2013 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster-carbon Pack Inside And Out! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Aston Martin teases the DBX again ahead of December debut

Aston Martin began the teaser campaign for the DBX two months ago with a 37-second video of the coming crossover on a romp over dirt roads, carousing and drifting through a magenta landscape. The next month brought a dynamic tease, the DBX running up the hill at Goodwood. Now another teaser is out, this one called The Grille, focused on that trademark Aston Martin component. The dreamy vid, laid out like an opening credit sequence for a Bond film, is captioned, "Aston Martin’s first SUV features the iconic DB grille." In case that's not enough to make the connection, the DB11 opens the 41-second clip before eventually transitioning into the DBX. The DBX is built on the same Second Century Architecture supporting the DB11, the SCA also planned to carry the Lagonda's future lineup of electric vehicles. Power will come from the same Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 found in the DB11 and the Vantage. If the horsepower rumors come true, we can expect 503 ponies from the charge, same as found in the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe, and something like 516 pound-feet of torque. The engine being hooked up to a Mercedes electrical architecture helps explain the surfeit of Mercedes-looking switchgear inside the DBX cabin, including what looks like a heavily MBUX-inspired infotainment system. Without stating a figure, Aston Martin makes note of DBX towing capability; the GLC 63 can manage 3,500 pounds, enough for the DBX to pull the required barrow of champagne to Royal Ascot 2020. The reveal is scheduled for December, deliveries to come in 2020 after units roll off the carmaker's new factory in St. Athan, Wales. Production numbers are penciled in for 5,000 units per year. The order book opened over the weekend at Pebble Beach; selling the planned annual production would nearly double the company's annual sales.

Aston Martin bringing Vantage GT12, Lagonda to Goodwood

Over the past 22 years, the Goodwood Festival of Speed has become one of the premier classic car events in the world. It's a place where incredibly rare vehicles are dusted off and are actually driven up the estate's famous hill. In addition to all of the wonderful things on display there this year, Aston Martin is giving the public a look at two of the brand's rarest current models – the Vantage GT12 (pictured above) and Lagonda Taraf. Goodwood is actually the first time the Vantage GT12 will be displayed on British soil, and all 100 units of it are already sold out. Aston originally debuted the stripped-out, 592-horsepower, V12 coupe at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show as the Vantage GT3, but a legal dispute with Porsche over the name forced the switch to the current moniker. Rather than just a static display, Aston CEO Andy Palmer has also decided to drive a GT12 up the hill. If race-inspired, limited-edition coupes somehow aren't your thing, Aston Martin is also putting the Lagonda Taraf on display. Once exclusively available in the Middle East, the 200 examples of the carbon-fiber sedan are now for sale only by invitation, and this outing at Goodwood actually marks its global, public debut, outside of a major auto show. Each one is assembled by hand at the same dedicated facility responsible for vehicles like the One-77. Beyond the company's latest and most limited production models, visitors to Goodwood also have the opportunity to watch the hillclimb by the #97 Vantage GTE racer from Le Mans with a mind-bending livery. Rarities like the CC100 are going to be making runs, as well. As usual, if you can make it the UK, this sounds like a must-see event. Related Video: ASTON MARTIN TO THRILL GOODWOOD WITH ITS BIGGEST-EVER PRESENCE 18 June, 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin arrives at the 22nd Goodwood Festival of Speed next week with a superb line-up of exclusive and exciting sports cars and super saloons which, together, represent its biggest presence yet at the world-renowned celebration of motoring and motorsport. The luxury British sports car maker will treat the Goodwood patrons to a feast of 'firsts', including the UK debut of the motorsport-inspired, and now sold-out, Vantage GT12 and the global dynamic debut of the strictly-limited luxurious new Lagonda Taraf super saloon.

Aston Martin spars with WEC over Valkyrie's exit from racing

Confirming an earlier rumor, Aston Martin announced it has stopped developing the track-going version of the Valkyrie it planned to enter in the World Endurance Championship's (WEC) new Hypercar category. It blamed its decision on a recent change in the regulations, but the sanctioning body responded that's not the full story. The British company explained it's unhappy with the WEC's decision to harmonize the Hypercar class with the LMDh category and the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship during the early 2020s. Without providing additional details, it declared the Valkyrie will not make its racing debut at the Silverstone track in August 2020 and it will not challenge Glickenhaus, Toyota, Peugeot and others in the 2021 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It added it's considering canceling the program altogether, meaning the Valkyrie would never race. Aston Martin isn't quitting racing; far from it. It will continue to enter the Vantage GTE in WEC events around the world, and the Racing Point Formula One team will be rebranded Aston Martin after the 2020 season. The sudden and unexpected entry into Formula One led by investor Lawrence Stroll may have played a role in convincing executives to cancel the Hypercar program. Racing is expensive, and Aston isn't doing well. The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) that regulates the WEC doused cold water on Aston's explanation. It opined the harmonization doesn't impact the category, and it pledged to prove this claim when it releases additional technical specifications in March 2020. It instead blamed the decision to withdraw the Valkyrie from racing on the highly-publicized financial issues that have plagued Aston since 2019. "The decision announced by Aston Martin is very regrettable but perhaps not unexpected in light of the persistent rumors over the last six months concerning the fragility of the brand's exposure in the rapidly-evolving automotive market," it wrote. As of writing, executives haven't responded to these allegations. Aston Martin and the FIA both noted they're open to working with each other to find a solution, but the carmaker's statement is highly ambiguous. It affirms Aston's future presence in the racing world will be "defined by its activities at the highest level of both single-seater competition and endurance GT racing" and glaringly leaves the Hypercar category behind. To us, it sounds like the program has already been consigned to the attic.