2001 Aston Martin Db7 Vantage Coupe on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Aston Martin Project 003 details revealed in dealer brochure

Aston Martin showed the as-yet-unnamed Project 003 hypercar at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Now that the English carmaker is accepting deposits for the coupe, it has provided dealers with brochures for prospective customers. Two of those prospective customers let Carscoops and Diario Motor flip through the pages and see what the fuss is about. Each site words some of the specifics a bit differently, which we're not sure is down to the language in the brochure or the way it's written up. Carscoops says Aston Martin's targeting a combined 1,000 horsepower, DM says there will be 1,000 hp. Either way, it's a pleasant ballpark to play in. We say "combined" because there will be a brand new twin-turbo V6 in back and an electric motor on the front axle. The duo means all-wheel drive in addition to that potential four-figure horsepower. If Aston Martin does hit 1,000 ponies, that would put the "son of Valkyrie" just behind the Valkyrie, which makes all of its 1,160 hp with a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 built by Cosworth. The brochure says dry weight will come in below 1,350 kilos, or 2,976 pounds. The brochure also asserts a power-to-weight ratio of 750 bhp per tonne. Working backward, that ratio would mean 1,012 hp if the 003 came in right at 2,976 pounds. Shifting through an F1-inspired eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the carmaker expects a 0-60 time of "less than 2.5 seconds," to be expected for a car about 100 pounds heavier than a McLaren 720S with at least 200 more horsepower. And according to Diario Motor's telling, top speed will crest 350 kilometers per hour, or 218 miles per hour; Carscoops says terminal velocity lies beyond 220 mph. Lots of Valkyrie tech will be adapted for the junior coupe, including the active suspension and active ride height, as well as platform control. A limited-slip differential will keep the back end in line with what we're sure will be fancy electric motor control on the front axle. Seems all that was said about the sci-fi cabin — which TopGear magazine's Jack Rix showed us recently — is that ingress and egress will be less challenging than on the Valkyrie. Only 500 units will leave the factory, in both left- and right-hand drive, deliveries to begin in 2021. American purchasers will need to leave $300,000 with their dealers to hold a place in line. Those monies will be applied to an MSRP that starts "at no less than GBP875,000" before options, or roughly $1.2 million in green money. AM-RB 003 View 9 Photos

2019 Aston Martin V8 Vantage First Drive Review | A sportier bark and bite

Aston Martin's 21st century renaissance kickstarted with the DB11, a high-dollar grand tourer that upped the outgoing DB9's dynamic envelope while keeping one foot firmly planted in the brand's aesthetically elevated roots. The sequel to Aston's bid for relevancy is the V8 Vantage, a more agile and track-focused two-seater, perennially the company's best-seller that guns for the heavyweight in the segment, the Porsche 911. With a completely updated design language and laser-like focus on performance, the 2019 Aston Martin V8 Vantage is arguably the most important modern car to come out of Gaydon in... well, forever. Forget everything you know about the late, great V8 Vantage (and its sublime V12 counterpart). The 2019 model is a completely re-imagined beast, built from the ground up with around a turbocharged engine from an unexpected source. The old Vantage V8's naturally aspirated V8 is gone, and in its place is a Mercedes-AMG-sourced twin-turbo 4-liter V8 producing 503 horsepower and 505 lb-ft of torque (up from the old 4.7-liter mills' 430 hp and 361 lb-ft). The new donor powerplant receives a re-tuned intake and exhaust to give off a slightly different aural impression that's slightly raspier than the thumpy AMG. Unlike its AMG counterpart, the Aston version adopts a wet-sump oiling system, with the benefits of sitting lower to the ground and improved fuel economy due to the system's slightly reduced parasitic losses. Senior Vehicle Engineering Manager Craig Jamieson says that his team's learnings developing the wet sump system in the V12 Vantage enabled them to fine tune this setup for track duty. The engine mates to the ubiquitous ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox, which comes equipped here with stationary paddle shifters. Power is routed through Aston's first use of an electronic differential at the rear transaxle, which helps achieve a balanced 50/50 weight distribution. Seventy percent of the bonded aluminum chassis, which is derived from the DB11's, is unique to Vantage. Its dry curb weight is 3,373 pounds (a more standard wet curb weight wasn't available at press time), and it'll sprint to 60 mph in a claimed 3.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 195 mph. Though much of the Vantage's design direction comes from the obvious decision to depart from the brand's bygone era, a few choices were informed by function – most controversially, those squinty LED headlamps which some detractors have slammed as being "Mazda-like".

Ford's J Mays feels vindicated by Fusion reception

It's hard to think back now, but the same man overseeing the design of the 2013 Ford Fusion also presided over a rather lackluster period in Ford design, highlighted by vehicles like the Five Hundred and Freestyle. With the redesigned Fusion receiving high praise, J Mays tells Automotive News that he feels vindicated from criticisms suggesting he's not a daring enough designer.
When Mays took over as lead of design in 1997, he admits to having quite an ego ("My head would barely fit through the door some days. I've long since gotten over myself") and the workload to match. With the Blue Oval's portfolio full of premium brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo at that point, along with the bread-and-butter Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, Mays certainly had quite the challenge.
It was in the mid-2000s that Mays took over just the premium brands, and took on the new title of Chief Creative Officer. At the time, Mays endured some criticism for looking backwards to retro styling, rather than setting a new standard for American car design - criticism that Mays says he is free from with the all-new Fusion.