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Sunday Drive: Still thankful for supercars

The Thanksgiving holiday meant that last week was pretty short on stories, but apparently our readers are still thankful for supercars. The biggest news of the week was the new Aston Martin Vantage, which is clothed in a new look that Autoblog readers are still very much unsure of. It's a radical departure from past Aston Martin models, and while everyone seems to agree that the profile is lovely, the squinty headlamps are a particular source of contention. Its 503 horsepower and 512 pound-feet of torque cannot be argued with ... oh, and a V12 may be coming soon. Moving along is a nearly new 2006 Ford GT for sale that's expected to fetch around $300,000 at auction. It's so unused that it still has plastic wrap covering the leather interior. The Ango-American theme continues with the McLaren 720S, though not in road-going form. Still, renderings of the upcoming 720S GT3 racer round out this supercar-rich recap. As always, stay tuned to Autoblog for all the latest automotive news that's fit to print. All-new Aston Martin Vantage turns up the volume This 10.8-mile Ford GT could be yours McLaren 720S GT3 race car shown off in renderings Aston Martin Ford McLaren Coupe Luxury Racing Vehicles Performance Supercars aston martin vantage recap sunday drive

Aston Martin CEO calls Tesla Model S 'Ludicrous' mode stupid

To be fair, some would say paying as much as a quarter-million dollars for a car in itself qualifies as "ludicrous." But the CEO of Aston Martin, a company that is readying a pricier electric-vehicle competitor to the Tesla Model S, didn't mince words in discussing Tesla's newest gizmo that can propel the sedan from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds. In fact, Andy Palmer, Aston's CEO, prefers a slightly more balanced approach. Palmer was quoted in Automotive News as saying that Tesla's Ludicrous Mode was "stupid." He added that he'd rather have an electric vehicle that could last "a few laps of a decent race course" instead of one that does its best imitation of a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Palmer also took to his Twitter account to note, among other things, that the Aston's "insane mode comes as standard - no button required." Aston Martin said earlier this week that it planned to make a battery-electric variant of its Rapide Sedan. That model will have 800 horsepower as well as a 200-mile single-charge range. The car will also cost between $200,000 and $250,000, or about twice the cost of a top-of-the-line Model S. As for the Tesla, its Ludicrous mode was announced last month for the Model S and it will eventually be added to the Model X for those who are big on flipping SUVs. Tesla said that the feature cuts the sedan's 0-60 mpg time to a tidy 2.8 seconds, though the option does cost about $10,000. Which is probably about the price of an Aston Martin door handle. Featured Gallery 2015 Aston Martin Rapide S View 32 Photos News Source: Automotive News (subs req'd) Green Aston Martin Tesla Electric ludicrous mode

You can buy this gorgeous one-off Aston Martin Jet 2 Bertone shooting brake

It was the last project built by Italian coachbuilder Bertone before it went bust, a one-off project designed and commissioned by the man who drove a 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 around the world in 80 days, and now's your chance to buy it alongside the full-size clay model and fiberglass mold that preceded it. We’re talking about the Aston Martin Bertone Jet 2+2, a wagonized Rapide that we last saw at the Geneva Motor Show back in 2013. It was built in homage both to AstonÂ’s centenary and to mark six decades of cooperation between the automaker and the Italian design house. At the time, the identity of the client who commissioned it was kept secret. ItÂ’s being offered for sale by Barry Weir, the British motoring enthusiast famous for his four-continent, 22-country, 34,000-mile world rally record, set in 2000. He designed the shooting brake based on the Rapide saloon, added a rear hatch, full-length tinted glass roof and sliding rear floor, and got it approved by Aston, which reportedly intended to put the car into production after Bertone built 10 of them. But that never happened, as Bertone folded operations after this project. View 10 Photos Nevertheless, Weir says he found the fiberglass molds and clay model used to build the car earlier this year on auction in Italy while browsing the web. He managed to negotiate their removal from the auction and bring them back to the U.K., and heÂ’s even offering to sell the tooling set separately. “IÂ’m minded to sell the complete package, and the buyer can choose what they wish to do with it,” Weir says. “They could reproduce the moulds and model or, alternatively, have it as a one-off production car which is registered as Aston Martin Jet 2; which is a new model.” The finished product is said to share 70% of its DNA with the Rapide, including the stock 6.0-liter V12, offering 476 horsepower, and the same wheelbase and a nearly identical curb weight to the donor car. Inside, it features a 2+2 setup with four individual seats, the two in back foldable at the press of a button to make for hauling stuff, and Bertone gave the interior some wood, glazed aluminum and two-color leather trim, per request of Weir, whose name is etched on a plaque inside the cabin. The total design and build took around 3 1/2 months. Related Video: