2025 Aston Martin Vantage on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin investor says demand is 'phenomenal,' returned first in China

LONDON - Carmaker Aston Martin is seeing "phenomenal" demand, boosted by a rebound in China, the company's executive chairman and billionaire investor Lawrence Stroll said on Friday. "Demand right now is phenomenal," he told the Financial Times' "The Future of the Car" digital conference. "China really returned first and strongest, and is gangbusters." Stroll led a consortium which invested in Aston earlier this year as the carmaker struggled following its 2018 stock market flotation, after which its share price slumped. Since then a new chief executive has taken over and the 107-year company, famed for being fictional agent James Bond's car of choice, did a deal in October which sees German carmaker Daimler up its stake in the firm. Shareholders approved the latest capital injection plan on Friday. Stroll said Aston's current growth trajectory meant "the public markets are the right place" for the firm whilst eying an increase in the value of its shares, which stand at 79 pence ($1.06). "They'll be significantly worth more than they are today," he said. Reporting by Costas Pitas, editing by David Milliken and Louise Heavens

'Top Gear' takes us inside the Aston Martin Project 003

"Top Gear" magazine's Jack Rix might be the ideal lad to lock in a room with a cool car and a camera. After taking us on tours of the Mercedes-AMG One and Honda Urban EV concept, he's wandered into another anteroom with the Aston Martin Project 003 and Vanquish. When we saw the mid-engined coupes at the Geneva Motor Show, it looked like Aston Martin programmed the Valkyrie family's design language to "softer" on the RMB-003 and "softest" for the Vanquish. We wanted more details. Cue Mr. Rix. The deputy editor fills us in on trivia like the combined weight of the Project 003 headlights and taillights being less than the weight of a single DB11 headlight. He also shows us how the NASA-aided FlexFoil wing works, and where the potential rear-view cameras would be mounted. Then he gets inside an interior that's "a bit more civilized" than that on the Valkyrie for not putting hip level beneath knee level. However, notice that here, too, the seat is built into the carbon fiber tub — the end of the seat bolster is flush with the footwell. And check out those vents that triple as speakers and ambient lighting. Rix can only walk around the Vanquish, since that car's not due until 2022, a year after the Project 003. Nevertheless, there are plenty of Easter eggs to share, like how design elements from front-engined Aston Martins have been integrated throughout the mid-engined bodywork. As a bonus feature, Aston Martin has taken a separate look at Valkyrie development through the eyes of high-performance test driver Chris Goodwin. The racer explains how he's using the Red Bull Formula 1 team's simulator to tune the Valkyrie road car's handling, active suspension, and aerodynamic systems. Goodwin was McLaren Automotive's test driver and worked on the Speedtail, so it could mean something when he says of the Valkyrie, "It's going to be a substantial gap between this car and what's currently available on the market."

Aston Martin DBR22 is a retro roadster for the lucky few

It's Pebble Beach Concours week, and you know what that means: high-end automakers showing new exotic machinery. Kicking things off is the Aston Martin DBR22. Aston calls it a concept, but that's more of a stretch than Honda with its "prototype" car reveals. The company has said it will build some. The exact number hasn't been given, but don't expect many. The company highlighted a couple of its previous special models such as the Vulcan and V600, each of which were made in numbers below 30 units. The car is more specifically from Aston's "bespoke" division, Q, and it's a celebration of the division's tenth anniversary. It takes its design inspiration from far longer ago, though. The DBR22's dramatic curves, lack of a windshield and towering cowls are all based on the company's 1950s race cars, particularly the DB3S and DBR1 (which already inspired another low-production Aston). The grille is even based on the latter's. The entire exterior is unique to the DBR22, down to the headlights and full-width tail light bar. It's all made of carbon fiber, too. The interior is also unique with leather wrapping most surfaces including the carbon seats. And being a product of the Q division, the handful of buyers will be able to customize pretty much every facet of the exterior and interior to their preferences. No matter how an individual's DBR22 looks, they should be the same under the skin. Aston's twin-turbo 5.2-liter V8 sits below the vented hood and makes 705 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. It sends power through an eight-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels. Top speed is 198 mph, and it will hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. No mention was made of what platform the DBR22 is built on, but it likely shares similarities with the DB11 and DBS. It boasts upgrades, though, such as shear panels front and rear for greater rigidity, plus unique tuning for the adaptive shocks. Most interesting is the rear subframe. It's made of multiple 3D-printed aluminum parts that have been bonded together. It's a preview of future Aston Martin production techniques and the company says it has allowed them to make a lighter subframe than normal with the same rigidity. It also lets the company more easily produce custom parts for low-production models. Aston Martin made no mention of when it will start building customer DBR22 models or when it will take orders. We wouldn't be surprised if the company has already lined up buyers.