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Channeling Bond in a 2005 Aston Martin Vanquish S

Spectre is nearly upon us, the next episode in the James Bond series bringing with it a conceptual peek at the future of Aston Martin courtesy of the DB10. As for how much Bond's new ride predicts the DB11 that will be offered to civilians, "elements" is the most concrete word we've heard to describe the bridge from one to the other, and that doesn't tell us much. Still in the dark about where Aston Martin is going, we recently got the opportunity to remember where it's been. Some friends of Autoblog at Regency Car Rental in LA told us we could borrow their 2005 Aston Martin Vanquish S, so we spent the day hunting nefarious types on twisty Malibu roads, then cruising the Valley looking for a tuner shop that could install a minigun. The Vanquish played a role in the 2002 film Die Another Day, back when Pierce Brosnan made a living as the roguish, rakish MI6 asset. The film rekindled the union between the agent and Aston Martin after a three-movie interlude in which Bond drove BMWs, including, oh-so-briefly, a Z3. Returning with a bang – make that thousands of large- and small-caliber bangs – Q Branch fitted the hero car with rockets, guns that could shoot incoming projectiles, machine guns, an ejector seat, and invisibility camouflage. On the chicest streets in the sleekest LA neighborhoods the Vanquish S still passes the look-at-me test. The Vanquish S we picked up from Regency didn't have any of that, but as indicated by that S at the end it did have more power and performance than the standard Vanquish in the movie. Horsepower from the 5.9-liter V12 went from 460 to 520 in the S, and this model also got stiffer springs, new suspension geometry, quicker steering, and 19-inch lightweight wheels. Exterior modifications were a wider, more curved grille, a front splitter (not present on this car), and a larger rear spoiler. On the most chic streets in the sleekest LA neighborhoods the Vanquish S still passes the look-at-me test – everywhere we went, men and women paid attention to our arrival. As for us, we're split on its looks right down the middle of the car. We've been fans of the front since the day of the reveal, especially the front fascia and headlights, but we're still not sold on the rear, starting from where the vertical line in the door where the sheetmetal expands into those trademark haunches. We didn't encounter anyone else with such reservations.

Aston Martin Valkyrie does a tantalizing lap of Silverstone

The Aston Martin Valkyrie performed a low-level fly-by at Britain's Silverstone Circuit during the Formula One Grand Prix weekend. The lap marked the first public demonstration of the future paterfamilias of the Aston Martin range, after months of digital modeling and time in the simulator. Aston Martin test driver Chris Goodwin didn't drive the 1,160-horsepower coupe in anger, but he did touch the throttle with some emotion. Regrettably, video of the event lays music over the far more redeeming Cosworth V12 soundtrack, but we do get a taste of what's to come. Thing is, "Top Gear" visited Cosworth in December last year to get some face time with the 6.5-liter V12. Toward the end of the video, Cosworth ran an engine dyno simulation of the V12 going hard through the first sections of Silverstone. Oh, the sound. Oh, the fury. Combine that with the sight of the car cruising the circuit, and know that something wicked this way comes.  If you want to know just how serious the team behind the Valkyrie takes the brief, presenter Jack Rix said Red Bull F1 aerodynamics guru Adrian Newey stopped by the shop to look at the finished product, after two years of development. Newey tapped the lacquered carbon fiber intake manifold cover, then asked Cosworth how much the lacquer weighed. When Cosworth told him "130 grams," Newey looked disappointed. That response turned into offering Valkyrie buyers the option of having the engine's carbon cover with or without lacquer. In American terms, this is much ado over 4.6 ounces, or a McDonald's Royale with Cheese.   With deliveries scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, Aston Martin has a packed program of validation testing for the car, called Verification Prototype 1. After that come competition entries into the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Xcar gets first live look at Aston Martin Vantage GT3

Yesterday Aston Martin took the wraps off the Vantage GT3, a limited-edition version of its entry level model that has now become its most powerful and hardcore. But while we'll have to wait a couple of weeks until the Geneva Motor Show to see it up close and in the metal, Xcar has been granted an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Gaydon's latest. The Vantage GT3 packs the same 6.0-liter V12 as just about everything else Aston makes (save for the lower-spec V8 Vantage), but with 592 horsepower on tap and less weight to motivate, it'll out-perform them all. One of the best parts, though, is the engine note which Xcar was able to record and which sounds second to none. We're going to miss big naturally aspirated engines like this once the turbos have taken over for good. Related Gallery Aston Martin Vantage GT3 View 22 Photos News Source: Xcar Geneva Motor Show Aston Martin Coupe Performance Videos xcar aston martin vantage gt3