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David Brown Automotive Speedback GT launches in US

Just over a year ago, the Sportback GT debuted from coachbuilder David Brown Automotive to combine the classic lines of the Aston Martin DB5 with modern underpinnings. Now, the luxurious British coupe is making its way across the pond for a US debut later this summer. With a price of $753,000, you're not going to see these coachbuilt creations on every corner. To make sure that the GT catches the eye of the right clientele, the company is premiering it during the swanky event at The Quail during the 2015 Monterey Car Week in August. Despite the retro look on the outside from former Land Rover designer Alan Mobberley, much of the mechanical underpinnings for the Speedback GT are sourced from the Jaguar XKR. Propulsion is provided by a 5.0-liter V8 making 510 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of torque and linked to a six-speed automatic. Inside, passengers find quite posh surroundings with leather upholstery with wood trim. DAVID BROWN AUTOMOTIVE LAUNCHES STUNNING SPEEDBACK GT TO EAGERLY ANTICIPATED AMERICAN MARKET 13/05/15 Following huge success in Europe, Speedback GT launches in the USA for GBP495,000 (currently $753,000) Speedback will showcase the best of British craftsmanship to American audience at the exclusive Quail Motorsports Gathering rally and concours event Announcement of North American launch rounds off Speedback's recent 1st anniversary celebrations since its European unveiling Coventry, England (May 2015): Launched in March 2014, Speedback GT from David Brown Automotive heralded a new era for GT models, showcasing a classically styled car with modern mechanicals, reliability and comforts. Designed, engineered and hand-crafted in Britain, Speedback GT is now launching officially in the United States, after triumphing in Europe both via media reaction and sales. Displaying at The Quail, the famed motorsports gathering located at Quail Lodge in California, the event will be the perfect place to demonstrate Speedback GT's merits to the American media and public for the first time. Initially showcasing at the Quail Rally Welcome Reception on 10th August, it will participate in the Rally on 11th and 12th August before the main Quail event on 14th August where it will feature on a stand. Company founder and CEO David Brown said: "It's been a fantastic year for Speedback GT since its launch.

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro production car revealed

Three years ago, Aston Martin showed what it had in mind for an extra-serious AMR Pro version of the Valkyrie hypercar. It was part of a splashy Geneva display with other supercars, and it was leading into Aston's plans to take the Valkyrie to Le Mans. Then there were financial issues, a postponement of Le Mans competition, and that whole pandemic thing. But now, the regular Valkyrie is going to reach customers soon, and Aston Martin has revealed the production version of the Valkyrie AMR Pro. Aston notes that this AMR Pro Valkyrie was developed using a lot of what the company learned from the race car program, and even going a bit beyond since the AMR Pro doesn't have to meet the rules for Le Mans. The company also brings up an expected lap time of 3 minutes 20 seconds at the Circuit de la Sarthe, the track used for 24 Hours of Le Mans. For reference, Toyota's LMP race cars with no production car roots have lapped between 3 minutes 14 seconds and 3 minutes 17 seconds. Besides being an impressive theoretical time, the racing reference has us hoping the company will one day enter the Valkyrie in the recently created hypercar class. Setting aside the Le Mans connections, the Valkyrie AMR Pro really does have some major modifications compared to the standard car. The chassis is made lighter with additional carbon fiber, such as for the suspension control arms, as well as Perspex windows. The whole car is 10.5 inches longer overall due to more aggressive aerodynamic aids that double the amount of downforce the Valkyrie produces. With it, Aston claims the Valkyrie AMR Pro can produce cornering forces as great as 3G. The wheelbase is 15 inches longer, the front track is 3.8 inches wider, and the rear track is 4.5 inches wider. As for the powertrain, the Valkyrie AMR Pro will still use a version of the 6.5-liter Cosworth V12, but unlike the standard version, the AMR Pro will ditch the electric motor and its related components. This is a move to further reduce weight. Power will also be down slightly to 1,000 horsepower. Of course, that's still a lot of power, and the 11,000-rpm redline will remain. When Aston initially showed the AMR Pro, it said it would only build 25 examples. That seems to have increased, as now Aston says it will build 40 examples, plus two prototypes. A price hasn't been given, nor has availability, but apparently deliveries will start at the end of this year, not long after the regular cars reach owners. Related Video:

Chris Harris pits Aston GT12 vs 911 GT3 RS vs McLaren 650S

The Geneva Motor Show is never lacking in exciting performance machinery. And this year was no exception. Our eyes, like those of Chris Harris, were drawn by two hardcore, track-focused versions of existing sports cars. Both wore the name GT3, and now Harris has brought them together for a supercar shootout. And he's thrown one more in for good measure. Those natural rivals are the Aston Martin Vantage GT12 and Porsche 911 GT3 RS, the latter manufacturer having pressed the former to drop the GT3 name to which it claims exclusive domain. There's a great deal that separates them, of course: one's got a V12 up front, the other a flat-six way in the back. But what binds them together is a common approach of taking an existing model, stripping it down, and tightening everything up to make it more of a weapon than a grand tourer. What that means in the Aston's case is a rather high price tag, much higher than that of the Porsche. But scarce demand and speculation on the open market have left British customers, at least, paying as much for the GT3 RS as for the limited-edition Aston. And that takes both into proper supercar territory. So to show what else that kind of money can get you, Monkey has brought along a McLaren. Not the similarly track-focused 675LT, but the standard 650S... Spider, no less, and with worn hard rubber. So which one performs best on the road? Which clocks the fastest lap time on the track? And which gets Harris' vote? You'll have to watch the video for yourself to find out, but it's well worth the 25 minutes of your lunch break. News Source: Chris Harris on Cars via YouTube Aston Martin McLaren Porsche Videos porsche 911 gt3 chris harris mclaren 650s