2000 Aston Martin Db7 Vantage V12 on 2040-cars

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2019 Aston Martin Vanquish: Like a handsomer DB11 with more grunt

Aston Martin appears to be getting the 2019 Vanquish ready for action, as these spy shots from the Nurburgring show. There's a lot of DB11 there at first glance, but let's take a closer look and try to spot most of the differences. To begin with, the headlights and front fascia are different. There's more overall intake area upfront, with lower side vents and a much bigger grille opening. The headlights are rounder than the DB11s, and to this author's eyes more classic and attractive. The hood extractor vents are in a different place, large quadrangles instead of the DB11's long, narrow slits – although this could easily change for production, as this arrangement might only be for the mule. Moving to the side, the sills are wider and the wheels are larger, likely an inch greater diameter than the DB11's judging by the reduced sidewall. The car is also noticeably lower. Out back, the most obvious difference is the quad pipes. They nestle above a more aggressive rear diffuser. So far, all this looks to be production-possible. Certainly the Vanquish will be positioned as a more aggressive, powerful version of the DB11, to which it's related. While the specific shapes may be tweaked slightly, everything we're seeing looks to communicate the Vanquish's mission effectively, and nothing looks unrenderable in metal or composite. Long story short: This looks like a nearly finalized exterior design. Note that this isn't related to the Vanquish Zagato Volante we saw earlier this year. That car is a final hurrah for the old, VH-architecture Vanquish. We expect the Vanquish to have more than the DB11's impressive 600 horsepower, so it can do battle with competitors from Ferrari like the 812 Superfast. Related Video:

Aston Martin V12 Speedster is a $950,000 exotic dream that's wild as the wind

The roofless, windshield-less, ultra-rare, ultra-expensive supercar space is getting busy. We had the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2; then we got the McLaren Elva, and now the Aston Martin V12 Speedster is joining the ranks. McLaren will let you add a windshield to the Elva, but there’s no mention of glass when it comes to the Aston. Invest in some sturdy goggles. Revealed at Aston MartinÂ’s Gaydon HQ (instead of the canceled Geneva Motor Show), the V12 Speedster is designed to provide the most visceral driving experience in the Aston lineup. There will only be 88 of them, and pricing starts at $950,000. ThatÂ’s an absolute bargain compared to the Elva, which has a base price of $1.69 million. But if youÂ’re considering buying one of these, its price is likely the last question youÂ’ll have. Aston says the V12 Speedster is powered by its 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12, making 700 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic, sending power to the rear wheels. ItÂ’ll hit 62 mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph — get some heavy duty headgear for that trip. The platform itself is made by combining elements of the DBS Superleggera and Vantage. It has 21-inch forged, center-locking wheels, huge carbon ceramic brakes and adaptive dampers. But the design is what really caught our eye. ItÂ’s billed as “a living show car,” and we completely agree. The body is made almost entirely from carbon fiber. Miles Nurnberger, director of design at Aston Martin, detailed the designÂ’s inspiration in a statement. “ThereÂ’s clear lineage from the 1959 Le Mans winning DBR1 to our Centenary celebratory CC100 Speedster Concept in 2013,” Nurnberger says. “There is also a bit of 1953 DB3S in the mid-section, so it really is our latest incarnation of the Speedster concept. ItÂ’s also inspired by fighter jets as much as it is by our history, and it has been created to deliver an incredibly visceral experience, hence why it is a V12, rather than a V8.” The front hood nostril is especially eye-catching. Aston hasnÂ’t implemented this design touch on a car in a long while, and we love seeing it on a new vehicle like this. Nurnberger says it allowed for some extra space under the long hood that it needed for the V12, too. That interior is similarly stunning. ItÂ’s separated into two distinct cockpit areas by a slab of carbon fiber, but it still allows for interaction between the two people in the car below that piece.

Inside the Aston Martin Heritage Trust, the company's secret museum

The Aston Martin Heritage Trust Museum has been in existence since 2002. It houses the official archives of the Aston Martin Lagonda Company, as well as those of the Aston Martin Owners Club, at the behest of which the Museum was founded back in 1998. It also houses a rotating collection of distinctive and historically significant Aston Martin vehicles, cherry picked from a century of the automaker's exquisite existence. Unfortunately for those besotted with the brand, as I am, the AHMT is located on the periphery of the exurbs of nowhere, in a restored 14th century barn on a dirt road, blocks off the river in the wee Midlands village of Drayton St. Leonard. An address is not published. The only indication that you might be in the right place is an almost intentionally innocuous government tourism placard, placed somewhat near the turnoff. "We used to maybe get a hundred visitors a year before they put up the sign," says AMHT Curator Donna Bannister, an American of equally mysterious provenance. "Now we get almost a hundred per month." Lucky are the souls who find the AMHT (my cabby wasn't among them; I had to walk a bit), because it houses, in its cramped Middle Aged quarters, some real treasures. Greeting me when I entered was a bare-metal-nosed 1921 A3, the oldest existing Aston Martin in the world, which was bought at auction in 2000 and restored to driving condition via the generous underwriting of Sheik Nasser of Kuwait, who is apparently a huge AM collector. "It won Kop Hill in 1923," Bannister says. "We recently took it back there, and to the Windsor Concours d'Elegance. Of course the Royals are big fans of the Aston brand." There's also a 1934 Ulster BLB 684, the only remaining one in a 2+2 configuration. This car is a driver as well. "Club members can hire it out," Bannister says. "Though because it's quite difficult to drive – it has the clutch in the center, and the gas and brake on either side – only a few do." There is a passel of more recent notables, like the 2000 V12 Vanquish cutaway, an auto show maquette meant to demonstrate the fruits of Ford's huge investment in the brand at the start of this century. There's a pre-production, gloss white 2013 Vanquish Volante, which was used for photos and promotion as well, but never registered due to some inconsistencies in the paint. There are display engines from the DB4GT, the Lagonda V8, and the twin-supercharged Vantage (swoon!).