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Aston Martin signs Letter of Intent for technical partnership with AMG

A little over two months ago came reports that Daimler and Aston Martin were in talks, again, about "supply and technical-cooperation agreements." The next step has been taken with Aston Martin announcing that it has signed a Letter of Intent that looks "towards a technical partnership" with Mercedes-AMG GmbH, and the two companies aiming to have definitive agreements done by year's end.
While it will get to use certain electric and electronic components from AMG, the true golden egg for the maker of the Vanquish will be the ability to develop a new line of "bespoke V8 powertrains" that will be fitted to "a new generation of models." In return for opening up the larder, Daimler will get a non-voting stake of up to five percent of Aston Martin.
Nothing else is being said about the tie-up for the moment, but there's a press release below with a few more details.

Aston Martin bringing special Vantage, DB9 editions to Geneva

A European car show wouldn't be a European car show without the introduction of a new special-edition Aston Martin. And this year, Aston has two of them lined up to unveil at the Geneva Motor Show. First up we have the latest in a long line of N edition V8 Vantages. This one is called N430, and it will be available in both coupe and roadster bodystyles. It features the same 430-horsepower version of Aston's 4.7-liter V8 as the Vantage S (mated to either the six-speed manual or seven-speed sequential gearbox), and weight-saving measures like carbon-Kevlar seats and ten-spoke forged alloys help it hustle to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds en route to its 190 mph top speed. A new competition-derived aero package, retuned suspension, new steering ratios and a throatier exhaust aim to give the N430 a tighter, racier feel – as do the "club sports graphics packs" (that take their inspiration from GT racing versions of the Vantage) and dark-finish trim inside and out. Aston is also rolling out new Carbon Black and Carbon White editions of its DB9 that incorporate additional carbon-fiber trim to either complement or contrast with the exterior paint. Unfortunately, neither the V8 Vantage N430 or DB9 Carbon editions will be available in North America, so we'll just have to gaze at them from afar until we see them up close at the Swiss expo early next month. ASTON MARTIN UNVEILS TWO EXCLUSIVE NEW SPECIAL EDITIONS AT GENEVA - Striking V8 Vantage N430 builds on heritage of successful 'N' cars - Bold new styling options derive from N430's clear sporting pedigree - Debut of dramatic DB9 Carbon Black and Carbon White Aston Martin is unveiling two exclusive new special editions at the 84th Geneva International Motor Show. The great British sports car marque, now in its 101st year, is debuting a bold addition to its iconic V8 Vantage range as well as dramatic new special editions of the timeless DB9. Building on the appeal of the sports-focused Vantage range, and enhancing the enduring allure of Aston Martin's seminal GT, the DB9, the new models deliver eye-catching looks and classic elegance. V8 Vantage N430: race breeding, sports styling Pure, unadulterated fun is what lies at the heart of the new V8 Vantage N430. Honed on the track to excel on the road, N430 – available in Coupe or Roadster form – boasts a power hike to 436 PS at 7,300 rpm that brings its output up to that of the spirited V8 Vantage S.

Why yes, my $3.6 million would go to a new 007 Aston Martin DB5

Funniest damn thing happened today. Turns out my grandfather invested in what he thought was a fruit company in the early 1980s, and 35 years later, we just discovered the Riswicks are all now multi-millionaires. That farmer Jobs guy really knew his orchard. So, what to do with my $3.6 million share. What's that you say? Aston Martin has announced it will be producing 28 new "continuation" 1964 DB5's, all in Silver Birch, and all packing vintage Q Brand gadgets from Goldfinger? Oh, well all of the money will be going to that, then. Now, Mr. Okulski over at the Road & Track would argue that the continuation James Bond DB5 has "killed nostalgia." He says that "it feels wrong," that Aston Martin is doing too much good stuff at the moment to resort to such nostalgia plays. Especially when you cannot drive the continuation DB5 on the road. That's right, every one of them is not road legal. In this country, or any other that you'd realistically want to drive a DB5. I reached out to Aston Martin to confirm why this is, and indeed, governments the world over frown upon any vehicle that possesses spinning tire shredders that extend out from the wheel hubs. Not to mention oil slicks, rotating number plates and the rest of the gadgets to be installed over the course of the estimated 3,000-hour build by the team headed by current Bond special effect guru Chris Corbould. Hmm, no kidding. Even without the guns and ejector seat, trying to make it road legal would be completely and unrealistically complex. In other words, if a DB5 with all the gadgets is to exist, it can't drive on public roads. And if you want a "new" 1964 DB5, don't you automatically want it in Silver Birch and packed with James Bond gadgets? Yes, you damn well do. I know this, because if I could outfit my BMW Z3 in Atlanta Blue with stinger missiles, a parachute and "all-points radar," I damn well would. I absolutely, 100 percent own my car because of nostalgia for GoldenEye, and I won't apologize for it. The Tina Turner theme song is cued up on the iPod. And yeah, I'd buy one of these, too. Now, I must admit that the DB5's road illegality is lame. But let's dig deeper. First, let's face the fact that most multimillion-dollar collector cars are driven less than the potted plants in my living room. They could all be road illegal and it wouldn't matter. If they're lucky, they're trailered to a golf course somewhere and driven slowly around the 18th fairway by a man in a jaunty hat.