2003 Aston Martin Db7 Vantage Volante All Options on 2040-cars

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Kahn tackles Aston Martin with a Vengeance

Though Aston Martin has been known to produce some pretty stunning designs all on its own, it's also no stranger to the efforts of independent coachbuilders. It's had a longstanding relationship with Zagato that has given birth to some of the most stunning automotive collaborations ever to roam the open road, but now it's time for another designer to step up to the plate with the creation previewed here. It's called the Vengeance and it's the latest project from Kahn Design – a British firm perhaps better known for its (often wildly) customized Land Rovers, but with a history of enhancing Astons as well. Adopting a name that fits into traditional Aston nomenclature along nameplates like Vantage, Vanquish and Virage, the Vengeance is being built atop a DB9, but with highly modified coachwork. As you can see from the preview renderings in the slideshow above, the design calls for features a a bulging hood, slotted grille, wide rear fenders, polished steel roof and window frames, and staggered alloys – 20 inches up front, 21 in the back – inspired by roulette wheels with diamond-cut rims and body-colored centers. "The Vengeance underlines Kahn Design's expertise in design and coachbuilding," said Azfal Kahn in the statement below. "With a team of over 25 designers in house we're involved in all aspects of product design from automotive to timepieces, interiors, retail space, clothing and accessories." Only a limited quantity of individually numbered examples will be hand-made in the British Midlands, with pricing and availability yet to be announced but promising what Kahn says will "represent extremely good value for a limited edition coachbuilt car." Kahn Design launches coach built 2 door retro classic coupe named the 'Vengeance' Origins The practice of automotive coachbuilding stretches back to the early 1900s, when discerning customers would employ the services of expert craftsmen to create a custom vehicle body on a pre-manufactured chassis. Following in this tradition, renowned British designer Afzal Kahn has announced the launch of a new coachbuilt car codenamed the Vengeance. Built on a new Aston Martin DB9 chassis, the Vengeance is a wide body two door coupe, with a muscular, aggressive design evoking the silhouette of a sabretooth on the prowl. Design A supercar owner and connoisseur since his late teens, Kahn has always sought to push the boundaries of car design, developing a distinctive, aggressive design language.

Aston Martin sold its old Vanquish tooling, but to whom?

Where do car models go when they become old? In some cases, they go to developing markets to be reborn again: Nissan built the Sentra in Mexico for ages, and old Peugeot saloons have been made in Iran for decades. Sometimes a separate company buys the tooling, which has been the case for Saab, for instance: the 9-3 and 9-5 sedans found a new life in China, albeit with new sheetmetal. These scenarios usually play out with passenger cars and trucks, and more rarely with sports cars. But for the Aston Martin Vanquish, there might be plans afoot. Aston Martin was revealed to have sold the second-generation Vanquish tooling and design drawings in June, for around $26 million. Aston didn't disclose the name of the buyer, so speculation quickly rose. Who wants to start building the V12 range-topper originally launched in 2012? Automotive News suggests the buyer could be a boutique European tuner such as Mansory, who would expand from converting cars into having bespoke products of its own. Jalopnik mentions Zagato, who has already partnered with Aston Martin and helped create the exclusive Zagato Vanquish. Whoever the buyer turns out to be, they will get 18 months of assistance from Aston Martin Consulting, as dictated in the deal. An interesting development would be if the Vanquish would be recreated as an electric supercar, if the anonymous buyer chooses not to fit their creations with Aston's V12 engines. Still, Aston won't be the first British sportscar maker to sell its tooling to another company: surely everybody remembers the time the front-wheel-drive Lotus Elan reappeared in Korea, as the Kia Elan/Vigato? Related Video:

Porsche Taycan is here, Lamborghini Sian is near | Autoblog Podcast #594

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. They start the conversation with the cars they've been driving, including the Subaru Forester, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-AMG C 43 and Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid. Then they talk about the biggest news of the week: the reveal of the all-electric Porsche Taycan. After that, they sweep up other news, like the Lamborghini Sian, new Nissan Juke and the Aston Martin Vanquish 25 by Ian Callum. Next, Autoblog's Erik Meier, who both produces this very podcast and also hosts our Twitch livestream, joins the chat with his impressions of the latest racing game, "WRC 8." Finally, our editors try to provide some helpful guidance in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #594 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2019 Subaru Forester 2019 Lincoln Navigator 2019 Mercedes-AMG C 43 Coupe 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Porsche unveils 2020 Taycan Turbo and Turbo S 2020 Lamborghini Sian Next-generation Nissan Juke Aston Martin Vanquish 25 by Ian Callum Autoblog plays "WRC 8" Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:     Green Podcasts Toys/Games Aston Martin Lamborghini Lincoln Mercedes-Benz Nissan Porsche Subaru Used Car Buying Coupe Crossover SUV Electric Hybrid Performance