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Aston Martin close to IPO on the London Stock Exchange

According to a report from Sky News, Aston Martin is close to announcing plans to go public with an IPO on the London Stock Exchange. A listing on the New York Stock Exchange has also reportedly been considered. In December of last year, news broke that the company's owners had hired financial advisory firm Lazard to prepare for a potential offering. The report suggests that the British automaker is looking at an offering of $1.29 billion (GBP1 billion) in shares and an overall company valuation of around $6.44 billion (GBP5 billion). An Intention To Float statement could be filed as early as next week, says Sky. Last year was good for Aston Martin, with a total of 5,117 vehicles sold globally, a 58 percent jump from 2016. The company reported pre-tax profits of nearly $112 million (GBP87 million) in 2017. And it is working on a flurry of new products such as the Valkyrie supercar, an upcoming SUV, the new DBS Superleggera (shown above), and even an ultra-exclusive, real-life James Bond gadget-laden DB5. As of right now, Aston Martin's largest investors are I taly's Investindustrial and Kuwait's Investment Dar. Daimler also holds a sizable stake. Aston said it had filed a registration document with Britain's Financial Conduct Authority, a requirement for firms considering an IPO, at a time when the likes of Tesla boss Elon Musk have slammed the additional pressures of being listed. Pending a final decision from the FCA, a prospectus will be published on or around Sept. 20 as the maker of sports cars that can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds hopes to tap into global demand from wealthy buyers who want a slice of the high-end brand. The carmaker hopes to complete the flotation this year, the same target that British Prime Minister Theresa May is working towards to agree a deal for leaving the European Union. Aston sells roughly 25 percent of its cars to the EU and operates its only plant in Gaydon, central England, with a second one due to begin operations in Wales in 2019. "We can demonstrate that Brexit is not a major effect for us," Chief Executive Andy Palmer told Reuters. "If there is a tariff into Europe, it's countered by a tariff into the UK for our competitors so you might lose a little bit of market share in the EU but you pick it up in the UK," he said. Niche carmakers such as Aston and McLaren are more concerned about customs checks than tariffs as they believe many of their buyers can absorb a price hike.

Aston Martin will call the AM-RB 003 the Valhalla

Aston Martin has announced the proper name of its upcoming "AM-RB 003" hypercar: It will be called the Valhalla. The name continues the tradition of Aston Martin model names beginning with the letter V, and it ties neatly into Norse mythology. As Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said: "In following the Valkyrie, we knew the Aston Martin Valhalla needed to make a strong statement of its own, yet also offer continuity and a clear connection. Norse mythology contains such powerful language and rich storytelling, it felt only right that the AM-RB 003 should follow the Valkyrie's theme." Witness, then, the available specs of the Valkyrie's upcoming relative. There will be a 500-car production run, and the Valhalla will feature a turbocharged V6 with a hybrid system. The car is all carbon fiber, and it will have an advanced, Vulcan-style sealed oil system that enables quick changes and reuse of the engine oil. The variable airfoil on the rear wing benefits from NASA-level FlexFoil technology, with the ability to adjust the car's downforce without changing the airfoil's angle. No power figures or more specific information has yet been announced. Valhalla production is slated to begin in late 2021. Regarding the Valkyrie, Aston Martin has announced it will race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2021. The year coincides with the 100th anniversary of Aston Martin first racing at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

This Aston Martin DB9 with 104,000 miles on it makes us happy

The typical Aston Martin DB9 for sale has something like 14,000 miles on it, but 4,000 is pretty typical and a "high-mileage" example would be less than 40,000. And remember, the DB9 went on sale 16 years ago, lasted until 2016, and there isn't as much correlation between age and mileage as there are with other cars. Also remember, Aston Martins usually sit in garages collecting far more dust than, quite obviously, miles. Which is why we're oddly proud of this 2005 Aston Martin DB9 for sale that has 104,854 miles on it ... and the original owner who had the audacity and awesomeness to drive it that much. Good job, buddy. The second owner, prior to selling it to selling dealer, put only 4,000 miles on it since 2015. This plucky Aston-that-could is painted in what seems to be California Sage green with a Cream Truffle interior. With all those miles, such a light-colored leather is definitely showing its age and there's plenty of wear on the driver seat (especially the side bolster), but it's actually not that bad. The leather seats of cars with far fewer miles can look much worse. In fact, the interior in general looks great for such a high-mileage car, a testament to its owner's maintenance and Aston's materials and build quality. As mentioned earlier, it's rare that the latter gets tested so rigorously.  Now, would buying an Aston Martin DB9 with 104,845 miles on it be a good idea? Sure doesn't seem like it. Then again, buying a used Aston Martin always seems like it would be an expensive proposition, and maybe actually being driven has kept it in better working order? Maybe? The CarFax does show consistent service over the years. Of course, that could mean it was breaking all the time, but would you really keep something around that was breaking all the time?  Ultimately, the problem here is the price: Motor Car Classics in New York is asking $39,900 for it. A quick scan of Autotrader reveals DB9s with exponentially fewer miles for around the same money or even less. That includes Volante convertibles. This 2005 is only $4,000 more and has 36,000 miles. This one is also $4,000 more, but has 14,000 miles. However, pricing cars like this is very difficult and certainly none of those other DB9s were as well loved and enjoyed as this audacious green trooper.