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Aston Martin teases the Vantage AMR with a manual gearbox

We are nigh on the debut of Aston Martin's Vantage AMR with a manual gearbox. The English carmaker teased the three-pedal sports car today, Autocar reporting we should see the genuine article sometime in the next week. We still have no idea what kind of transmission this will be — six- or seven-speed, and if a seven-speed, will it employ the motorsports-inspired dogleg setup? What we know is that this is first appearance of the hand-shaker transmission in the lineup since 2017, when Aston Martin made just 14 examples of the V12 Vantage V600. We also know a lot of work went into it. When going public last year with the fact that the manual gearbox would return, Aston Martin explained the height of the challenge involved. The Mercedes-AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 sitting in the Vantage's engine bay has never been paired with a manual gearbox, so Aston Martin has to create the software and driveline hardware from scratch to make it work. The resulting gearbox will come tuned to make drivers earn their thrills. Chief engineer Matt Becker said, "It reminds you that you have to know how to drive." As a product of the Aston Martin Racing subdivision, and with so much work involved already, the car will surely get other tweaks. The most recent AMR-designated Aston Martins, the DB 11 AMR and Rapide AMR, featured more power, hardcore chassis setups, and a kit of menacing, carbon fiber aero addenda. They also came with substantial price increases, and the Vantage AMR shouldn't disappoint there, either.

Aston Martin and Tom Brady partner for new content series

Love him or hate him, it's difficult to argue with Tom Brady's popularity. While celebrity endorsements are as old as advertising, a tie-in between a storied British automaker and the most successful quarterback in NFL history doesn't happen everyday. Today, Aston Martin and Brady announced a new partnership on a content series, Category of One, that's set to debut later this year. Brady is apparently a longtime Aston Martin owner, though the only model mentioned is his current 2017 DB11. Brady will be working with the automaker on a custom-curated 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish S. The whole thing will be documented and released in portions, with the full car debuting sometime this summer. The Vanquish S, while still beautiful and plenty powerful, is the last remaining car on Aston Martin's old platform. There are few other detail on the collaboration. We also really hope Brady didn't scratch the hood of that DB11. We assume Gisele gave him a few tips for proper poses. Related Video: Celebrities Design/Style Aston Martin aston martin db11 aston martin vanquish s

Tesla loses top communicator Simon Sproule to Aston Martin

Looking for a new job? Have experience working in a frenetic environment, promoting cutting-edge mobility products for a demanding boss determined to change the way we travel on this planet, as well as how we trek to others? We hear Tesla Motors just might have an opening for such a person. Again. Simon Sproule, the electric automaker's vice-president of communications and marketing is vacating his cubicle after a mere six months in order to become the chief marketing officer (CMO) over at Aston Martin. That position had gone begging for a year until this appointment. Once he's settled into his new digs, Sproule will again be breaking rock with former Nissan associate Andy Palmer who himself recently took the top spot at the British luxury marque. The move comes at what seems like an inopportune time for Tesla. It has a big D product announcement – suspected to be an all-wheel-drive update of the Model S – scheduled just two days from now and the reveal of its "mass market" Model ? early next year. The company declined our offer to comment on the situation. Aston Martin, on the other hand, should be happy to finally have someone at the marketing helm, what with the recent dropping of the veil from its Lagonda sedan and what's likely to be a bevy of new product built on its forthcoming platform. News Source: PR WeekImage Credit: Haruyoshi Yamaguchi / Bloomberg via Getty Images Green Marketing/Advertising Aston Martin Tesla simon sproule