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Mid-engine Aston Martin Project 003 supercar teased

Aston Martin has officially announced its next mid-engine supercar with a teaser and a working name: "Project 003." From the teaser image, it should be a stunner with a body that's all curves and wide athletic haunches. We also dig the exhaust outlets through the engine cover. Aston says the supercar will borrow some technology from the Valkyrie, with that car's lightweight construction, active aerodynamics and active suspension likely candidates. Still, Project 003 will be a very different vehicle. For one thing, it doesn't have an absurdly high-revving naturally aspirated V12. Instead, it's a gas-powered, turbocharged hybrid. Aston Martin hasn't said how many cylinders, but it seems safe to say it will have at least eight. Then there's the fact that this will be more practical for road use, with Aston specifically mentioning that this car will actually have luggage space. How novel! We expect that the car will be a bit more civilized in the ride and noise departments, too. Aston Martin says that the first of 500 total examples will reach owners starting in late 2021. While it hasn't said for sure, we expect to see the car unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Between the show and when it reaches customers, it will probably get a real name, just as the Valkyrie began life as Project 001, and the Valkyrie AMR Pro was Project 002. Related Video: Green Aston Martin Coupe Hybrid Luxury Supercars

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante caught out in the rain

We've had the pleasure of driving the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, with its 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 making an astonishing 715 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. The only drawback was not getting full exposure to the alpine air as we sped down the Autobahn. We've seen spy shots, though, of a DBS Superleggera Volante that could provide that experience, but it was still wearing camouflage. Now, our spy shooters have caught the convertible in testing, giving us a good look at the car. It was rainy as the car prowled around near the Nurburgring, so the convertible top was kept closed. It still looks sleek as all heck, with sheets of water dripping from its tires and aerodynamic bits, fallen leaves trapped in the grille. The convertible top maintains the tight and low roofline of the coupe, but it significantly shrinks the rear window. But that visibility issue would be eliminated with the top dropped. Under the hood and the rest of the sheetmetal, we expect this to maintain all the mechanical goodness and sporty prowess of its fixed-top stablemate. We're not sure when the official debut of the grand touring convertible will take place. We're hoping we'll have the chance to test it out before the fall leaves and drenching rains arrive in 2019. Related Video:

Aston Martin DBX Bowmore Edition is distilled luxury with a whisky theme

Aston Martin, one of the best-known British carmakers, is joining forces with Bowmore, one of the best-known Scotch whisky distillers, to create a limited-edition version of the DBX. Designed by the company's Q division, the Bowmore Edition is a cocktail of modern luxury and old-school craftmanship for car and whisky enthusiasts alike. It takes a well-trained eye to tell the Bowmore Edition apart from the regular DBX in traffic. It's painted in a relatively subtle color named Bowmore Blue, though buyers can alternatively order Xenon Grey. Black brake calipers and black wheels come standard, but our favorite exterior feature is on the side strakes. They gain copper inlays cut out of the original Bowmore still. Q by Aston Martin badges round out the list of visual tweaks. Buyers can choose between a single- and a two-tone interior. Both feature copper and blue tweed inserts created by the Islay Woollen Mill that's located on the same island as the Bowmore distillery. More still-sourced copper accents are found on the bottom of the front cupholders and on the sill plates, and each car comes with an array of edition-specific accessories, including a tweed picnic basket and a leather holdall bag. Aston made no mechanical modifications to the DBX Bowmore Edition, so please don't pour single malt in its fuel tank. Power comes from a twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8 engine borrowed from Mercedes-Benz and tuned to develop 542 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. It spins the four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission. The DBX posts a 4.2-second sprint to 60 mph and it can tow up to 6,000 pounds when properly equipped, which represents about 2,000 bottles of whisky — or a few hundred less if you factor in the trailer. Q by Aston Martin will build 18 units of the DBX Bowmore Edition. Deliveries will take place in the fourth quarter of 2021, but customers won't simply be handed the keys before being sent home. They'll first travel to Edinburgh, Scotland, where they'll pick up their SUV. They'll then take a 170-mile road trip through the fairy tale-like Scottish countryside before boarding a ferry for Islay for a three-night stay. Participants will eat, sight-see, visit the Bowmore Distillery, and hand-fill their own bottle of 39-year-old whisky straight from the cask, which is not bad as far as souvenirs go. Pricing hasn't been released yet, but the standard DBX starts at about $190,000. Related video: