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Aston Martin previews a bespoilered Vantage; could it be a new AMR?

Aston Martin has teased a new sports car from its official Twitter account. The image shows the car's silhouette with a big green and lime swoosh above it. The car appears to be a Vantage variant, with the addition of a rear spoiler and Y-spoke wheels. It's also finished in the same Aston Martin Racing Green as its 2021 Formula One race car livery. The spoiler and colors evoke the new Vantage safety car that made its debut over the weekend at the pre-season test in Bahrain. That car features an AMRG paint job with a Lime Essence pinstripe along the front air splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser. It's also equipped with a rear wing not found on standard Vantages. Like the car in the shadowy teaser, it also wore the optional vaned grille as opposed to the standard mesh. Could Aston Martin be taking a page from the General Motors playbook and making a pace car edition Vantage? That would be uncharacteristic of the British marque, so perhaps a new Vantage AMR is more likely. The previous AMR was limited to 200 units and, despite having the same power as regular Vantages, made waves for letting you row your own gears with a seven-speed manual. Since then the stick shift has been made standard for the Vantage, but the AMR boasted many other features that set it apart — carbon ceramic brakes, carbon fiber trim, forged wheels, a mechanical limited-slip differential, and 200 fewer pounds of curb weight. On the other hand, the F1 pace car's menu of modifications seems like it could easily form the basis for a new AMR. The Vantage safety car increased output of its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 by 25 horsepower to 528. The peak torque of 505 lb-ft was unchanged, but Aston Martin claims it could be sustained for longer. Additionally, the transmission was strengthened, the chassis stiffened with underbody bracing, and modifications were made to suspension, steering and dampers. It's not clear whether the pace car's bespoke splitter is on the teaser car. Aston Martin gave no information to accompany the teaser, so we'll just have to wait until March 22, when the car is scheduled for a full reveal. Aston Martin VantageDBXOfficial Safety and Medical cars of Formula One03 View 28 Photos

Aston Martin to replace Rapide with DBX crossover, Lagonda sedan

Aston Martin is known best for two-door coupes and convertibles, but it has a history with other body styles. And it looks like Aston's future includes more versatile door configurations. Speaking with Car and Driver at the New York Auto Show, the company's new CEO Andy Palmer reveals a two-pronged plan to replace the four-door Rapide. One will be a new Lagonda sedan; the other a production version of the DBX crossover concept. Detailing the overall strategy for the British automaker, Palmer said, "First is replacing the entire sports car range; second is the DBX, and that appeals to a different set of audiences; and the third is the sports sedan, which will carry [the Lagonda] badge." The Lagonda, Palmer revealed, will not be the Taraf we've already seen. Although sales of that model are expanding beyond its initial Middle Eastern market, it won't be coming to North America due to US crash-testing requirements and the vehicle's short production run. The next Lagonda sedan, however, is more likely to reach these shores. The DBX meanwhile is slated to switch to four doors from the coupe-like profile of the concept, but keep similar overall dimensions and that sleek roofline – albeit modified to make it more accommodating. The crossover will also replace the concept's electric powertrain with a more conventional engine. And while we wouldn't rule out the name carrying over, we wouldn't be surprised to see the DBX adopt another handle on the road to production.

Aston Martin-Red Bull 001 details: 175 units, $3M, 0-200-0 in 15 seconds

The Aston Martin AM-RB 001 is starting to sound like it will be the most extreme hypercar ever made. We're basing that on a series of new comments made by Red Bull Racing's resident aerodynamic genius and chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal's Dan Neil. Newey shared many interesting nuggets, so we'll try to provide a simple summary of how frighteningly potent the AM-RB 001 is. The new hypercar should hit 200 miles per hour in around 10 seconds, while a massive set of brakes will cut that speed to zero in half the time – in other words, zero to 200 to zero in just 15 seconds. That kind of stopping power sounds physically painful. Certain versions of the 001 will make up to 4,400 pounds of downforce, and if that's not enough to keep the car pasted to the pavement through 4G bends, Newey hinted that the active suspension will rely on the ground effect more than any other car. "I studied aero at the University of Southampton," Newey told Neil. "My final-year project in 1979 and '80 was on ground-effects aerodynamics applied to road cars and sports cars." Beyond the performance stats, Newey verified some of the broader questions about the 001's availability. For one, Aston Martin and Red Bull will build 175 examples of the potentially record-breaking hypercar, with 150 designated for road use and another 25 limited to the track – they're the ones that will enjoy the 4,400 pounds of downforce and full-on 4G cornering ability – so the chances you'll ever encounter a 001 in the wild are almost nil. And buying one? Plan on spending at least $3 million. Newey, along with Aston Martin Chief Designer Marek Reichman and Project Engineer David King, reveal more about the 001 in the piece, including some of the philosophical and design principles behind a $3M hypercar. It's very much worth a read, if you can get around the WSJ's pay wall. Related Video: