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Aston Martin testing modified Vantage at the 'Ring

Aston Martin is on the verge of a renaissance that stands to be the biggest shift for the British automaker since it went independent in 2007 – if not since Ford took it over in the early 1990s. It's got a new chief executive, a new engine deal in place with Mercedes-AMG, a new platform under development and – if the new Lagonda sedan is anything to go by – maybe a new design direction in the works. And what do we have here? A test mule that could foreshadow one of the first new models of this new era. Spied undergoing testing at the Nurburgring (where else), this prototype looks for the most part like the existing V12 Vantage S, but with what look to be even wider wheel arches. The question, then, is what those widened wells are there to accommodate, and the most likely conclusion would be that new Mercedes engine. Aside from the lack of grille slats inside that trademark opening in the nose and the competition-spec alloys inset in those arches, there's not much else to go on. But that Aston is testing such a prototype at all is evidence enough that work is under way on something exciting, so watch this space.

Bathurst 12-hour gallery is GT3 heaven [w/video]

The 2015 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour race was run this weekend at the Mt. Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, Australia. Race photographer Joel Strickland sent us a huge batch of photos, all of which make us salivate for the switch to GT3 rules in the United SportsCar Championship; the top seven finishers at Bathurst were of seven different makes: Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3, Audi R8-LMS Ultra, Aston Martin Vantage GT3, Bentley Continental GT3, Mercedes SLS AMG GT3, Ferrari F458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo. It was a sweet victory for the No. 35 car driven by the NISMO Athlete Global Team after it crashed in Saturday qualifying, and then was only in third place on the penultimate lap. The three-man driving team included two GT Academy winners, one of whom, Florian Strauss, has only been a professional race car driver for 18 months. It's the first time the GT-R has won at Panorama since the original R32 "Godzilla" took back-to-back wins in 1991 and 1992. Second place went to the No. 15 Phoenix Racing Audi R8-LMS Ultra, 2.4 seconds behind the winners, third to the Craft Bamboo Racing Aston Martin Vantage not even half a second behind the Audi. The Bentley Motorsport team, in its first Bathurst 12-Hour with two cars, had its No. 10 Continental GT3 in the lead until the penultimate lap and in second place until the final corner, but crossed the line in fourth after some rubbin'-is-racin' action from chasers. And if pictures aren't enough, as of writing you can still watch the live stream of the entire race at the Bathurst 12-Hour site. Or, if you don't have the time, at least be sure to check out the last five minutes, below. Enjoy. Featured Gallery 2015 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour View 118 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Joel Strickland / AOL Motorsports Aston Martin Audi Bentley Nissan Coupe Racing Vehicles Videos aston martin vantage gt3

Kahn Design to reveal Aston Martin Vengeance in Geneva

The major automakers won't be the only ones with new metal to showcase in Geneva next month, so will aftermarket tuners and coachbuilders like Kahn Design. The British outfit is rolling into the Swiss expo this year with the long-awaited Vengeance, its own take on the Aston Martin DB9. We first caught wind of the Vengeance project in May – just after a similar project by Henrik Fisker was quashed. But unlike the proposed Fisker Thunderbolt, Kahn secured Gaydon's blessing in developing the Vengeance: "Aston Martin has entered into a supply agreement with Kahn Design," AML spokesman Kevin Watters confirmed to Autoblog at the time, "and will supply a very limited number of DB9s for an extensive coachbuild conversion." The design, as you can see, bears the familiar hallmarks of a contemporary Aston, but rendered more aggressive in a style that looks similar to the manufacturer's own One-77. It won't be the first such coach-built Aston Martin we've seen, but most of the others to date have resulted from a longstanding collaborative effort between the British automaker and famed Italian carrozzeria Zagato. Another recent project saw Bertone convert a Rapide into the Jet 2+2 shooting brake in a revival of the Vanquish-based Jet 2 from 2004. In a bit of a role reversal, Aston served as something of a coachbuilder itself in rebodying the Toyota/Scion iQ as its own Cygnet, having previously outsourced production of the Rapide to contract manufacturer Magna Steyr. Alongside the Vengeance, Kahn plans to display the Flying Huntsman 6x6 pickup based on the Land Rover Defender at the Geneva Motor Show. It will be joined by a customized red Range Rover and blue Range Rover Sport done up as pace cars, and a widebody Jeep Wrangler from its Chelsea Truck Company division. Related Video: