelift version of the luxury sedan, but it seems the news is even better. The company is preparing an even more powerful version of the Rapide that will drop the current 470 HP 6.0 Liter V12 in favor of the engine used in the DBS. This means we will get 40 HP more with the new S version. With the new 510 HP, the Rapide S will sprint faster than the current model which does the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 5.1 seconds.

Next to the engine improvement, the Rapide S will feature an even more aggressive front and rear fascia, a lower front bumper with an additional air intake and deep scoops, a more prominent boot lip spoiler and a reprofiled bumper.

The new Aston Martin Rapide S will go on sale in late 2012 and will be priced at about £200,000 or about $325,000 at the current exchange rates.

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