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Aston Martin Lagonda Vision Concept re-envisioned as zero-emissions luxury brand

After introducing the hand-built, limited-edition, one-million-dollar Lagonda Taraf saloon in 2015, Aston Martin is again reaching to its Lagonda heritage dating back to 1904. But while there's a new saloon concept to be presented, Lagonda has completely changed around it. The Taraf had a six-liter, 540-horsepower V12 under its hood: the new car has no engine and no hood. Instead, Aston Martin is turning Lagonda into what it calls the first zero emission luxury brand. The herald of the newly born Lagonda is the Vision Concept, and it showcases the design language Aston Martin is preparing for a 2023 launch. While Astons still embrace the internal combustion engine, the letter "O" in Lagonda's logo is re-purposed to stand for zero emissions. As per Aston's statement: "With no need to package a vast internal combustion engine, gearbox and transmission, Lagonda's designers could optimize the interior down to the smallest detail and then build up the exterior of the car around it. The Lagonda Vision Concept doesn't have a bonnet because one is not required." The production Lagonda is to be fully autonomous "on all routine circumstances and all recognizable roads." This means the steering wheel can freely move from the left side of the car to the right, or retract completely. Choosing to not do the driving isn't alien to Lagonda customers, as Aston Martin's Andy Palmer explains. "For owners of true luxury cars, autonomy has existed for over a century, in a carbon-based form called a chauffeur." He adds, "We imagine most Lagonda customers will choose to be driven, but whether by a person or a computer will be up to them. And if they want to drive themselves, the car will ensure that is a delightful and memorable experience too. Lagonda will provide that choice." The tall, airy cabin has been designed with the help of Savile Row tailors, and the armchair-like seats can be arranged to face each other. The seats aren't mounted on runners, but cantilevered arms. As for range, Lagondas will have been engineered for a real-world 400-mile range with solid-state batteries. There's "intelligent all-wheel-drive," with any wheel able to be given 100 percent of the available torque.

Race Recap: 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans defines 'endurance'

Commenting on the rush of events that rocked beginning and end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Paul Truswell of Radio Le Mans said "the race is about the ability to endure, not just the ability of drivers to do what they do for a long time." The entire race machine, all the way down to the pit boards and radios, has to survive the stress and abuse of the entire day. This was the race to prove those words.
There were two Toyotas, two Porsches and three Audis, five of the seven led the race at some point, six of the seven ran in the top three. Toyota will be hugely disappointed that it didn't win when its car and drivers were so, so strong, but they gave Audi the kind of scare we haven't seen since the best of Peugeot's days, and Toyota did a better job of it even in the loss. Porsche blew away everyone's expectations, falling 3.5 hours short of a fairy tale ending that would have made Disney cry.
But Le Mans doesn't really do fairy tales. Well, not that fairy tale. Audi's Twitter handle during the event was #welcomechallenges. As usual, Le Mans answered for the entire field.

James Bond 'No Time To Die' roundup | All the cars, history and stunts

"No Time To Die" is finally, officially in theaters. It’s been an extra long road for this James Bond movie to come out, but the wait is over now. Since today is Bond day and all (at least for U.S. theaters), we figured it was time to get you a wrap-up of all the Bond-related content youÂ’ll want to go along with the film. Below, youÂ’ll find stories weÂ’ve published about "No Time To Die" over the past couple of weeks. Beware of any spoilers if you havenÂ’t seen the movie yet (if not, get to it), but those who have viewed it can read on safely. All of the Bond cars of 'No Time To Die'  Since youÂ’re here at Autoblog, we figure this is the one youÂ’re most likely looking for. The list of excellent cars in this latest Bond installment is a long one, and we have them all contained in this succinct list. Just as in past Bond movies, automotive (and motorcycle) enthusiasts will be delighted at every corner in "No Time To Die." From the classic Aston Martin DB5 to flying Land Rover Defenders, this Bond has plenty of eye candy for the engine-minded. 007 Questions for James BondÂ’s stunt master Ever been curious about all the incredible stunts that are seemingly routinely pulled in every James Bond movie? Well, here are some answers from the stunt master himself, Chris Corbould. In this story, we sit down with Corbould and grill him on how itÂ’s pulled off so masterfully. As youÂ’d expect, "No Time To Die" has its fair share of stunts. From the bonkers motorcycle jump seen in one of the trailers, to more we wonÂ’t detail for fear of spoiling your fun of watching them. Make sure to see the movie, then come back here for more background on how the sausage is made. All 24 James Bond movies ranked only by their cars You want more cars? WeÂ’ve got you covered. Our James Bond expert, James Riswick, ranks all of the Bond movie based on the cars within. Of course, Bond films are known for the excellent “Bond cars” depicted within them, so picking the best requires some parsing. If youÂ’re hoping to get up to speed with all the great Bond cars before (or after) seeing "No Time To Die," this is a great way to do it. No stone is left unturned, so take a ride with us down memory lane and see if you agree with our definitive list.