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2021 Aston Martin DBX First Drive Review | A crossover that makes you forget it’s a crossover

Many times we test high-powered crossovers but view them through the same lens as their performance-oriented siblings. Is this a Mustang? Is this a Porsche? Is it worthy? The list of crossovers subjected to navel-gazing and hand-wringing is long. Rather than fretting over the badge or the shape, it’s helpful to simply judge these vehicles on their merits. After all, the 2021 Aston Martin DBX was created because crossovers are essential, not because Aston ran out of sports-car ideas. The DBX is the first and assuredly not the last crossover in Aston MartinÂ’s 108-year history thatÂ’s filled with glittering sports cars and financial unease. The latter is the reason the DBX exists, so as to allow for the former to continue to endure. Put another way: ItÂ’s 2021. Ya gotta have a crossover, and it needs to be able to do stuff. The last time I reviewed an Aston, the DB11, I piloted it through the sun-drenched Tuscan countryside at high speeds. Five years later I find myself measuring another Aston under vastly different circumstances on vastly different merits. ThatÂ’s actually perfect.  The DBX is a crossover that can run, but my first order of business is strapping my sonÂ’s rear-facing car seat in the back. It fits pretty well, and even with him right behind the driverÂ’s seat, I still had a decent amount of room. Despite the dramatic roofline, I was able to get him in and out of the DBX with reasonable comfort. A minivan with sliding doors and a low ride height is easier, but the Aston is about as fit for toddler duty as any coupe-styled crossover can be. My sonÂ’s reaction? He loved the blue leather with its white stitching and noted the car “yelled.” ThatÂ’s what an AMG-built turbo V8 sounds like, son. The DBXÂ’s cabin is worth our test car's nearly $211,000 sticker. ItÂ’s interesting and stylish, rather than decadent. The all-Aurora blue leather looks and feels expensive. The sea of blue is broken up by a camel-colored Alcantara headliner, the ivory seatbelts and a light olive aspen overlay that accents the center console. The contrasting white stitching is subtle but intricate on the seats and door panels, and the seatbacks and large steering wheel proudly display the Aston badge. ThereÂ’s no shifter, but the paddles are large and easy to use, returning a satisfying clack.

Aston Martin reveals new AMB 001 motorcycle, its first

Aston Martin has taken the wraps off a limited-edition lightweight racing bike called the AMB 001, its first-ever motorcycle, at EICMA in Milan, revealing a sculpted, vaguely retrofuturistic melding of form and function that is the first offering from a new partnership with English bike maker Brough Superior Motorcycles. Featuring a double wishbone front fork, the track-only bike represents a marriage of Aston’s design and Brough SuperiorÂ’s engineering. ItÂ’s inspired by AstonÂ’s current crop of mid-engine sports cars, presented in the brandÂ’s racing colors of Stirling green and lime essence with matte black wheels, forks and brake assemblies mixed in with unadorned carbon fiber. The latter material features on the signature fin, which derives its design from the side strake on Aston cars and which runs atop the bike along the length of the gas tank, under the saddle and out back. Another carryover is the same stainless-steel ultra-light wings that feature on the Valkyrie sitting under the lacquer of the bodywork on the nose and tank. There are also aerodynamic wings attached to the cowl on the front of the bike that harken to the S-curve on the front of an Aston Martin to apply downforce. Carbon fiber figures in the body structure, and titanium and billet aluminum feature elsewhere. The hand-stritched saddle is made of Oxford tan leather. The bike is powered by a V-twin turbocharged engine that makes its first appearance on a Brough Superior bike. It makes 180 horsepower, although thereÂ’s no information offered on top speed. The bikeÂ’s dry weight is just under 397 pounds. Just 100 examples will be built at the Brough Superior plant in Toulouse, France. Starting price is 108,000 euros (about $119,809 at current exchange rates), including a 20% VAT, with first deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Paul McCartney's Aston sells for $1.8M; Ringo Starr's old Mini goes to a Spice Girl

The Bonhams Bond Street auction in London was the place to be for fans of both The Beatles and automobiles as two cars once owned by former members of the band were up for auction. The first was an Aston Martin DB5 owned by Paul McCartney, and the second was a Mini Cooper owned by Ringo Starr. Both went for substantial sums, and the Mini went to an interesting owner. The Aston brought the big bucks, or pounds, since it was a British auction. The final price with premium was barely over $1.8 million, which fell smack in the middle of Bonham's estimate. It's an impressive price on its own, but more so when compared with its sale back in 2012. Back then it was painted in the same blue it had originally, and it only sold for $495,000, making this new sale more than three times higher. View 22 Photos The Mini went for much less, at just under $137,000 with premium. But the car went to an interesting owner, Geri Horner, nee Hollowell, whom you may know better as Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls. The Mini itself is interesting, too. Each of The Beatles owned a classic Mini at some point, but Ringo Starr's was unique because the flip-down tailgate was converted to a modern-style lift-up hatch incorporating the rear window. Reportedly the reason was so Starr could easily fit his drum kit in the back. It also featured a custom grille, driving lights, hood vents, and soft sunroof among other things. It even appeared on " Top Gear" in 2001. And before we forget, McCartney's DB5 also has " Top Gear" history in that it was owned by former host, Chris Evans. Related Video: Featured Gallery 1964 Aston Martin DB5 owned by Paul McCartney View 13 Photos Image Credit: Bonhams Celebrities Aston Martin MINI Auctions Coupe Hatchback Classics aston martin db5 the beatles