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All-new Aston Martin Vantage turns up the volume

The Aston Martin Vantage is the storied British marque's volume car. And with the unveiling today of an all-new model, that volume just got turned up. "The new car starts where V12 Vantage, not V8, left off," says Miles Nurnberger, Aston's head of exterior design, as he walks us around the production car in an intimate advance viewing at the brand's rural UK headquarters. He is referring to the top-of-the-line, end-of-the-run, 12-cylinder, stick-shifted, spoiler-bedecked analog anachronism that was a limited-edition sendoff for the outgoing car, which had been on sale for more than a dozen model years. (To say that the previous Vantage was long in the tooth is a reckless overestimation of the lifespan of teeth.) From a purely visual perspective, we cannot argue with him. The new Vantage is immediately recognizable as an Aston Martin — with the signature hill-climb grille, sensuously crisp hood, mesomorphic flanks, squinting greenhouse and tucked tail. But the car can almost be heard, seething, with one's eyes. First off, the hue the brand has selected as a launch color, Lime Essence, looks like ionized absinthe. Additionally, the car is rimmed along its ground-hugging nether regions, from chin to rear, in a be-pronged sinew of starkly contrasting polished carbon-fiber aero effects. It sneers menacingly through narrowly horizontal, selachian eyes. It flashes a triangular carbon burgonet on each cheek, armor potent enough to ward off a Napoleonic cuirassier. And its rear is a war of stark bladelike protrusions, like the final battle sequence in a chop-socky movie. "If the DB11 is a gentleman," Nurnberger explains, "the Vantage is a hunter." Its nose is to the ground, scanning the distance for something to trounce." "It's the color of a predator in nature," explains Aston's straight-talking CEO, Andy Palmer. "Look at a wasp. Its colors warn, stay away." Not drawing the ire of other motorists is, in our opinion, one of the chief advantages of driving an Aston, especially versus some of its flashier (Italian) competitors. Apparently, Aston is aware of this and also offers the new Vantage in a more subdued palette and trim. We'd spec ours in a more traditional color, like grayish Hardly Green, with satin titanium trim and body-color zygomatic implants.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage Series II spotted during 'Bond 25' filming

James Bond is known for piloting all sorts of cars from Aston Martin, Lotus, and even BMW. His most famous is obviously the silver DB5 from the Goldfinger, which had various cameo appearances in some of the newer Bond films featuring Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. But for the latest installment to the series, it appears movie producers are going a bit more nostalgic. Norwegian news outlet Dagbladet reportedly caught wind of the movie's filming and production along Norway's scenic Atlantic Coast, where a later Aston Martin V8 Vantage Series II was spotted during a car chase cut. Diehard Bond fans would point out that the V8 Vantage from the 1970s and 1980s was Bond's vehicle in the films featuring Timothy Dalton as Bond, most notably "The Living Daylights." As seen from the exclusive photos and footage from Dagbladet, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage was being driven with some Toyota Land Cruisers and Range Rover Sports in pursuit. The brown Aston in use even had the same license plate as the one driven by Dalton's Bond: B549 WUU. This strongly implies that the V8 Vantage will make an appearance, in addition to the rumor that Bond will get an all-electric version of the Rapide. The next Bond film is rumored to be very nostalgic, especially since it's the 25th film of the franchise. Not much is specifically known however, besides the fact that Daniel Craig will return as James Bond while Rami Malek will take the role as the film's leading villain and antagonist. Supporting roles will be played by Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Ben Whishaw as Q, and Ralph Fiennes as M, as previously played in the last few movies. The latest film is directed by Cari Johi Fukunaga, who also directed HBO's "True Detective" and Netflix's hit series, "Maniac." Aston Martin also chimed in with its own nostalgic tribute to its role with James Bond with the launch of an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera that pays tribute to the franchise's sixth film ever, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Zagato receives a pair of 600-hp Aston Martin V12s for its private collection

Enthusiasts who missed their chance to buy the limited-edition Aston Martin V12 Zagato released in 2012 are in luck. British manufacturer R-Reforged received permission from both brands to build 38 more cars, split evenly between coupes and convertibles, and it has just completed the first prototypes in its Warwick, England, facility. Fittingly, the first pair was ordered by Andrea and Marella Zagato, and it's headed for the coachbuilder's private collection. The roadster is finished in a darker shade of gold, while the coupe is painted silver, and each color shows up again on the center console. Both cars ride on the same center-locking 19-inch wheels, and they receive a plaque in the engine bay that certifies they were built specifically for Mr. and Mrs. Zagato.  R-Reforged didn't settle for copying and pasting the original blueprints. It made small but significant changes to the cars, including giving the front end a new-look splitter and redesigned fenders. Zagato's signature double-bubble roof remains, but the rear end gains active aerodynamic components that keep the car planted on the ground at autobahn speeds without altering its lines. Carbon fiber body panels help offset the system's weight. Power still comes from a 5.9-liter V12, but it has been tuned to develop 600 horsepower, an 80-horse increase over the original V12 Zagato. Suspension and chassis modifications make the car lower and wider, too. Just 19 pairs will be built in the coming months, and pricing for the duo starts at $2.2 million. Twelve workers make each car by hand, so building one takes up to 16 weeks. R-Reforged told Autoblog there are still some build slots left, but the catch is that the coupe and the convertible are exclusively sold as a pair, which is good news for people who buy supercars like they buy flip-flops. From there, anything is possible. Buyers can request that both cars be built to the exact same specifications, or they can work with the design team to personalize each one.