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Aston Martin to keep the faith with V12, manual transmission

Downsized engines and dual-clutch transmissions may be the way the industry is heading, but Aston Martin is more deeply rooted in the past than most. Which could explain – at least in part – why the British automaker is planning on sticking with V12 engines and manual transmissions for the foreseeable future. After speaking with Aston's new chief executive Andy Palmer at the Geneva Motor Show last week, Car and Driver reports that Gaydon is in no rush to get rid of the building blocks that have made it what it is today. And that means continuing to evolve its VH architecture, twelve-cylinder engine and six-speed manual gearbox. The company is working to develop a new platform and is collaborating on a new twin-turbo V8 with Mercedes-AMG. But those are still several years out, and Aston doesn't plan to wait that long before rolling out new models. Before the new AMG-powered Vantage is ready, C/D reports that Aston will introduce the replacement for the DB9 that will still be based on the VH platform and pack an evolution of the company's ubiquitous and long-serving 6.0-liter V12. "That platform was definitely far ahead of its time," Palmer told C/D. "It should have been described as a modular architecture, like [VW's] MQB or one of the other systems big manufacturers have adopted. We're always making excuses about it being an old platform, but if you were to compare the original VH platform to today's there's an enormous transformation. And it's a great way to build cars in the volumes that we do." The platform and the engine aren't the only old-school technologies Palmer is intent to keep. While Ferrari and Lamborghini do away with the manual altogether, and even Porsche goes PDK-only on the 911 GT3 and GT3 RS, Aston isn't giving up its clutch pedal any time soon. "I would love to be the last car manufacturer providing stick shifts in the U.S.," said Palmer. "That's my hope, we will keep the faith." Of course part of that could come down to Aston not having a dual-clutch transmission to offer, while its antiquated sequential gearbox lags behind the times. But it will likely gain access to Mercedes transmissions along with the engine deal.

Aston Martin Vantage vs. Mercedes-AMG GT C Review | Translating German into English

GROssBRITANNIEN — No car matches the new Aston Martin Vantage as closely as the Mercedes-AMG GT, the two sharing both their 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 and electrical architecture while competing for the same market niche. So, of the many challenges Aston Martin faced when developing it, ensuring that the Vantage had a unique identity must have weighed more heavily than any other. The added spice to this confrontation is the GT's status as halo model for AMG. Meanwhile, Aston Martin's brand identity, built on the sharp-suited machismo embodied by a certain big-screen spy, is a make-or-break issue for the company. The identity problem has fascinated me since the AMG deal was first announce in 2013. So exploring the Vantage on British roads with the GT literally filling the mirrors is a big deal. Now, finally, we have directly competing products with which to explore the theory. And there's much to like in both, not least of which is that common powerhouse of an engine. While they don't share a platform, both use the classic front-engine, rear-drive, transaxle layout, with traditional driving manners to match. Some quick number-crunching as an appetizer: The AMG GT C you see here has the dry-sumped M178 derivative of the V8, with 550 horsepower and 501 pound-feet of torque, driving the rear wheels through a transaxle-mounted, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and fully active electronic locking differential. It's 179 inches long, weighs 3,748 pounds and will clear 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds en route to 197 mph. The Vantage has the wet-sumped M177 version of the same engine, as featured in countless AMGs and shared with the DB11 V8. It makes 503 hp, 505 lb-ft and drives the rear wheels through a transaxle-mounted, eight-speed automatic gearbox and fully active electronic locking differential. Sounding familiar? It's comparable in overall length but a couple of inches longer in wheelbase, and weighs pretty much the same as the GT C, give or take a few pounds. It hits 60 in 3.5 seconds and tops out at 195 mph. Both have adaptive dampers and a variety of driver modes, both are built from aluminum and both are at the sportier end of the GT spectrum. The two U.K.-market cars you see here cost just more than $180,000 with options. Pretty darned close, then. Numbers are one thing.

Aston Martin DB11 AMR coming very soon

Car manufacturers usually keep a very tight lid on upcoming product news, but because they are run by humans, mistakes are made. In this case, Aston Martin posted a link on their home media website to a page about the upcoming DB11 AMR, which we have no doubt will be the latest in the company's limited production AMR line of cars. Though they took the link down the same day, the linked page still exists and functions. There isn't really anything to see at the moment, because any assets are locked behind a password. We also reached out to Aston for information regarding the new model, but we didn't hear back from the company. Still, it's not hard to predict what this DB11 AMR will be like, since we have the preceding Rapide AMR, V8 and V12 Vantage AMRs, and the Vantage AMR Pro from which to extrapolate. It will probably have a paint scheme involving a slender center stripe, with different choices for body and stripe color. Certainly one of the color options will be the pale metallic green with a lime green stripe combo found on Aston Martin race cars. The only non-Pro AMR model to see any kind of power boost was the V12 Vantage AMR, and that was an increase of 30 horsepower, so there's a possibility the DB11 will see a mild power boost, too. The interior will likely feature loads of carbon fiber and a color-coordinated interior. In addition to its various visual updates and possible performance upgrades, the DB11 AMR will undoubtedly be extremely limited production. The Vantage AMRs numbered 300 units total, 200 of which were the V8 and 100 were the V12. The Rapide AMR run consisted of just 210 cars. Since the DB11 is available with two engines, a V8 and a V12, we could see Aston offering 300 total units split between the two engines options. And again, since the web page is still up, we expect the car will break cover very soon. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Aston Martin DB11: First Drive View 58 Photos Image Credit: Aston Martin Aston Martin Coupe Performance Supercars aston martin db11 aston martin amr aston martin db11 amr