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Xcar weighs in on the five best-sounding modern cars

Getting behind the wheel of a well-balanced vehicle can be a wonderfully visceral experience, thanks to the combined feeling of things like the weight of the steering, the bite of the brakes, and, of course, the roar of the engine. Unfortunately, many of the sensations of driving require actually being in the driver's seat to understand them, but thankfully the intoxicating noise of a beautifully tuned internal combustion engine can be shared with everyone. In a new video, Xcar shares their opinion on the five best-sounding modern performance cars. The list is a symphony of horsepower. As opposed to keeping all of the vehicles brand new, Xcar actually picks a few that are recently off the market. They're all definitely champs, though. While the list itself is well stocked, you might be able to argue with the specific order, and it would be nice to hear a few participants from outside of Europe for a collection like this one, too. No matter. Every listener is sure to find something they like in the bunch, though. Turn up the volume and enjoy.

Aston Martin to open test center at Silverstone, British racing's Mecca

LONDON — Aston Martin will open a test and development center at Silverstone, the home of British Formula One racing, as the luxury carmaker continues to expand ahead of a possible stock market offering. James Bond's car brand of choice is undergoing a turnaround plan designed to boost its model lineup, quadruple volumes and produce its first sport utility vehicle at a new plant in Wales. The firm, which sponsors the Red Bull Formula One team, said its Silverstone site would open in October and employ 60 people. Many Formula One teams have been based close to Silverstone in central England, leading the area to become known as motorsport valley. Silverstone hosted the first Formula One championship race in 1950. "The company is now investing for growth across the Aston Martin and Lagonda brands," said Chief Executive Andy Palmer in a statement, also announcing the opening of a central London office. Aston said the new locations would help increase the firm's total workforce by over half to 5,000 by the end of 2022. After six years of losses, Aston Martin swung to a pretax profit in 2017, and the company has said it is considering a stock market IPO, which sources have told Reuters could come as soon as this year. Reporting by Costas PitasRelated Video:

Continuation Aston Martin DB4 GTs unleashed at Silverstone track day

The first customers for the Aston Martin DB4 GT continuation cars have now gotten to experience track time in them. Aston arranged a customer track day at Silverstone, with five continuation GTs stretching their legs on the legendary circuit. The continuation cars are a 25-car run built by Newport Pagnell's Aston Martin Works, after the original 1959 recipe. The manufacturer has dedicated a two-year international track driving program for the cars, and the next event after Silverstone will be the Rockingham circuit in the UK on June 21. The third track day will take place in Le Mans on July 27 — more tracks will be announced later. The events have driving trainers to instruct DB4 GT owners about handling their cars the way they are supposed to, or as Aston's press release puts it: "They will help customers master driving techniques from an era when track driving was more art than science." Well put. One of the instructors is Aston Martin Racing driver Darren Turner, three-time Le Mans class winner. If you can't quite swing it to get yourself a real continuation Aston, there's also a more modern opportunity waiting to be seized: a DB5 replica based on — of all things — a Honda S2000. As its dimensions are just a bit off, the car seems to be a cross between The Car and a David Brown Speedback, and it retains the S2000 interior. The asking price is an eye-watering $95,000, which is still a lot less than a continuation DB4 GT. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin DB4 Continuation Silverstone trackday News Source: Aston Martin Aston Martin Coupe Luxury Performance Classics