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TAG Heuer and Aston Martin drop special edition DBS Superleggera

Look the race-spec Aston Martin Vantage GT3 dead in the eyes, and there's a good chance that, at least for a subconscious second, the brain is going to redirect to watches. Watches and high-end cars are a long-standing natural fit. Craftsmanship, quality, precision, attention to detail, etc., make for an easy pairing, and prolific watch advertising in motorsport helps cement the connection. The most often result of such teams is a special-edition watch, but TAG Heuer and Aston Martin wanted to do more on the heels of their partnership announced in fall 2018. The deal is not solely for the track, however, as the two have announced the limited-run Aston Martin DBS Superleggera TAG Heuer Edition, which will come with a unique watch. The details are limited, but Aston Martin did drop a few photos of what the car will look like. As all examples are a fixed specification, every car will feature a Monaco Black paint job with carbon fiber aero pieces. Red accents, such as Pirelli color edition tires that match red brake calipers add a bit of flare. The guts match the skin, as red stitching, red piping, and red bits are seen throughout the black cabin. Triangular quilting is seen on the seats, the center armrest, and the door panels, and TAG Heuer logos embroidered into the seatbacks. Aston Martin did not release cost for the special-edition ride, but it will surely be pricey. Only 50 examples will be built. We also haven't seen what the watch itself will look like, but we've asked Aston Martin about it and will update this post when we hear more about it.

Ford GT dominates Le Mans qualifying, gets slapped with performance adjustment

Fifty years after Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon drove the Ford GT40 to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford is poised for a historic return to the Circuit de la Sarthe. The new Ford GT took the top two qualifying positions in the LMGTE Pro class, and four of the top five. Ferrari's 488 filled in the rest of the spots in the top seven, the first two from AF Corse. In other words, we're primed for a reboot of the classic Ford-Ferrari feud at this year's race. Or not, as the ACO, which organizes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, announced sweeping pre-race Balance of Performance (BOP) adjustments this morning that make this year's GT class anybody's race. In LMP1, last year's overall winner Porsche locked up the top two spots with the 919 Hybrid and will lead the entire field at race start. Toyota's two-car factory effort followed with qualifying times 1.004 and 2.170 seconds behind the pole lap. Audi rounds out the manufacturer-backed LMP1 class in fifth and sixth. Full qualifying results can be found here. The storyline for the GT cars is perfect - some say too perfect. Ford's class-leading times came after BOP adjustment to the Corvette Racing C7.R before qualifying. BOP is intended to level the playing field in the class by adjusting power, ballast, and fuel capacity. (Check out this explainer video for more, or even just if you love French accents.) But the process is riddled with unknowns and ripe for accusations of sandbagging. That is, if the Ford cars were intentionally slow in practice they could hope for BOP adjustment to improve their race chances. On the Corvette side, last year's GTE Pro winner went from the top of the field to the bottom, barely improving from practice to qualifying. If you think Le Mans is as rigged at the NBA Playoffs, well, it's not that simple. Because if Ford and Ferrari held back until qualifying - the eighth-place Porsche 911 RSR is three-and-a-half seconds off the class pole time - it was a pretty dumb strategy. This morning, the ACO tried to put things back in order by limiting the boost in the Ford GT's twin-turbo V6 and adding 11 pounds of ballast. Ferrari was also given extra weight but allowed more fuel capacity. The Corvette and Aston Martin teams were both given breaks on their air restrictors, which will allow their engines to make more power. Both Ford and Porsche also received extra fuel capacity.

Aston Martin DBS 770 announced as high-horsepower swan song

Aston Martin will send off the DBS with a limited-edition model called 770 Ultimate. Due out later in 2023, the coupe will stand out from the regular-production model with a more powerful engine, several chassis-related changes, and a handful of edition-specific design details. Aston Martin calls the car "the ultimate finale to a bloodline" and pledges that the coupe will "surpass them all." It adds that the 770 Ultimate will feature a "re-engineered, sharper dynamic focus coupled with exquisite design." That's pretty vague, but there's a big hint potentially hidden in the name: 770 could refer to the engine's output. The DBX 707 uses an evolution of the standard SUV's twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8 tuned to develop 707 pferdestarke, which is the German word for metric horsepower that's often abbreviated as PS. Applying this logic to the 770 Ultimate strongly suggests the model will gain a 770-pferdestarke version of the twin-turbocharged, 5.2-liter V12 that powers the standard DBS. That number converts to about 759 horsepower. In comparison, the DBS puts 715 horsepower under the driver's right foot. That's enough for a 3.3-second sprint from zero to 60 mph. We're guessing that the Ultimate will retain an eight-speed automatic transmission, and suspension modifications should give it sharper handling. Aston Martin will release additional details about the DBS 770 Ultimate in the coming weeks, and the model is scheduled to make its debut in early 2023 — a specific date hasn't been published yet. Production will be limited to 499 units globally, and we expect a base price of well over $300,000. As for what's next, your guess is as good as ours: Aston Martin hasn't announced whether it will replace the DBS. Related Video: