2019 Aston Martin Db11 Amr $269k Msrp on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin revives two iconic names for its new DBS Superleggera

Progress has finally swept away the Vanquish S, with its non-turbo V12 and old-style Aston Martin chassis, and its replacement signals the new way of doing things. The new DBS Superleggera is twin-turbocharged and adopts a variant of the chassis and a whiff of the styling of the newer DB11. That styling is rendered in carbon fiber, incorporating such new-style features as the "curlicue" and the Aeroblade to improve downforce to 397 pounds at its top speed of 211 MPH. And some familiar elements show up in the overall styling, too, like the semi-floating roof and the fender vent that blends into the front wheel opening. The massive, gaping grille is more reminiscent of the Vantage than the DB11, although on the DBS Superleggera it has a more classic Aston Martin shape and treatment – but perhaps the grille takes up too much of the frontal area to be considered pretty rather than simply bold. Overall, the look is DB11 plus luxury and opulence, which is exactly the point. Speaking of opulence, the interior is an almost scandalous blend of premium materials and bold shapes. There's a lot of leather and alcantara – the car shown in these photos has accent panels of chopped carbon fiber and charcoal-colored leather with bold red accent stitching. There's more exposed carbon fiber, albeit woven, accenting the exterior in various places. It's not subtle or particularly classic, but write a big enough check to Aston and they'll surely trim your DBS Superleggera in any fashion you want. There is also a range of Designer Specifications, which are specific color and trim combinations picked out by the company's designers, in case you want to leverage in-house talent to deck out your DBS. Performance is suitably commanding. The DBS Superleggera now makes 715 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. Thanks to turbocharging, that torque figure is available from 1,800 to 5,500 RPM, although the corollary is that peak power is at 6,500 RPM. It's rear-drive only, assisted by an eight-speed auto and a mechanical limited slip differential with torque vectoring. 0-62 mph takes 3.4 seconds according to the factory, but the more important number is the 0-100 MPH time of 6.4 seconds, and fourth-gear acceleration of 50-100 MPH in just 4.2 seconds. This is the power of turbocharging a large-displacement engine – it's a 5.2-liter unit. The DBS Superleggera starts at $304,995, and deliveries begin later this year.

Check out Aston Martin's zero-emissions AMR-SB race car

In the above video, Aston Martin reveals its AMR-SB race car. According to the chassis designer, it came at a time that was fairly busy, especially following the company's Le Mans class victory. But they saw it through, and the result is an amazingly light, zero-emissions race car. Aston was able to do this by powering it with the constantly present resource of gravity. Yes, it's a soapbox derby car. We appreciate car companies that have a sense of humor, and that's clearly what Aston demonstrates with this professional intro video for its soapbox racer. The company built it for the Red Bull Soapbox race in England, and it looks just like one of Aston Martin's Vantage GTE Le Mans racers, down to the wing on the back. That wing didn't seem to be attached quite as well as those on the real cars, since it disappears after one of the jumps. The car gets going more quickly than you might expect, too, as the video shows it hitting over 30 mph at a certain point. Check out the fun in the video above. You can also see the whole ride down from the driver's view in the video below. Related Video:

Patrick Stewart marks Beatles anniversary with a story about driving Paul's Aston Martin

Hollywood celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' Abbey Road album with a temporary zebra crosswalk and a speech from longtime fan and friend, actor Patrick Stewart.  Stewart unveiled a sign dedicated to the album at the event. And though he has gone on in life to race cars, he recalled a story (video below) about nervously driving Paul McCartney's Aston Martin when he was a 24-year-old. "We drove from Bristol to Bath and back. And all the way Paul kept saying, 'Come on put your foot down, overtake, overtake.' And all I could think was, 'If I killed Paul McCartney ...'" For Stewart, being able to call Paul and Ringo lifelong friends is still surreal. "I saw Paul and Ringo about six weeks ago, just by accident, by chance in a restaurant. And it is always whenever I meet Paul as though no time has passed at all. He has an immediacy of behavior, a spontaneous way of behaving which is remarkable." The Abbey Road album was released Sept. 26, 1969, and was the last one the group recorded together as a band. A special anniversary edition of the album has been released with new mixes and unreleased session recordings and demos. Celebrities Aston Martin beatles