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Enterprise adds Aston Martin DB9, Rapide S to rental fleet

It'll cost you at least $100k to put your name on the title of a new Aston Martin, but if you just want one for the day Enterprise will soon be able to hook you up. The car rental company just announced a deal with the British automaker to bring its grand touring to locations across the US as part of its Exotic Car Collection. Enterprise will place the DB9 and Rapide S initially in select markets, including Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, SoCal, Miami, Naples, Orlando, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Las Vegas. So if you're anywhere above the Mason-Dixon line, you'll have to sit tight. While Enterprise has locations in Boston, Indianapolis, Seattle, Toronto, and DC (not to mention Nashville and Austin), those fleets aren't getting their Astons just yet. Enterprise can also hook you up with a variety of other exotic machinery, including an Audi R8, BMW i8, Bentley Continental GT, Chevy Corvette, Ferrari California, Jaguar F-Type, Maserati GranTurismo or Porsche 911. Prices vary, but they're not cheap. Related Video: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Aston Martin Agreement Offers Exotic Car Collection Renters New High-End Vehicles ST. LOUIS, April 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ever dreamed of getting behind the wheel of an Aston Martin DB9 or Rapide S? Starting today, Enterprise Rent-A-Car can make that dream come true. The brand has announced an agreement with Aston Martin that brings the DB9 and Rapide S sports cars to the Exotic Car Collection by Enterprise, in select locations throughout the U.S. Through the agreement, Enterprise Holdings, the world's largest car rental company and which owns the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand, will carry the largest fleet of Aston Martin vehicles available for rent compared to any other car rental company. The Exotic Car Collection was founded in 2006 to meet customer demand for luxury vehicle rentals. Today, there are more than 30 locations in cities throughout the country, and expansion into new markets throughout North America continues at a rapid pace. "We pride ourselves on providing high-end renters with access to some of the most sought-after vehicles on the planet, and our consistent growth continues to reinforce strong demand for these luxury rentals," said Brice Adamson, senior vice president, Enterprise Holdings. "This agreement with Aston Martin is a terrific addition to our Collection.

Mercedes to offer SL, GL platforms to Aston Martin?

The agonizingly slow courtship between Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz has been a regular topic of conversation ever since the 2009 Lagonda Concept debuted, riding on a Mercedes GL chassis. Beyond that one polarizing concept, though, nearly every other attempt to pair the two brands up in a major way has fallen through. Only the technical partnership between Mercedes and Aston for certain components from AMG, which was negotiated back in July, has held up so far.
That may finally be set to change, according to an excellent profile of the two brands' relationship from Automobile, which claims that two platforms will unite the Germans and Brits. The first tie up is, not surprisingly, a sports car.
As Aston Martin's VH platform - which underpins every car that comes out of Gaydon - continues to age, the pressure will well and truly be on Aston to find a next-gen replacement to underpin the successors to the Vantage, Vanquish, DB9 and Rapide. Automobile claims Mercedes has just such an architecture, in the form its new modular sports car platform. This new platform is slated for the next-generation SLK and SL and is still in its design infancy.

2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera First Drive Review | Nowhere I'd rather be

BERCHTESGADEN, Germany — The mountains at the border of Austria and Germany are full of rolling green fields bookended by tree-capped mountains. The roads that run along the mountainsides and valleys, despite being packed with tractors and a seemingly endless line of vacation travelers, are ripe with corners just waiting to be strung together. I'm standing on a hillside staring at the new Aston Martin DBS Superleggera when I realize there are few things I've ever wanted more than a V12-powered GT and a ribbon of clean pavement. The DBS Superleggera is the third new Aston Martin revealed this year, following the Vantage and DB11 AMR. It's based on the DB11 and serves as a replacement for the Vanquish S. In place of the old, naturally-aspirated 6.0-liter V12 is an upgraded version of the 5.2-liter engine found in the DB11 AMR. In the DBS, the engine makes 715 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, up 85 horses and a gut-punching 148 pound-feet over the DB11. The extra power comes mostly from an increase in boost from the two turbos. The other big changes to the DBS come in the way of the relatively lightweight carbon-fiber bodywork. Every panel save for the doors and roof has been re-sculpted. The new panels are carbon fiber, and — with options such as carbon-fiber trim and a lightweight exhaust — the DBS weighs about 160 pounds less than a DB11. The styling is different, too, thanks to a massive grill and lower intakes that make up most of the front fascia. Aston Martin says the extra area is needed to cool the V12. It reminds me a bit of the wide-mouth Aston grilles from the '50s and '60s. The straked "curlicue" fender vents, F1-style double diffuser, and reworked Aeroblade increase downforce to nearly 400 pounds at the car's top speed of 211 mph without any major drag penalties. The Aeroblade pulls in air from behind the rear windows, moving it through the bodywork and over the rear wing. Rather than using an active wing like on the DB11, the DBS uses a fixed Gurney flap. The Aeroblade and Gurney flap give the DBS downforce while keeping the overall design relatively clean. The new DBS is handsome and purposeful, if not exactly beautiful. Sitting behind the wheel, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in another DB11. The seats are the most notable and obvious change in the DBS, offering slightly more bolstering than what you get on the DB11 (though they lack fine-tuned adjustments). The rest of the interior simply looks like a reskinned DB11.