1997 Aston Martin Db7 Volante Convertible At No Reserve Red on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Castrol Nexcel is an oil change in a box

Oil changes are a vital part of car ownership. For some this simple bit of maintenance gives them a sense of accomplishment and a closer connection to their car. Others just find it a hassle. Castrol might have a compromise with new tech called the Nexcel that packages the oil and filter into a single, easily removable container. The company claims switching the unit out takes just 90 seconds. Instead of draining the oil for a regular change, the whole Nexcel is replaced each time. Castrol then retrieves the used containers and recycles the fluids inside into other lubricants. The exclusive cadre of ultra-wealthy buyers for the track-only Aston Martin Vulcan get to be the first ones to find out if the Nexcel lives up to the hype. And don't worry, the container can reportedly stand up to the hypercar's punishment. According to Castrol, the Nexcel has been tested to perform at up to 1.8G and can flow as much as 158.5 gallons of oil a minute. The tech also allows Castrol to create specific oil blends to match to different engines. "Today, you can't guarantee the right oil will be used, so the degree to which oils can be tailored is limited. Nexcel is different and can go further. The oil cell enables a concept we call precision lubrication," a spokesperson said to Autoblog. Assuming the Nexcel is a success, Castrol estimates that it could arrive in the first road car in about five years. The company already claims to be in discussions with "several" automakers about potentially implementing the tech. While changes would be far quicker, some enthusiasts might balk at the idea of being locked into oil from just a single brand, though. CASTROL REINVENTS OIL CHANGE WITH NEXCEL: THE REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY THAT MAKES OIL CHANGES QUICK, SMART AND SIMPLE The Nexcel oil cell, an easy-to-change unit containing both engine oil and filter delivers superior engine performance and improved environmental sustainability The new technology allows your oil to be changed in around 90 seconds, more than 13 times faster than a conventional oil change of 20 minutes The Aston Martin Vulcan track-only supercar will be the first vehicle featuring Nexcel technology LONDON, Thursday 8th October 2015 – Today, Castrol launches Nexcel, a new revolutionary technology that marks the most significant oil change innovation in automotive history.

007 Questions for James Bond's stunt master

You may not know the name, but you almost certainly have seen some of his work. Chris Corbould has been the special effects supervisor for every James Bond film since 1995's "GoldenEye," and has worked in some way on every one since 1977's "The Spy Who Loved Me." In between Bond movies, he's been the special effects supervisor on such low-budget indie flicks as the three Dark Knight Batman films and Star Wars episodes VII and VIII. Oh, and he won an Oscar for his work on "Inception." I was lucky enough to virtually sit down with Mr. Corbould ahead of the long-awaited release of "No Time to Die", which my colleague Zac Palmer has seen and reported back about all the cars featured in the 25th Bond movie. Mr. Corbould shared some of his experiences creating some of the most iconic stunt sequences in the series' history, including how things have changed over the years, how Bond movies are different and what it's like to not only engineer the stunts, but some of the cars featured in them. Autoblog: What's the biggest difference between working on a Bond film versus other franchise films? Chris Corbould: I think one of the big things is the history behind it. This is the 25th Bond film now and [although] we have to keep changing for the times, there's also a lot of boxes that have to be checked. There are two car chases in this, one with a DB5 in an urban environment and one with a Land Rover Defender in a very very rural environment. [We have to] come up with original ideas for those chases. But the biggest thing working on a Bond film is they always pride themselves in doing the sequences as much as they can for real. Autoblog: I actually unearthed an interview with you in 1999 where you said that "The Bond people pride themselves on STILL doing stunts for real" as opposed to CGI. And that was 22 years ago. Corbould: Yeah! I'm still saying it. Autoblog: How hard has it been to keep that ideology over the years, with changing technologies and capabilities? Corbould: It's not been hard really. The CGI guys have helped us out quite a bit by making our lives easier. They can paint cameras out, they can paint parts of rigs out if need be. The audience still has this fascination in knowing that something has been done for real as well. A lot of the big effects I've done on the James Bond films, there's as much interest in the behind the scenes of how we did the Tube train coming through the ceiling in "Skyfall", how we did the sinking house in "Casino Royale".

800-hp Aston Martin Vulcan will live long and prosper... on the track

The Aston Martin Vulcan might by one of the most beautiful creations to ever emerge from the British sports car company. Unfortunately, its status as a track-only toy limited to 24 units makes seeing one on the road practically impossible. That's a shame, too, because nothing would wake up an early morning commute better than seeing jets of flame shoot out of the side of this coupe. For the Vulcan, Aston Martin takes a 7.0-liter version of its tried and true V12 and promises to extract over 800 horsepower from it. The engine is hooked up to a six-speed sequential gearbox, and the car features all of the other necessities for a full-bore track car too. The pushrod suspension, anti-lock carbon-ceramic brakes and traction control are all fully adjustable to create the perfect balance for any circuit. Underneath, there's a carbon fiber monocoque, and the body panels are also made from the lightweight material. While the mechanicals are everything a driver could want on the track, the design is just as attractive. The styling takes the taut lines from Aston Martins of the last decade and sharpens everything to look futuristic. The pointed, orange filaments making up the taillights are an especially cool touch. The brand promises to reinterpret this look for future models, so we might still see inspiration of it on the road. Give it a thorough look in our live gallery above from the floor at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. Related Video: