2000 Aston Martin Db7 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The Aston Martin Vantage Red Bull Racing Edition doesn't have an F1 engine but still looks sweet

The Aston Martin Vantage could rival the Jeep Wrangler when it comes to the number of variants and special editions it has spawned. The latest version of Aston's smaller sports car is the Red Bull Racing Edition, inspired by Aston Martin's partnership with the Formula 1 team of the same name. The appearance package is fitted by Aston Martin's Q division and is available on both the V8 Vantage and V12 Vantage S models starting this spring, just after the 2017 F1 season gets underway. Aside from the cylinder count, a customer's only option is deciding which one of three colors (gloss or matte Mariana Blue or gloss Tungsten Silver) with either red or yellow lipstick, brake calipers, and side strake accents. In addition, the unpainted portions of the grille, splitter, diffuser, and side strakes are all bare carbon fiber. Inside, the black seats come with contrasting red stitching and the Red Bull Racing logo embroidered on the headrests. The door sill and inspection plaques can be signed by either Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Ricciardo or Max Verstappen. Tough choice. While there are no mechanical upgrades like a hybrid turbocharged V6 or a movable rear wing to really tie the car in with its F1 counterpart, it is one of the better special editions available. The car will be powered by either a 430-horsepower 4.7-liter V8 or a 565-horsepower 5.9-liter V12. Aston hasn't announced pricing or US availability, but based on the popularity of Formula 1 in the States, don't expect to see too many of these on the road. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin V8 and V12 Vantage S Red Bull Racing View 21 Photos News Source: Aston Martin Design/Style Marketing/Advertising Aston Martin Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance Red Bull Racing aston martin v8 vantage aston martin v12 vantage aston martin vantage aston martin v12 vantage s

Aston Martin and Mercedes will share F1 safety car duties

LONDON — Aston Martin is set to join Mercedes next season as a provider of Formula One's official safety cars, according to media reports on Tuesday. Racefans.net reported that Aston Martin would supply safety and medical cars at 12 of the 23 scheduled races in key markets, with the existing Mercedes cars used at the rest. It said Aston Martin's new DBX SUV, which uses a Mercedes-AMG V8 engine, would be used as a medical car. There was no official confirmation from Aston Martin or Mercedes. Sources indicated to Reuters that the report was accurate, however. Mercedes has been the official provider of the cars, which are deployed in the event of an incident or bad weather to keep the field lapping safely, since 1996 but that deal runs out at the end of this year. A shared supply would make sense for both carmakers, who already have close ties. Aston Martin's executive chairman Lawrence Stroll also owns the Racing Point team, who will race as Aston Martin from next season with four times world champion Sebastian Vettel arriving from Ferrari. Mercedes, a part of Daimler, is set to raise its stake in Aston Martin to up to 20% by 2023. Toto Wolff, principal of the Mercedes factory team, also has a private stake in Aston Martin. Related Video: Motorsports Aston Martin Mercedes-Benz F1

2022 Aston Martin Vanquish to offer a manual transmission

The retail versions of the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Valhalla remain a ways off, but carmaker CEO Andy Palmer but has given us something to look forward to beyond the flagship hypercar and its baby brother. Palmer told Australian outlet Car Sales that the Vanquish would be offered with a manual transmission. The pledge fulfills Palmer's previous statement "that I want to be the last manufacturer in the world to offer manual sports cars, and I want to honor that commitment." There's at least one potential caveat with this: The seven-speed dogleg manual transmission recently released for the Vantage AMR forced a reduction in power numbers. The gearbox, developed with transmission maker Graziano to work with the Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, cut torque to 461 pound-feet compared to 505 lb-ft in the automatic-equipped coupe. The detune added 0.3 seconds to the 0-60 mph time, but we're confident buyers were happy with the compromise and tech bits that allowed full-throttle upshifts and rev-matching downshifts. The Vanquish will use an electrified, twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter six-cylinder developed in-house at Aston Martin. Even so, with a lot more power and torque expected in order for the Vanquish to stand above the Vantage and battle the Ferrari F8 Tributo, McLaren 720 S, and Lamborghini Huracan, buyers could again face abridged output. Aston Martin hasn't said a word about figures, but the F8 and 720 S already crest 700 hp and bring 568 lb-ft. The Valhalla, which will use the same engine as the Vanquish but is predicted to pack around 1,000 hp, will forgo the manual. Palmer told Car Sales, "that car will only come with a paddleshift transmission." As with the Ferrari, but unlike the McLaren and the Lamborghini, the Vanquish gets a bonded aluminum tub instead of carbon. Aston Martin designed carbon tubs for the Valkyrie and Valhalla for "owners happy to sacrifice comfort for ultimate speed." Palmer explained the Vanquish's intended daily-driver usability drove the choice for aluminum, which permits a lower, narrower sill for easier ingress and egress. Having two architectures is more expensive for the small company, but Palmer explained, "Unlike McLaren we're not trying to stretch the same assets over and over again. Our approach is ... hopefully ...