2006 Aston Martin Db9 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake finishes a quartet Q would envy

From A to Z in four steps - that being Aston Martin and Zagato, connected by carbon fiber links known as the Vanquish Zagato Coupe, Volante, Speedster, and the now-official Shooting Brake. When the automaker revealed the Zagato Speedster at Pebble Beach in August, the Shooting Brake remained a sketch. Today we get honest, photographic proof of what 99 future owners will soon park in their climate-controlled display spaces. Were it not for the objet d'art reverence paid to a Zagato and the bitsy production run, we'd expect to see the shooting brake frolicking through expensive enclaves just as often as a Ferrari GT4 Lusso. Aston Martin's 580-horsepower V12 provides useful intent up front, a "luxuriously trimmed rear cabin area with tailored luggage" carries its weight in back. In between, driver and passenger revel in a herringbone carbon fiber fascia, anodized bronze dials, quilted leather, and glass-inlay for the double-bubble roof inviting lots of light. The Shooting Brake goes into production next year, alongside the Speedster. As with the first three bijoux, every Shooting Brake has already found a home. When Aston Martin hands the last set of keys to the final buyer, these 325 special editions will mark the close of another chapter in an Anglo-Italian cooperation begun with the 1960 DB4 Zagato. Related Video:

Mercedes-Benz to boost stake in Aston Martin to 20%, lend it some tech

Daimler unit Mercedes-Benz is to lift its stake in Britain's Aston Martin to up to 20% by 2023, making it one of the struggling British carmaker's largest shareholders, Aston said on Tuesday. Aston Martin, popular for being James Bond's carmaker of choice, has suffered a torrid time since it went public two years ago, with its shares losing two-thirds of their value this year. The 107-year-old firm hired Tobias Moers, former CEO of Mercedes-AMG, as its new boss from August. Aston said the increase in Mercedes-Benz's stake, from 2.6% currently, would take place in several stages as part of a wider issue of 250 million shares at 50 pence each. The stock issued to the German group will have a maximum value of 286 million pounds ($372.7 million), it said. The deal will see an existing supply agreement between the two firms, in place since 2013, expanded to give Aston Martin access to key Mercedes' technology, including hybrid and electric drive systems. "We take another major step forward as our long-term partnership with Mercedes-Benz AG moves to another level, with them becoming one of the company's largest shareholders," said Aston's chairman and biggest shareholder Lawrence Stroll. The German firm will get the right to nominate one non-executive director to Aston Martin's board after its first shareholding increase, the London-listed firm said. Aston, which has started deliveries of its first sport utility vehicle, the DBX, said on Tuesday it swung into an adjusted core loss of 29 million pounds in the third quarter, versus a profit of 43 million pounds last year. Revenue in the period nearly halved to 124 million pounds, it said. Aston Martin is targeting annual capex of 250 million pounds to 300 million pounds per year between 2021 and 2025. It envisages production volumes of about 10,000 units, revenues of about 2 billion pounds and adjusted core profit of 500 million pounds by financial years 2024 or 2025.

Aston Martin Valkyrie officially makes 1,160 horsepower

The Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar will have a total system output of 1,160 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. We knew the raw figure from the naturally aspirated V12 engine was 1,000 horsepower, but a few details on the KERS-style hybrid assistance system were released today. In doing the math, this means the single electric motor mounted in the gearbox is responsible for adding 160 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque to the equation. Aston says the electric motor and battery pack were developed with the help of Integral Powertrain Ltd and Rimac as suppliers and partners. We all know Rimac for its ridiculous electric supercars it has made, so it looks to be a smart partnership for now. Peak combined power is made at a dizzying 10,500 rpm, with peak torque coming in at a still-high 6,000 rpm. If you missed out on the engine breakdown from this past December, then know the 6.5-liter V12 will keep spinning until 11,100 rpm. We're guessing this race-car-like number drops your jaws, just as it does ours. Cosworth and Aston Martin teamed up to create this beauty of an engine — sound clips of it running make us think we're listening to historical Formula 1 footage; it's that good. This news comes ahead of the 2019 Geneva Motor Show next week, which could prove itself a launching pad for even more information to be learned about the Aston Martin hypercar. At this point we know there will be an even more exclusive AMR Pro track-only variant and a track pack option for the "normal" Valkyrie, which isn't all that normal itself. It's expected to weigh a light 2,200 pounds and have an unrestricted top speed of 254 mph. Aston appears to be continuing development on the car, so don't consider those final quite yet. Related video: