2023 Aston Martin Dbs Superleggera Volante! $432k Msrp!! on 2040-cars

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Catch these four Aston Martins in Bond 25, 'No Time to Die'

Unless Aston Martin is holding a trick up its sleeve, an Aston Martin Rapide E will not be appearing in the new James Bond movie "No Time to Die," as we'd previously thought. The film will, however, feature the Valhalla, the DBS Superlegerra, the V8 Vantage and the DB5, as confirmed by a recent tweet.  As the anniversary of when the first Bond film "Dr. No" was originally released in 1962, Oct. 5 has been deemed Global James Bond Day. To celebrate the occasion, two things were unveiled: the first movie poster for "No Time To Die" and Aston Martin's movie lineup. Playing to the 25th anniversary, Aston will include classic models, current cars, and future rides. Part of this news is not really news. We knew both the V8 Vantage and the DB5 would be in attendance, but the inclusion of both the DBS Superleggera and the Valhalla is a nice surprise. There's no word whether the DBS will be one of the "On Her Majesty’s Secret Service" special-edition examples, but we doubt it. The pairing of the Superleggera and the Valhalla sparks excellent memories of the epic Aston Martin DB10 vs. Jaguar C-X75 chase scene from "Spectre." We can only hope we're so lucky to see these cars in yet another romp. Few numbers about the Valhalla's powertrain have leaked, other than it will be mid-engined with a twin-turbocharged V6 with F1 tech, but it's doubtlessly capable of battling the DBS, which has a 715-horsepower twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12.  We'll find out how involved each vehicle is on April 8, 2020, the day "No Time To Die" releases. Past, present and future. To mark the 25th Bond film, #NoTimeToDie, four of our cars will be featured in the film. From the classic DB5 and V8 Vantage, to the new DBS Superleggera and Aston Martin Valhalla, there is something for every Bond fan.#JamesBondDay@007 pic.twitter.com/cmKvswriHo — Aston Martin (@astonmartin) October 5, 2019 Celebrate #JamesBondDay with the first poster for #NoTimeToDie #Bond25 pic.twitter.com/EoU4PXhxwX — James Bond (@007) October 5, 2019

Aston Martin's Vanquish S Red Arrow aerobatics special edition is a stunning tribute

Aston Martin's in-house custom car division, Q, has just revealed its latest model, the Aston Martin Vanquish S Red Arrows Edition. The Vanquish is themed around the Red Arrows, a British aerobatics team like the American Blue Angels. The connection to the team starts from the outside, with a bright, gloss red paint job with white and blue accents on the carbon fiber trim to replicate the look of the Red Arrows' planes. The badges have red, white, and blue enamel to evoke the Union Jack flag, and a white stripe along the side is meant to look like the smoke trails left by the planes. Inside, the interior is finished in black leather with khaki green leather inserts and matching seatbelts. According to Aston Martin, this color scheme echoes the flight suits worn by the Red Arrows team. The flight team's logo, which shows their diamond-shaped flight formation, is embroidered into the seat backs. The door panels also receive custom embroidery, which shows the "Vixen Break" maneuver. This particular Vanquish S loses its rear seats to make space for a pair of racing helmets that come with the car. The helmets are painted in Red Arrows colors. In addition to the helmets, Aston Martin will include scale models of the car and a Red Arrows plane, a racing suit, embroidered bomber jacket, and a custom luggage set. In keeping with the Red Arrows theme, only nine of these cars will be sold, one for each member of the aerobatics team. Each car will also be signed by the corresponding Red Arrows pilot. Aston will build a tenth car that will be donated to the RAF Benevolent Fund, which helps support veterans and their families. Related Video:

2019 Aston Martin Vantage ridealong: Going to the extremes

"My job is to make them drive like they look," Matt Becker, Aston Martin's vehicle attributes engineer, tells me. The engine is idling, and we're harnessed inside of the 2019 Vantage test mule's racing bucket seats, somewhere on a frozen lake near the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Since the Vantage is Aston's best seller, and it's representative of the things the brand stands for, it's safe to say this chilly prototype is the most important Aston Martin on the planet right now. "Shall we have a go?" Becker rhetorically asks, looking out at the ice track. "First, with all the systems on. We test and develop this car with systems on and off, at every stage." Becker shifts the Vantage into Drive, and immediately it sounds happier. Under the hood is an Aston-ized, AMG-sourced twin-turbo V8, packing 503 horsepower and 505 lb-ft of torque. It was given the full work-over, and the controller algorithms were developed to make it behave like a proper Aston. Power is channeled through an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. How and when the power comes on depends on driving conditions and mode, of which the 2019 Vantage has three: Sport, Sport Plus and Track. Absent is the DB11's GT mode, which fits perfectly on the grand tourer but not on a pure sports car such as the Vantage. Throughout testing, the Vantage stays under heavy camouflage and even sports some DB11 bits at first to deter speculation. But despite the partial DB11 drag, the Vantage will embody CEO Andy Palmer's directive: "[W]e need greater differentiation between the lines." While the DB11 is a striking and elegant grand tourer, the Vantage dials up the aggression over its predecessor. A massive, oxygen-gulping grille dominates the frontend. The car is about the same width as the DB11, but in person, it seems twice as wide as more pedestrian sports cars. Fender vents serve both functional and aesthetic purposes. The lip of the trunk swoops up, a naturally integrated spoiler that will help deliver downforce. But there's a lot more at play than is even immediately evident to the eyes, most important of which is the electronic rear differential. This the first Aston to ever be fitted with an e-diff. As Becker explains: "What that allows us to do is vary the amount of torque across the rear axle that we have, which allows you to make the car very short, very agile. Add in tricks like Dynamic Torque Vectoring, and because we can open up the diff, it's like putting a pole in the ground when you're skiing.