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The legendary Aston Martin DB4 GT is reborn

The trend of resurrecting ghostly automobile legends continues with Aston Martin, which announced Friday it's building a limited run of 25 more DB4 GTs. Originally built from 1959 to 1963, the DB4 GT was among the most powerful British cars of its era and a precursor to the modern supercar. Just 75 DB4 GTs were built during the first run. The GT model was lighter and more powerful than the stock DB4, giving it excellent racing chops. Stirling Moss drove the GT to victory at Silverstone in its competition debut in '59. It's a rare breed with a deep lineage. Within that first batch, just eight even lighter-weight models were built, and Aston is using those as the basis for its continuation series. The company says it will build them in Newport Pagnell in England, its headquarters for decades and now home to the Aston Martin Works heritage division. The DB4 GT continuation brings assembly work back to Newport Pagnell for the first time since production of the Vanquish S left in 2007. The original DB4 GT was produced on this site. The new cars will wear VIN numbers that pick up from the end of the first run in '63. They will use a version of the Tardek Marek-designed straight six-cylinder engine making an SAE-rated 331 horsepower with three twin-choke Weber carburetors. Though it's a straight six like the original, Aston started "from scratch" with the new one, a spokesman said, drawing on the DB11's supplier for the castings. Modern elements, like an FIA-spec roll cage, fire extinguisher, and seat belts will also be added. It will weigh 2,706 pounds. The DB4 GT employs a four-speed David Brown manual gearbox. The car rides on a tubular frame with an independent front suspension; the rear is a Watts linkage setup and both use coil springs. The fuel tank holds 36 gallons, which should prove useful for racing. In that vein, these 25 will be track-only models, and buyers will be able to participate in an international driving program that spans two years and visits circuits like Yas Marina. Owners can receive training from Aston experts like Darren Turner, who counts several class victories at Le Mans. The cost? About $1.9 million at the prevailing exchange rates as of this writing. Aston will begin delivering the DB4 GTs in summer 2017. It joins the growing field of nostalgic continuations, like the Jaguar XKSS, that pick up where the original lineage left off.

Aston Martin shares plunge to new low following half-year loss

LONDON — Shares in Aston Martin plunged 17% to a post-flotation low on Wednesday after the luxury British carmaker slumped to a half-year loss, the latest automotive firm to be hit by falling demand in Europe. Aston Martin, best known as James Bond's favorite marque, has been undergoing a turnaround plan since Chief Executive Andy Palmer took over in 2014, designed to renew and boost its model line-up and move into new segments. The plan led to an autumn 2018 stock market flotation. But its shares have since fallen by around three quarters from their 19 pounds float price to below 5 pounds, hit most recently by the group's weak performance in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where half-year demand fell by nearly a fifth. The group posted a pretax loss of 78.8 million pounds in the six months through June from a 20.8 million pound profit in the first half of 2018. Its shares were down 17% at 4.71 pounds by 0748 GMT. "We are disappointed that our projections for wholesales have fallen short or our original targets, impacted by weakness in two of our key markets as well as continued macro-economic uncertainty," Palmer said. Overall wholesale demand grew by 6% in the first six months as the group posted strong increases in the Americas and Asia, but a decline in Britain and the rest of the continent prompted the carmaker to cut its full-year forecast. Aston has also been hit by expansion costs as it builds a new factory in Wales to make its first sport utility vehicle, and a lower average selling price. The company said that if it requires some additional financing it would pursue the funds from sources such as the debt markets. The global car industry has been hit by weakening demand in China and a drop in demand for diesel vehicles in Europe, as well as the cost of electrification. Nissan reported plunging profits last week and said it would undertake its biggest restructuring plan in a decade, axing nearly a tenth of its workforce. But 106-year old Aston also faces the risk of a disorderly Brexit disrupting its wholly British production, as delays at ports due to new bureaucracy could slow down the movement of vehicles and components. "We do not want a no-deal Brexit because of the disruption that causes to issues at the border," said Palmer.

Aston Martin working on an inline-six to replace Mercedes-sourced V8?

There's no straight line to figuring out whether Aston Martin plans a straight-six motor for future products. In March, comments by the automaker's chief engineer for vehicle attributes, Matt Becker, led many to believe the British firm could use the Mercedes-AMG 3.0-liter hybridized inline-six from the new CLS53. A week later, Becker said his comments had been misconstrued, that he "was speaking in more general terms that we might have to one day look at downsizing engines." Autocar just threw a new curve, citing "a source close to the firm" to report that Aston Martin's working on its own straight-six. The English outlet says the deal Aston Martin signed with Mercedes-AMG was a stopgap deal while Aston Martin worked on proprietary engines. The report says the inline-six developed in Gaydon would eventually replace the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 currently powering the DB11 and Vantage. If this purported inline-six were augmented with electrification, perhaps developed with help from the electric Rapid E program, it could make more sense of Becker's first, misconstrued comments. At the time, Becker said the Mercedes hybridized engine "could fit with the brand in the future." Taken generally, he could have meant an Aston Martin version of the German engine. The certainty is that there's a six-cylinder coming for larger-volume series production models, yet the reports and denials put competing rumors and powerplants in play. Aston Martin installs a 5.2-liter V12 in the DBS Superleggera, and Autocar suspects an inline-six could be derived from that engine. The automaker already has a six-cylinder in development, though, that being the turbocharged hybrid V6 said to be headed to the Ferrari- and McLaren-fighting Valhalla. Creating two new six-cylinder engines in different formats seems an odd choice for a tiny manufacturer. What about the rumors that say the DBX crossover could get a six-cylinder? In July, when Motoring asked chief creative officer Marek Reichman about it, he said the DBX "could [use a Mercedes-sourced six-cylinder], because that would be a pretty good engine and combination. Potentially." Autocar suggests, however, that the DBX will be first in line for the in-house inline engine. Aston Martin has a storied history with the inline-six, all of them with links to other automakers. The legendary inline-six in the original DB cars of the mid-20th century were originally drawn up by Walter Owen Bentley - yes, that W.O.