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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 ...

Bond, junk bond? Aston Martin financial ratings go south as it awaits DBX

Ratings agencies Standard & Poor's and Moody's have taken a dim view of Aston Martin Lagonda. S&P cut its credit rating on the storied carmaker deeper into junk territory this week, and Moody's revised its credit outlook to "negative" after the company raised $150 million in debt from a bond issue at 12% interest, with the option to raise another $100 million at 15%. The Standard & Poor's rating was trimmed by one notch to 'CCC+', which reflects substantial risks and takes it close to default territory after a faster-than-expected cash burn this year. The outlook is negative.  The negative outlook reflects ongoing pressure on profits, a high cash burn, and very high leverage in the face of heightened risks linked to a potential no-deal Brexit and new tariffs on car imports threatened by the United States. The potential salvation for the company is its new DBX luxury SUV, the success of which is critical to its ambitious growth strategy and ongoing creditworthiness, S&P said. But Moody's noted that it's burning cash at a high rate as it nears the launch of the DBX. The British carmaker, known as James Bond's favorite marque, has been hit by falling demand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It slumped to a first-half loss in July. Chief Executive Andy Palmer said concerns around Brexit and U.S.-China trade relations were skewing the outlook to the downside, so it was prudent to address investor concerns about its balance sheet. "Taking this debt on — short-term debt — is we think the correct tool to completely remove that thesis that we don't have sufficient liquidity," he told Reuters. "In every substantial and material way, this ensures that we can get through to DBX in spite of what all of those global uncertainties might throw at us." The main tranche comprises notes with an interest rate of 12% due in 2022, while the additional notes could be issued under the same terms if permitted, or could be issued as unsecured notes with an interest rate of 15%, Aston Martin said. Shares of stock in the company, which have had a precipitous fall since they listed in London in October 2018 at 19 pounds, were trading down 5% at 545 pence in early deals. Broker AJ Bell said Aston Martin was known for its high end prices and that situation now also applied to its debt. "These rates are very high and are a major red flag that investors consider the car company to be a high risk entity," it said.

Motor Trend pits Aston V12 Vantage S against Jaguar XKR-S GT in battle of the Brits

With the recent increase in higher-performance versions of already high-performance vehicles, like Mercedes-Benz and its AMG Black Series, the public is now gaining even greater access to speed and maneuverability. Two of the most recent sports cars to get their wicks turned up include the Jaguar XKR-S GT and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S.
Both of these cars are the pinnacles of their lines, with the Jag lording over the XKR-S, XKR and XK while the Aston rules over the standard V8 Vantage S and V8 Vantage. Motor Trend has opted to pit the two rivals together for some thorough testing, and it just happened to bring along a few video cameras to capture all the action.
There's nearly 19 minutes of super hot sports car action below, so scroll down and enjoy.