2001 Aston Martin Db7 Vantage Volante Convertible 2-door 6.0l on 2040-cars

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Mid-engine Aston Martin Project 003 supercar teased

Aston Martin has officially announced its next mid-engine supercar with a teaser and a working name: "Project 003." From the teaser image, it should be a stunner with a body that's all curves and wide athletic haunches. We also dig the exhaust outlets through the engine cover. Aston says the supercar will borrow some technology from the Valkyrie, with that car's lightweight construction, active aerodynamics and active suspension likely candidates. Still, Project 003 will be a very different vehicle. For one thing, it doesn't have an absurdly high-revving naturally aspirated V12. Instead, it's a gas-powered, turbocharged hybrid. Aston Martin hasn't said how many cylinders, but it seems safe to say it will have at least eight. Then there's the fact that this will be more practical for road use, with Aston specifically mentioning that this car will actually have luggage space. How novel! We expect that the car will be a bit more civilized in the ride and noise departments, too. Aston Martin says that the first of 500 total examples will reach owners starting in late 2021. While it hasn't said for sure, we expect to see the car unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Between the show and when it reaches customers, it will probably get a real name, just as the Valkyrie began life as Project 001, and the Valkyrie AMR Pro was Project 002. Related Video: Green Aston Martin Coupe Hybrid Luxury Supercars

2015 Aston Martin Vanquish [UPDATE]

There's something really special about an Aston Martin Vanquish. It's not my favorite model in the British automaker's range – I'm more of a Vantage guy, if I'm being choosy. But every time I drive one, I feel like I'm piloting something fit for royalty, $300,000 price tag and all. It's stunning to look at, even in the rather drab shade of gray pictured here. It makes an absolutely killer noise, the free-breathing V12 firing from beneath the hood and out the back with a truly intoxicating sound. And from behind the wheel, it feels like a truly proper grand tourer. Well, almost. The one major hiccup with the Vanquish I drove last year was its six-speed automatic transmission. In a word, it was awful. Really jarring shifts, delayed manual control through the paddles, and really, just a hugely misaligned piece of an otherwise excellent puzzle. So I was happy to hear that for 2015, Aston Martin had fitted a new, ZF-sourced, eight-speed unit – you know, the transmission being used by automakers like BMW, Jaguar, Audi, and many more. I normally have zero issues with this silky gearbox. But in the Vanquish, it wasn't smooth sailing like I expected – it feels like it still needs some final calibrations. But that doesn't make this car any less special. Drive Notes I love this engine. The 5.9-liter, naturally aspirated V12 makes 569 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, and it absolutely loves to rev. That's a good thing, since the siren song of the Vanquish's V12 is most pronounced at higher engine speeds. In fact, it's not really all that audible right from the get-go. You have to work it up past 2,500-3,000 rpm before this thing really starts to sing. But when it's turned up to 11, it's one of the best-sounding engines I've ever heard. That said, getting the Vanquish going is kind of an awkward process. There's a surprising momentary lack of power delivery right at throttle tip-in, and then the Vanquish suddenly jolts forward. It's alarming – I found myself raising an eyebrow and yelling "GO!," especially when trying to quickly merge into the traffic flow. But it'll go, when it's ready, and hitting 60 miles per hour takes just 3.6 seconds. The transmission is still an issue here. When left to its own devices, it doesn't have a problem finding the right gear for the occasion, but the actual shifts don't fire off with the smoothness and quickness that I've come to expect from this tranny in other models.

How to lease an Aston Martin for $1,900 a month, but drive it for free

A sad fact of life is that we can't always get what we want, but that doesn't mean it hurts to dream. For many drivers that yearning is for an exotic sports car that rests well outside their financial grasp. Aston Martin seems to be taunting those folks now with a way that makes the company's luxury GTs seem just a little more attainable. Ally Financial is the brand's new lease partner, and one of the announced deals offers a new V12 Vantage S coupe for $1,900 a month. For that money, customers get a vehicle capable of reaching 60 miles per hour in a scant 3.7 seconds thanks to a 6.0-liter V12 making 565 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque with a seven-speed automated manual gearbox. Still, $1,900 a month is hardly a bargain for most people, especially for a leased vehicle that eventually needs to be turned in. In fact the deal works out to $22,800 a year or about $63 a day. Of course, getting the chance to drive a V12 Vantage S for a little while might make the money worth it. That got us thinking: how could we offset the cost of this lease? There's a company called RelayRides that's essentially Airbnb for cars. People list vehicles, set a price, and the company covers the insurance. The renter is even supposed to replace any used gas, which might be a lot with the V12 Vantage. After browsing the service, normal transportation seems to hover around $50 a day, but high-end rides can go for a lot more. We found examples like a 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class for $135, a 2013 Tesla Model S for $199, a 2006 Porsche 911 for $189, and a 2012 Cayman for $195. You can probably see where we are going with this: rent the Vantage to recoup some (or all) of the monthly payment. Hiring out the Aston Martin every day seems highly unlikely, and in that case you never get to drive. Instead, offer it at $190. Clearly, the coupe's not alone in this price range, and the Vantage only needs to be out of your hands for 10 days a month to repay itself. For the rest of the time, you're behind the wheel. Obviously this is not any kind of financial advice. Depending on the popularity of RelayRides in a given area, an owner might be forking over the whole month's $1,900 to Aston Martin. Explain in Comments, if you can think of any other legal ways to use the Vantage to pay back it's monthly lease.