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Aston Martin crafts one-off equestrian-themed DB9 Volante

Ask most people what kind of cars Aston Martin makes and they'll probably tell you it makes sports cars. But it doesn't. No, Aston Martin actually makes luxury GTs that focus at least as much on fine craftsmanship as they do on outright performance. In other words, any Aston Martin – from the 'entry level' V8 Vantage to the flagship Vanquish – packs an unrivaled attention to detail. But for those looking for that extra measure of exclusivity and intricacy, there's Q by Aston Martin. And this is its latest project. Similar to the Ferrari Tailor Made program, Lamborghini Ad Personam, Porsche Exclusive or Rolls-Royce Bespoke, Q by Aston Martin is dedicated to meeting the specific needs of individual customers who want their luxury GT crafted just so. We've seen several specially crafted and eye-catching Q projects at auto shows around the world, created to showcase what the division can do. This one was commissioned by a dealership in Los Gatos, CA. Starting with a DB9 Volante, the Q division gave it an equestrian theme with saddle tan leather with diamond-quilted ivory Alcantara trim, light burlwood veneer, specially-embroidered horse-head logos and saddle-style luggage fitted to the rear console. The exterior is finished in Ashen Blonde metallic with ten-spoke diamond-turned wheels in satin champagne and Howlite stone-inlaid logos. This one-off DB9 will be auctioned off at the Menlo Charity Horse Show, held August 5-10 at the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton, CA, with proceeds to benefit the Vista Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired.

2018 Aston Martin DB11 AMR Review | A private world of comfort and speed

There are moments when miniscule adjustments to something wonderful can yield unforeseen enhancements. The addition of a dash of Maraschino liqueur to a perfect Manhattan. The application of a few Newton-meters more pressure in a deep tissue massage. Gold-plating the wire wheels on your Commodore Blue Continental Package-equipped 1985 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible. So it is with the Aston Martin DB11 AMR, a slight tweak to the Aston Martin DB11 V12 — already one of our favorite grand tourers. The non-AMR DB11 hosts the ideal combination of profligate luxury, recherche exclusivity, and muscular performance. (The V8 is also ... fine.) But Aston Martin's new AMR performance sub-brand has drizzled its speed effluent onto the DB's componentry and software. The result borders on transcendent. AMR was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 2017 as the storied British marque's go-fast subsidiary (its M or AMG, if you will). Inspired in name, if not in mission, by the Aston Martin Racing team, it has already resulted in the AMR-ization of a half-dozen Aston vehicles including iterations of the Rapide, Vulcan, Valkyrie, and previous-generation Vantage. The $241,000 DB11 is the seventh in that series, and it will take the place of the "base" DB11 V12 when it appears in the states later this summer. Since Aston recently opened the first of its fancy-pants AMR Performance Centers adjacent to Germany's famed Nurburgring racetrack, it seemed fitting that our test drive of the new car commence there. We snagged the DB's crystal-tipped key fob and spent a couple days tearing everywhere in the Rhineland region that wasn't the "Ring," including narrow wending mountain roads, expertly paved two-lane byways, and unlimited Autobahn uber-highways. AMR's sorcery has, as noted, yielded relatively small changes on paper. The twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter 12-cylinder now makes just 5 percent more horses, for a total of 630. The dampers and springs have been stiffened by about 10 percent, the anti-roll bars front and rear by half that and half again. More rigid engine and transmission mounts have been added for greater stolidity. The transmission has been remapped for increased differentiation across the GT, Sport, and Sport Plus driving modes, selectable via a switch on the right side of the steering wheel.

Robert Plant’s 1965 Aston Martin DB5 is for sale

It was made famous by James Bond in the 1964 film "Goldfinger," and this particular version was given its lived-in quality by the frontman of one of rock-and-roll's biggest bands. Now you, too, can own the Aston Martin DB5 likely driven to Bron-Yr-Aur and across the land of the ice and snow by none other than Robert Plant. The website Classic Driver is offering the 1965 DB5 coupe owned by Plant, who is most famous as the former lead singer of hard rock titans Led Zeppelin, from the early 1970s until 1986, when he sold it to father and son collectors based in England. Painted in Dubonnet Rose, the four-seater GT has 62,400 miles on it, a tan leather interior and what must be many, many untold stories of rock-and-roll excess. The DB5, which updated the DB4, had an all-aluminum 4.0-liter, DOHC straight-six engine that made 285 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque mated to a full synchromesh ZF five-speed gearbox. It also featured three SU carburetors, twin hydraulic brake servos, Girling disc brakes and the early use of electric windows. It became famous as James Bond's third but most recognizable card, with a prototype version full of gadgets used by Sean Connery in "Goldfinger," and the car re-appearing in several subsequent Bond movies and with different actors. This particular DB5 was restored by Aston Martin agents Chapman Spooner shortly after Plant sold it in 1986, and the car was entered into a number of Aston Martin Owners Club events during the '80s. The current owner bought it in 2008 from Nicholas Mee & Co., used it very sparingly and kept the car in a controlled environment. Given the lore that surrounded Led Zeppelin in its heady '70s rock-juggernaut days, it's remarkable that the car survived intact as well as it apparently has. The DB5 was apparently a popular one among British rock royalty of the era, as Bonhams Bond Street just sold a '64 version previously owned by Paul McCartney for $1.8 million.Related Video: Featured Gallery Robert Plant's 1965 Aston Martin DB5 View 15 Photos Image Credit: Nicholas Mee & Co Ltd Aston Martin Automotive History Coupe Luxury Classics famous cars aston martin db5