2001 Aston Martin Db7 Vantage V12 W/ 19,400 Miles!! Beautiful!! on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin reveals hardcore Vantage GT3 special edition

If there are two things of which we've seen a lot in recent years, they're versions of the Aston Martin Vantage, and road-going sports cars wearing the name GT3. And you know what? We're not tired of either just yet. So we're pleased to report that the two have come together with the release of the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The ultimate evolution of Gaydon's nimble little sports car, the Vantage GT3 is lighter and more extreme than any version to date. Envisioned as a street-legal mid-point between Aston's successful racing cars and its coveted luxury GTs, the Vantage GT3 packs a number of key upgrades to make it lighter, more powerful and more hard-core than its stablemates. For starters, the company's ubiquitous 6.0-liter V12 has been upgraded with a new intake manifold and torque tube made from magnesium and a full titanium center-exit exhaust system. Although final figures are yet to be announced, Aston Martin figures it'll crank out around 600 metric horsepower – 592 by our standards, more than any iteration of the engine to date (including the flagship Vanquish) or any road-going Aston this side of the One-77. The other side of the power-to-weight ratio is optimized through the extensive use of carbon fiber. Aston has replaced the front fenders, hood and doors with the lightweight weave, as well as the center stack and Alcantara-trimmed racing buckets. Customers can even opt for a carbon-fiber roof and the rear glass to be replaced by plexi. The result is a projected curb weight of around 3,450 pounds, or a good 220 pounds lighter than the V12 Vantage S. A more extreme aero kit (also made of carbon, naturally) includes a splitter jutting out from under the nose and a big rear wing, and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires sit at the edges of a wider track. Only 100 examples of the Vantage GT3 will be offered after its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, with deliveries slated to begin later this year as Aston prepares its next generation of Mercedes-powered sports cars. INSPIRED BY RACING: THE ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE GT3 SPECIAL EDITION - Lightweight and extreme Vantage special edition limited to 100 cars - Motorsport-derived chassis, aerodynamics and handling - Bridges the gap between road and race track driving 18 February 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin is today revealing the first details of its most potent and uncompromising Vantage to date: the track-inspired Vantage GT3 special edition.

What we'd buy in 1985 (if extremely rich and nutty): the Aston Martin Lagonda

The Barn Miami, a Florida specialty dealer in unique and exotic cars, has just listed this 9,000-mile, two-owner, 1985 Aston Martin Lagonda. Priced at $75,000, it seemingly represents not only a bargain (original list price was $150,000, or around $360,000 in today’s money) but an investment opportunity, and a chance to own one of the most iconic and controversial designs in all of automotive history. When the Lagonda was launched in 1976, the storied British marque had fallen on hard times. Sales figures, build quality and employee morale were at a nadir, and the brand needed a big new idea. Aston turned to in-house designer William Towns, who had taken the brand out of the debonair, if increasingly anachronistic, DB2/4/5/6 styling paradigm with his creasy DBS of 1969. Towns delivered an outrageous wedge of ultra-luxury sedan, with a miniscule rectangular grille, a plank-like prow, steeply angled pillars, and a truncated trunk. A 280-horsepower quad-cam, quad-carb 5.3-liter V8 put power to the rear wheels via a Chrysler three-speed automatic transmission, yielding single digit fuel economy. And the lunacy continued on the inside, with one of the industryÂ’s first digital dashboards, the first application of touch-sensitive controls, and an odd sunroof above the rear passenger compartment. “I think this was the way of the company getting itself back on track with a completely new and revolutionary model,” says Paul Spires, the director of Aston Martin Works, the brandÂ’s in-house heritage and restoration shop, housed at the factory in Newport-Pagnell where the Lagonda was originally built. “In the second half of the 1970s, Rolls-Royce was enjoying success with its Silver Shadow and Bentley models, but there were very few other true high luxury sedans to choose from, and there was definitely a demand for something different and modern.” Different and modern, indeed. The Lagonda was at the hemorrhaging edge of the eraÂ’s electronic capabilities, featuring systems that are still getting the bugs worked out of them 40 years later. “When we look at many modern cars with touchscreen technology, you can perhaps see where the far-sighted and ambitions designers and engineers who created this car were looking,” says Spires.

2019 Aston Martin Vanquish: Like a handsomer DB11 with more grunt

Aston Martin appears to be getting the 2019 Vanquish ready for action, as these spy shots from the Nurburgring show. There's a lot of DB11 there at first glance, but let's take a closer look and try to spot most of the differences. To begin with, the headlights and front fascia are different. There's more overall intake area upfront, with lower side vents and a much bigger grille opening. The headlights are rounder than the DB11s, and to this author's eyes more classic and attractive. The hood extractor vents are in a different place, large quadrangles instead of the DB11's long, narrow slits – although this could easily change for production, as this arrangement might only be for the mule. Moving to the side, the sills are wider and the wheels are larger, likely an inch greater diameter than the DB11's judging by the reduced sidewall. The car is also noticeably lower. Out back, the most obvious difference is the quad pipes. They nestle above a more aggressive rear diffuser. So far, all this looks to be production-possible. Certainly the Vanquish will be positioned as a more aggressive, powerful version of the DB11, to which it's related. While the specific shapes may be tweaked slightly, everything we're seeing looks to communicate the Vanquish's mission effectively, and nothing looks unrenderable in metal or composite. Long story short: This looks like a nearly finalized exterior design. Note that this isn't related to the Vanquish Zagato Volante we saw earlier this year. That car is a final hurrah for the old, VH-architecture Vanquish. We expect the Vanquish to have more than the DB11's impressive 600 horsepower, so it can do battle with competitors from Ferrari like the 812 Superfast. Related Video: