2006 Aston Martin Db9 Volante Convertible 2-door 6.0l on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin V12 Speedster is a $950,000 exotic dream that's wild as the wind

The roofless, windshield-less, ultra-rare, ultra-expensive supercar space is getting busy. We had the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2; then we got the McLaren Elva, and now the Aston Martin V12 Speedster is joining the ranks. McLaren will let you add a windshield to the Elva, but there’s no mention of glass when it comes to the Aston. Invest in some sturdy goggles. Revealed at Aston MartinÂ’s Gaydon HQ (instead of the canceled Geneva Motor Show), the V12 Speedster is designed to provide the most visceral driving experience in the Aston lineup. There will only be 88 of them, and pricing starts at $950,000. ThatÂ’s an absolute bargain compared to the Elva, which has a base price of $1.69 million. But if youÂ’re considering buying one of these, its price is likely the last question youÂ’ll have. Aston says the V12 Speedster is powered by its 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12, making 700 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic, sending power to the rear wheels. ItÂ’ll hit 62 mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph — get some heavy duty headgear for that trip. The platform itself is made by combining elements of the DBS Superleggera and Vantage. It has 21-inch forged, center-locking wheels, huge carbon ceramic brakes and adaptive dampers. But the design is what really caught our eye. ItÂ’s billed as “a living show car,” and we completely agree. The body is made almost entirely from carbon fiber. Miles Nurnberger, director of design at Aston Martin, detailed the designÂ’s inspiration in a statement. “ThereÂ’s clear lineage from the 1959 Le Mans winning DBR1 to our Centenary celebratory CC100 Speedster Concept in 2013,” Nurnberger says. “There is also a bit of 1953 DB3S in the mid-section, so it really is our latest incarnation of the Speedster concept. ItÂ’s also inspired by fighter jets as much as it is by our history, and it has been created to deliver an incredibly visceral experience, hence why it is a V12, rather than a V8.” The front hood nostril is especially eye-catching. Aston hasnÂ’t implemented this design touch on a car in a long while, and we love seeing it on a new vehicle like this. Nurnberger says it allowed for some extra space under the long hood that it needed for the V12, too. That interior is similarly stunning. ItÂ’s separated into two distinct cockpit areas by a slab of carbon fiber, but it still allows for interaction between the two people in the car below that piece.

Aston Martin developing TT hybrid V6 to replace AMG-sourced V8

We knew that Aston Martin is working on a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 hybrid that will fit into the forthcoming mid-engined Valhalla (pictured) and Vanquish sports cars. Car and Driver spoke to Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer, who explained that the engine will effectively replace the Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-liter V8. Palmer explained the rationale by saying, ""Mercedes have made no secret of where their engine technology is moving to, and obviously we don't foresee four-cylinder engines in our Astons, so we’ve got to make our own journey." Autocar reported recently that the next AMG C 63 will be powered by a plug-in hybrid four-cylinder. Aston Martin's V6-for-V8 substitution means the Vantage, DB11, and DBX will eventually get V6 power, too, although it's not clear when that will happen. Production of the Valhalla, the model that first brought news of the coming V6, is slated to begin in late 2021. Palmer all but said the six-cylinder will be more powerful than the eight-cylinder it replaces because "there's no way our customers are going to expect to step backward" as far as output's concerned. Regarding the Valhalla, last year when C/D "suggested to an Aston spokesman that the car would need to produce at least as much as the 789-hp McLaren Senna to be regarded as a worthy opponent, he agreed that was a fair assessment." At the other end, the V8-powered Vantage makes 496 horsepower, leaving plenty of room for graduated tunes among the sports cars. Engineers will need to focus on getting the sound right, Palmer adding, "As long as it feels like a V-8 and sounds majestic, I think it's a perfectly sensible way to go, and a lot more sensible than an [inline] four would be for us." Electric help will take a less revolutionary form than we're seeing in a number of modern super sports cars. The V6 won't go plug-in, Palmer wary of the necessary weight gain; Lamborghini's spoken at length about its trouble finding suitable concepts for the next-gen hybrid powertrains for the Huracan and Aventador that provide an acceptable weight/performance balance. Aston Martin's plan is apparently to stick with the Valkyrie template, putting an electric motor between the engine and a traditional transmission, instead of using a transmission with an integrated e-motor as seen on coupes like the Acura NSX and Ferrari SF90 Stradale. Aston Martin intends to go against the current in another way, too, at least for now.

James Bond's Goldfinger Aston Martin still missing after 17 years

James Bond is inextricably linked with British motoring, especially Aston Martin, but the spy with a license to kill is missing one of his most famous cars. The original DB5 packed with gadgets for the movie Goldfinger has been lost for the last 17 years with no leads as to its whereabouts. This year is the 50th anniversary of the original release of Goldfinger – the third film that came out in the James Bond series. The movie was a smashing success in its day and forged the connection between the super spy and Aston Martin. After all, the car was every little boy's dream with machine guns in the front fenders, tire cutters in the wheels, an ejector seat and other amazing gadgets. After it's life on the big screen, the original gadget car eventually ended up in Boca Raton, FL, at least until 1997. That's when a real-life Auric Goldfinger heisted the DB5, and it hasn't been seen since. A recent report from WPTV from West Palm Beach, FL, talked to people from the area familiar with the caper and its status today. Assuming the car is still intact, Bond's Aston Martin would likely be worth several million dollars on the open market these days. For example, a DB5 that appeared in Goldfinger and Thunderball sold in 2010 at auction for $4.6 million. Check out the video for the full story on this long lost movie star.