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Aston Martin announces Rapide E as its first all-electric model

Aston Martin has announced official specifications for its first battery-electric model, which will be the Rapide E. Developed together with Williams Advanced Engineering, the 2019 Rapide E will have two electric motors good for a total of 610 horsepower and 700 pound-feet of torque. The Rapide E four-door, which will be produced in a limited run of 155 units, will be good for 155 mph. Its WLTP range target is said to be over 200 miles, and an hour of charging is good for 185 miles, using a regular 400-volt 50kW charger. Aston says the car's 800V battery system can also be charged with a 100kW+ charger at a rate of over 5 miles per minute. The electric powertrain is where the Rapide S's six-liter V12, gearbox and fuel tank would normally reside, to keep weight distribution in check; using composite materials and lightweight alloys, Aston has been able to meet the Rapide E's weight targets. To beat the aerodynamics of the Rapide S and to make it as silent as possible, both the car's exterior and underbody have been given a makeover from an EV development viewpoint and the low-rolling-resistance Pirelli P-Zero tires even feature noise-canceling foam inside them. As Aston is still in the business of making sports cars, the Rapide E's performance must be up to par: It reaches 60 mph in less than 4 seconds, and the 50-70 mph overtaking time is just 1.5 seconds. Aston says these figures can also be reached with a battery that is less than fully charged – the target is for "maximum performance on-demand throughout majority of the battery state of charge window," to put it succinctly. Aston's benchmark is that the Rapide E is capable of a full Nurburgring lap without any derating of the battery, with the electric version able to give a hassle-free performance expected of an internal combustion car. Perhaps that is a veiled reference to Teslas that have experienced overheating problems in track use. Aston Martin also states that it has strived to keep the Rapide E feeling like an Aston Martin, especially compared to the V12-engined Rapide S sibling. For Aston, this has meant chassis and electric powertrain tuning to retain the Rapide S's handling characteristics and "feel," including using a limited-slip differential through which the twin electric motors deliver their power — and keeping an eye on the springs, dampers and software integration to keep the car from feeling ponderous or clunky.

Cosworth briefly crows that Aston Valkyrie's 6.5L V12 has record horsepower

It's only natural that Cosworth would want the world to know that it's building the world's most powerful naturally-aspirated engine for the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro. The timing of when the world should know about it, that's at issue. Yesterday the English engine maker's official Twitter account posted a picture of the barely-there coupe and the line, "We're famous for breaking records and our latest engine, the Aston Martin Valkyrie 6.5-litre V12, will be the world's most powerful naturally aspirated road engine with 1,130bhp." Two tags accompanied the post, #Cosworth and #AstonMartinValkyrie. About 90 minutes later, the tweet disappeared. The likely issue is that Cosworth got ahead of Aston Martin's official confirmation of Valkyrie outputs, something we're more used to from patent offices and Chinese model makers. The question is what output is Cosworth really talking about, and which car. All of last year, however, various reports had the street-legal Valkyrie making 1,130 hp. A Road & Track report attributed "nearly 1,000 hp" coming from the NA V12, the remaining 130 from a kinetic energy recovery system working the front axle. Hence, we're not sure if Cosworth's talking about its own engine alone at 1,130 hp, or its engine with the KERS. But then there's this: At the launch of the Valkyrie AMR Pro during the Geneva Motor Show this year, Aston Martin said the track-only Valkyrie AMR Pro would enjoy "a combined power output of more than 1100 bhp — more than the Valkyrie road car and a figure than comfortably exceeds the magic 1:1 power-to-weight ratio." The truth's a mystery for now, which is just as Aston Martin would want it. If Cosworth's engine really does make 1,130 hp on its own, that would be monstrous, and it would mean the automaker's been playing a serious game of English understatement. Even if Cosworth included the hybrid help, however, an NA V12 with 1,000 ponies would take the crown. The only competition is the 6.5-liter V12 in the Ferrari 812 Superfast, and that's 211 horses adrift. The quad-digit figures expected from Mercedes-AMG Project One and McLaren Speedtail require turbochargers, as does the just-teased V8 going into the Shelby Tuatara. With the first of 150 Valkyrie road car deliveries scheduled for next year, we probably don't have that much longer to wait to find out. Related Video:

Spectre shreds $37 million in cars

Much as you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, you apparently can't film a James Bond movie without trashing a few cars. And by "a few cars," we actually mean $37 million worth. That's how much the producers of the all-new 007 flick, Spectre, trashed in the process of filming. And yes, that's a record. "We set the record for smashing up cars on Spectre," stunt coordinator Gary Powell told The Daily Mail (with what we can only imagine was a very boastful grin). "In Rome, we wrecked millions of pounds worth. They were going into the Vatican at top speeds of 110 [miles per hour]. We shot one entire night for four seconds of film." But because this was Bond, producers didn't just destroy $37 million worth of budget hatchbacks. Instead, seven out of ten specially produced Aston Martin DB10s were sacrificed in the name of cinema, including a major crash sequence featuring Rome's Colosseum, River Tiber, and the Vatican. American filmgoers will be waiting until November 6 to see if the destruction of all those Aston Martins was worthwhile. Somehow, we don't think anyone is going to be disappointed. Related Video: News Source: Daily Mail via Vanity FairImage Credit: Angelo Carconi / AP TV/Movies Aston Martin Coupe Luxury Performance spectre aston martin db10