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Drive an Aston Martin | The List #0568

Few cars can drum up feelings of intrigue like an Aston Martin. On this episode of The List, hosts Jessi Combs and Patrick McIntyre travel to England, the birthplace of Aston Martin, to drive the V12 Vanquish and learn more about this luxurious brand. From exploring narrow country roads to braving a rain storm on the track, we put this beautiful British sports car to the test. The 2016 V12 Vanquish is a sight to behold no matter the road, but there's something special about driving it around England. We visited the Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, the site of an Aston factory from 1954 - 2007, to learn more about the brand's past. From the DB4 all the way to the Vanquish, the beauty of these hand-built machines has stayed consistent throughout their history. After admiring the classics, it was time to push the shiny new Vanquish to its limits on the track. Fighting through intermittent rain didn't make it easy. "Getting a little squirrelly for sure," said a visibly excited Patrick. "Too much. Way too much on that one." When it was Jessi's turn, her self-proclaimed lead foot actually led her to an interesting conclusion about the vehicle. Because of the subpar track conditions and because the car is in fact a grand tourer, Jessi actually makes that claim that "I think I'd rather have it out on the open road." Regardless of environment or driving conditions, it's certain that the Vanquish is an incredibly impressive machine. Perhaps most importantly, it helped us check "Drive An Aston Martin" off of our List. Click here to find more episodes of The List Click here to learn more about our hosts, Jessi and Patrick Aston Martin Luxury Performance Supercars The List Videos Original Video aston martin vanquish

Aston Martin Vantage AMR equipped with a stick shift to honor Le Mans win

Where and how a car debuts can say a lot about that vehicle. With the newest Aston Martin, the message is clear: It's all about the lasting visceral connection between driver and automobile. The Vantage AMR, with a manual transmission and a twin-turbocharged V8, debuted today at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the second-to-last race in the 2018-2019 FIA World Endurance Championship. Of the 200 examples, 59 will be available with special "Vantage 59" trimmings. We've known a manual-transmission Vantage was on the way for some time, but as our previous report said, this is the first time the Mercedes-AMG-sourced engine has been paired with a stick. So it expectedly took some time to develop. The brawny power source beneath the Vantage's hood is a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8. It is rated at 503 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 461 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm. It has a top speed of 195 mph and has a claimed zero-to-60 time of 3.9 seconds. The AMR's stats are slightly down from the base Vantage due to use of the Graziano-developed seven-speed transmission. The automatic Vantage offers 505 lb-ft of peak torque and has a listed zero-to-60 time of 3.6 seconds. In part due to the change from automatic transmission to manual, the AMR is significantly lighter than the regular Vantage. Switching to standard carbon ceramic brakes also helped the AMR come in 209 pounds lighter, yet Aston says the car maintains its nearly even 50-50 weight distribution. Several technologies aim to keep the AMR's motorsport-inspired driving feel as smooth, quick and efficient as possible. The AMR has a limited-slip differential, adaptive damping (with Sport, Sport+, and Track modes), and AMSHIFT, Aston Martin's version of heel-toe-mimicking rev-matching. The driver selectable transmission aid also allows for full-throttle upshifting. Although Aston Martin is earning the attention and admiration of purists by building a Vantage with a manual transmission, not everybody will be lucky enough to get one. Production is limited to 200 units, with 59 of those cars offered in an extra-limited-edition "Vantage 59" spec (this was similarly done to the DBS). Honoring 60 years since the DBR1's win at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, all Vantage 59 cars will wear Stirling Green and Lime suits. Inside, they get Dark Knight leather, Alcantara trim, and Lime accents. The remaining 141 cars are offered in Sabiro Blue, Onyx Black, China Grey, or White Stone.

Ford's J Mays feels vindicated by Fusion reception

It's hard to think back now, but the same man overseeing the design of the 2013 Ford Fusion also presided over a rather lackluster period in Ford design, highlighted by vehicles like the Five Hundred and Freestyle. With the redesigned Fusion receiving high praise, J Mays tells Automotive News that he feels vindicated from criticisms suggesting he's not a daring enough designer.
When Mays took over as lead of design in 1997, he admits to having quite an ego ("My head would barely fit through the door some days. I've long since gotten over myself") and the workload to match. With the Blue Oval's portfolio full of premium brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo at that point, along with the bread-and-butter Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, Mays certainly had quite the challenge.
It was in the mid-2000s that Mays took over just the premium brands, and took on the new title of Chief Creative Officer. At the time, Mays endured some criticism for looking backwards to retro styling, rather than setting a new standard for American car design - criticism that Mays says he is free from with the all-new Fusion.