2007 - Aston Martin Db9 on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin tipped for F1 return with Red Bull, Mercedes

Aston Martin could be plotting a return to Formula One for the first time in over half a century. And not as a backmarker, either. That is, at least, if the latest rumors materialize. While most automakers that participate in F1 do so as either a team owner (like Ferrari and Mercedes) or as an engine supplier (think Renault or Honda), the rumored Aston Martin deal would take a different approach. According to Autosport, the proposal would have the Red Bull Racing team run Aston Martin branding – but not its engines. Those would be provided by Mercedes, just like the engines in the British marque's upcoming slate of road cars. In that regard, the deal would not be unlike the one which Red Bull currently has with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which sees the team running Renault engines and Infiniti branding. Andy Palmer was a pivotal figure in brokering that unusual arrangement when he was working for Carlos Ghosn, and is now tipped to be brokering a similar deal in his new capacity as Aston Martin's CEO. Though Aston has found glory in sports car racing (including Le Mans and its various associated series), it was never much of a contender in grand prix racing. It competed in a handful of races in 1959 and 1960, but never achieved results worth bragging about. Aston was rumored to be plotting a return when David Richards sat as chairman of the company, having run Aston's racing program as well as Honda's F1 team previously. Those rumors, however, never materialized. Whether this time 'round gains any traction remains to be seen - Aston Martin declined to either confirm or deny the reports when reached for comment by Autoblog. Red Bull has been growing increasingly dissatisfied (and increasingly vocal about its dissatisfaction) with Renault engines over the past couple of seasons. Though the two parties won four back-to-back world titles together, things took a noticeable step backward after the new turbo engine regulations took hold for the 2014 season. Nissan/Infiniti and Red Bull are contracted to continue collaborating until the end of next season. After that is when the new Aston deal could take hold, and Mercedes is reportedly keen on the idea so that it could add another customer to its F1 engine supply business and offset the costs of development. That could effectively prove the end of Renault in F1 (at least for the time being). Aside from Red Bull, the French automaker currently supplies only that outfit's sister team Toro Rosso.

The Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante is a beautiful mouthful

Aston Martin makes some of the most beautiful sportscars in the world. There are few bad looking Astons and most attempts to modify or change the cars' characters usually ends terribly. Zagato, the Milan-based coachbuilder, is one of the few companies that seems to get it right. Last year, the company debuted its Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato coupe and Vanquish Zagato Volante convertible. These new spy shots show the production car in action. As the name suggests, the Vanquish Zagato Volante is simply a Aston Martin Vanquish Volante restyled by Zagato. That means a 5.9-liter V12 sending 592 horsepower to the rear wheels. Expect a 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds. That's nearly as quick as the new Aston Martin DB11. The Vanquish Zagato Volante keeps the standard car's long-hood short-deck proportions, but most of the bodywork has been redone. The grille keeps the standard Aston Martin outline, but it grows in size and bubbles out just slightly. Round LED lights sit at the corners of the Z-emblazoned grille. Around the side, we can see the gold-accented wheels and fender. There is a deep cut for airflow just behind the rear wheel. The shape mimics that of the standard car, but changes it just enough to make it special. A carbon-fiber lip runs around the bottom of the entire car. Out back, the wing-shaped taillights have been replaced with round units that use bladelike LEDs. The quad exhaust tips remain in place, but they appear to sit slightly higher than on the standard car. The small rear wing raises and lowers at speed for increased downforce. Just 99 of these Vanquish Zagato Volantes will be built. Most are likely spoken for, going to owners of the coupe version of the car. After all, if you have one, you might as well have the set. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante View 12 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos Aston Martin Convertible Luxury Performance aston martin vanquish aston martin vanquish volante aston martin vanquish zagato

Aston Martin Vantage AMR equipped with a stick shift to honor Le Mans win

Where and how a car debuts can say a lot about that vehicle. With the newest Aston Martin, the message is clear: It's all about the lasting visceral connection between driver and automobile. The Vantage AMR, with a manual transmission and a twin-turbocharged V8, debuted today at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the second-to-last race in the 2018-2019 FIA World Endurance Championship. Of the 200 examples, 59 will be available with special "Vantage 59" trimmings. We've known a manual-transmission Vantage was on the way for some time, but as our previous report said, this is the first time the Mercedes-AMG-sourced engine has been paired with a stick. So it expectedly took some time to develop. The brawny power source beneath the Vantage's hood is a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8. It is rated at 503 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 461 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm. It has a top speed of 195 mph and has a claimed zero-to-60 time of 3.9 seconds. The AMR's stats are slightly down from the base Vantage due to use of the Graziano-developed seven-speed transmission. The automatic Vantage offers 505 lb-ft of peak torque and has a listed zero-to-60 time of 3.6 seconds. In part due to the change from automatic transmission to manual, the AMR is significantly lighter than the regular Vantage. Switching to standard carbon ceramic brakes also helped the AMR come in 209 pounds lighter, yet Aston says the car maintains its nearly even 50-50 weight distribution. Several technologies aim to keep the AMR's motorsport-inspired driving feel as smooth, quick and efficient as possible. The AMR has a limited-slip differential, adaptive damping (with Sport, Sport+, and Track modes), and AMSHIFT, Aston Martin's version of heel-toe-mimicking rev-matching. The driver selectable transmission aid also allows for full-throttle upshifting. Although Aston Martin is earning the attention and admiration of purists by building a Vantage with a manual transmission, not everybody will be lucky enough to get one. Production is limited to 200 units, with 59 of those cars offered in an extra-limited-edition "Vantage 59" spec (this was similarly done to the DBS). Honoring 60 years since the DBR1's win at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, all Vantage 59 cars will wear Stirling Green and Lime suits. Inside, they get Dark Knight leather, Alcantara trim, and Lime accents. The remaining 141 cars are offered in Sabiro Blue, Onyx Black, China Grey, or White Stone.