2001 - Aston Martin Db7 on 2040-cars

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Aston celebrates Spectre with DB9 GT Bond edition

Sorry friends, but as of right now, you can't buy the Aston Martin DB10 that James Bond will be driving in the upcoming film Spectre. That's a bummer, as 007's preferred GT is offering a fresh update on Aston's traditional looks. What you can do, though, is snag the new DB9 GT Bond Edition. According to Aston Martin, this is the most powerful DB9 the company has ever built, with the 6.0-liter V12 pumping out 540 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. Sixty miles per hour arrives in just 4.5 seconds, while the 007 DB9 will run all the way up to 183 mph. Those are some impressive figures – the top speed and torque output mirror the range-topping Vanquish – but you might still be wondering why not choose the king of the Aston range over this, which still gets to 60 mph 0.3 seconds faster, has an extra 25 horsepower at its disposal, and is arguably the better-looking vehicle. Well, the Bond Edition DB9 comes with a number of unique items. Outside, there's a set of handsome, 10-spoke, gloss-black, 20-inch alloys, a carbon-fiber splitter and diffuser, gray brake calipers, and bright finishes on the hood vents, grille, and side gills. If the little bits aren't enough for you, the entire car is finished in 007-spec Spectre Silver paint. Naturally, "007" badges are included. In the cabin, new sill plates and embroidered headrests call out this DB9's inspiration, while an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel makes the actual act of driving just a bit more pleasant. Sadly, machine guns and ejector seats are not part of the upgrades. Unlike so many special editions, though, there's even more to the Bond Edition DB9 than special trim bits. All 150 DB9s will come with a 21-inch Globe-Trotter wheeled suitcase, while horology geeks will likely gravitate towards the included time piece. Provided by Omega, 007's preferred watchmaker since 1995's Goldeneye, the Seamaster Aqua Terra comes with a unique, Aston Martin-branded strap. The suitcase costs around $2,000 while the watch generally goes for around $3,500 to $4,000. Their inclusion in this limited-edition DB9 might soften the blow of the price, which starts at $237,007. Still, if you're a fan of Britain's most famous secret agent and are in the market for a handsome GT, you could do far worse than this unique Aston Martin. Read on for the official press release.

Airbus and Aston Martin tease helicopter collaboration

Aston Martin is working on a new partnership in a different part of the transportation sector. This week, the British company known for its beautiful car designs announced a collaboration with Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) that is set to launch in 2020.  ACH and Aston Martin are working on a helicopter, and this short video is the first official teaser of the partnership. The project has been under design development for the past 12 months, and Aston Martin Lagonda Vice President and Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman said the project will be a blending of automotive and aeronautical design principles.  Although the teaser did not give away much info about the helicopter, the name of the video might. It's titled, "ACH130 AM TEASER 16x9." The 16x9 part is just the dimensions of the video, but ACH130 AM likely indicates a nod to the Airbus H130 helicopter, which is most often used for "sightseeing services, charter operators, and emergency medical services, among others." It comes in six- or seven-passenger configurations.  This is not the first time Airbus has collaborated with an automaker on a helicopter design. Peugeot previously worked with Airbus on an H160. The ACH130 AM debuts in the French Alps on January 3, 2020. And this is not the first time Aston has collaborated on transportation beyond a car. Last year, Aston put its luxury imprint on a submarine. Auto News Design/Style Aston Martin

2018 Aston Martin DB11 V8 First Drive | Longing for 4 more cylinders

Undeterred by implications of penance or irony, the Germans have emerged as stewards of the high-end British automotive industry. At the end of the 20th century, venerable brands such as Rolls-Royce and Bentley were producing stately, outmoded and haphazardly assembled vehicles in quantities more befitting a Paraguayan shipyard than a car company. Since their acquisition by BMW and Volkswagen, respectively, those storied marques have seen investment and product diversification that have transformed their offerings, their sales figures and their bottom lines. You may long for the anachronistic glory of a Silver Spur, but the new Phantom VIII makes it look like the condemned manor home of your black-sheep relations who subsist on cat food and family castoffs. Aston Martin is the latest manufacturer to reap the benefits of Teutonic largesse. Though Aston remains independent, with its major investor being an Italian private equity firm, Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, also owns about a 5 percent stake. While we witnessed the first tasty fruit of this union when the DB11 launched last year, it was mainly deep in the underpinnings, the Benzes having granted Aston the right to implement their electronic architecture. This resulted in surprisingly (for Aston) functional and legible dash, ventilation, safety and infotainment controls. Now, with the release of the DB11 V8, we are meeting the true Aston/Benz offspring. And we like this kid, though he may not win the title of favorite nephew. The heart of this baby is Mercedes-AMG's 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8, which, in this application, produces 503 hp and 513 lb-ft of torque. This is fiesty enough to rocket this DB to 62 mph in 4.0 seconds, barely discernible from the 3.9 seconds in which it's dispatched by the 600-hp V12. Continuing with the markdowns, the V8 deducts a $17,500 premium from the V12's list for a sub-$200,000 starting price. It also trims about 250 pounds from the DB's overall mass, which brings its fighting weight into the sub-two-ton category. Also changed are a few cosmetic features.