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

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NHTSA grants Aston Martin temporary exemption from new safety standards

A few months ago, we reported that Aston Martin was in danger of running afoul of new US safety regulations that could force it to take some of its most popular models off the market. The automaker, its dealers and – according to the overwhelming results of our informal online pole – you yourselves reasoned that the constricting regulations were unfair to a small-scale, niche automaker like Aston Martin. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration evidently agrees, granting the British automaker a temporary exemption from the regulations and allowing it to keep its cars on the US market. The issue comes down to new side-impact crash standards that require motor vehicles to better withstand a collision with a stationary object like a pole or a tree. The Vantage and DB9 models do not meet the new regulations, and Aston, it seems, doesn't have the wherewithal to re-engineer the cars to meet the regulations. But given the small nature of the independent automaker and the relatively small number of vehicles it sells, NHTSA has granted Aston an exemption. As a result, instead of being forced to comply with the new regulations that took effect for the coupes this past September and for convertibles the next – or else withdraw from the market altogether – the DB9 coupe will have until August 2016 to comply, while the DB9 Volante and both coupe and convertible models in the Vantage line will have until August 2017. It's entirely possible that, by that point, Aston will have all-new models on offer, potentially replacing the Vantage and DB9 models or giving it sufficient new products to offer that taking those older, non-compliant models off the market would not cause it the same degree of financial harm. The automaker has an all-new platform in the works and a new engine deal with Mercedes-AMG in place, and was recently spotted testing what could be the first of its new generation of models at the Nurburgring.

The Aston Martin Rapide leads this month's list of discounts

Aston Martin was an early entrant into the coupe-shaped sedan battlefield with its rakish Rapide. It was first shown in concept form in 2006 at the Detroit Auto Show before finally going into production in 2010. Ten years have passed since then, and this could well be your last chance to drive a new Rapide off your neighborhood Aston Martin dealership's lot as the four-door is replaced by the DBX crossover. If you've got your eye on a new Rapide — and congratulations if so — you'll be pleased to know that you can snag a 2019 model for the low price of just $217,484. Sure, that's still a lot of money, but it's $24,341 off the car's average $241,825 sticker price. That's the largest monetary savings of August, 2020, and it represents a discount of a little over 10%. And even if the Rapide is getting a little long in the tooth, it's still a strikingly beautiful machine, particularly in its most recent AMR guise. Looking for something different but still extremely rapid? The 2019 Acura NSX is selling for an average transaction price of $142,141. That's an 11% savings off its sticker of $159,703. Or you could opt for a Maserati Quattroporte if you'd like the convenience of a luxury sedan but not the price of the Aston Martin – the four-door Trident-badged machine's average transaction price this month of $107,372 is a 12.4% discount. And if none of that is up your alley, you could go full baller with a Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV for $320,085. That's a savings of $12,665 off the car's average retail price of $332,750. Just think of how much Grey Poupon you could afford with all that leftover cash. For a look at the best new car deals in America based on the percentage discount off their suggested asking prices, check out our monthly recap here. And when you're ready to buy, click here for the Autoblog Smart Buy program, which brings you a hassle-free buying experience with over 9,000 Certified Dealers nationwide. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin Rapide AMR View 10 Photos Acura Aston Martin Maserati Rolls-Royce Car Buying Convertible Coupe SUV Luxury Performance Sedan consumer best deals

Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG bicycles: Luxury branding has no bounds

Luxury automobile companies are never quite satisfied with building high-end cars. They often stray into other types of branded merchandise that can have little to do with cars, such as the BMW Active line of clothing and accessories. Splitting the difference between branded merchandise and actual vehicles are these two limited-production bicycles from Mercedes and Aston Martin. The bike above is a collaboration between Mercedes-AMG and German bicycle brand Rotwild, a builder that has been around since 1996, according to the company's website. The bicycle in question is the R.S2 "Beast of the Green Hell." It's inspired by the Mercedes-AMG GT R sports car that was promoted with the same nickname. It uses a carbon frame and wheels, as well as disc brakes. It's also painted in green and black to match the Green Hell Magno color available on the GT R. Only 50 of them will be built, and each will carry a pricetag of over ˆ7,000, or nearly $8,300 at current exchange rates, including tax. View 4 Photos The second bicycle is from Aston Martin and another German bicycle company, this one called Storck Bicycles. This bike company has also only been around since 1995. The bike is called the Fascenario.3 Aston Martin Edition, and it will be a bit less rare than the Mercedes bicycle, with 107 total units. It's still a cool vehicle, though, featuring a carbon frame and wireless shifters. In total it weighs 13 pounds. It does lack the disc brakes of the Mercedes bicycle, though. Pricing hasn't been announced for the Aston Martin bike, but don't expect it to be cheap. Related Video: Featured Gallery ROTWILD R.S2 Limited Edition Mercedes-AMG GT R bicycle View 9 Photos Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin Green Weird Car News Aston Martin Mercedes-Benz Performance mercedes-amg