2014 Aston Martin Db9 Centenary Edition #17 Of 100 on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin shows electric Rapide, production possible in two years

Aston Martin is working with investment firm ChinaEquity to bring an all-electric version of the Rapide to production by the end of 2017. Aston received 50 million British pounds ($77 million) from ChinaEquity for development, according to Automotive News Europe. The model could have as much as 1,000 horsepower, which makes sense because its powertrain will be developed by an affiliate of the Williams Formula One team. Aston Martin also says an electric variant of its DBX SUV may be in the works by 2019. The electric Rapide could also have a 200-mile single-charge range, though the car may be priced at as much as $250,000. Aston Martin first announced plans to build the model earlier this year. The automaker launched the Rapide in 2010. Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Why yes, my $3.6 million would go to a new 007 Aston Martin DB5

Funniest damn thing happened today. Turns out my grandfather invested in what he thought was a fruit company in the early 1980s, and 35 years later, we just discovered the Riswicks are all now multi-millionaires. That farmer Jobs guy really knew his orchard. So, what to do with my $3.6 million share. What's that you say? Aston Martin has announced it will be producing 28 new "continuation" 1964 DB5's, all in Silver Birch, and all packing vintage Q Brand gadgets from Goldfinger? Oh, well all of the money will be going to that, then. Now, Mr. Okulski over at the Road & Track would argue that the continuation James Bond DB5 has "killed nostalgia." He says that "it feels wrong," that Aston Martin is doing too much good stuff at the moment to resort to such nostalgia plays. Especially when you cannot drive the continuation DB5 on the road. That's right, every one of them is not road legal. In this country, or any other that you'd realistically want to drive a DB5. I reached out to Aston Martin to confirm why this is, and indeed, governments the world over frown upon any vehicle that possesses spinning tire shredders that extend out from the wheel hubs. Not to mention oil slicks, rotating number plates and the rest of the gadgets to be installed over the course of the estimated 3,000-hour build by the team headed by current Bond special effect guru Chris Corbould. Hmm, no kidding. Even without the guns and ejector seat, trying to make it road legal would be completely and unrealistically complex. In other words, if a DB5 with all the gadgets is to exist, it can't drive on public roads. And if you want a "new" 1964 DB5, don't you automatically want it in Silver Birch and packed with James Bond gadgets? Yes, you damn well do. I know this, because if I could outfit my BMW Z3 in Atlanta Blue with stinger missiles, a parachute and "all-points radar," I damn well would. I absolutely, 100 percent own my car because of nostalgia for GoldenEye, and I won't apologize for it. The Tina Turner theme song is cued up on the iPod. And yeah, I'd buy one of these, too. Now, I must admit that the DB5's road illegality is lame. But let's dig deeper. First, let's face the fact that most multimillion-dollar collector cars are driven less than the potted plants in my living room. They could all be road illegal and it wouldn't matter. If they're lucky, they're trailered to a golf course somewhere and driven slowly around the 18th fairway by a man in a jaunty hat.

The Windsor Castle Concours d'Elegance in pictures, courtesy of Bentley

Bentley went to the Windsor Castle Concours of Elegance as the main sponsor and showed off six of its best among the gathering of "60 of the finest motor cars in the world," including the 4¼-liter Bentley 'Embiricos' Special built for a Greek shipping magnate and gentleman racer in the 1930s.
Even better, for us at least, is that when Bentley decided to capture the moment it took pictures of most of the metal on the lawn, not just the Bentleys. Thanks to that, we have a high-res gallery that's home to rarities like the Vauxhall 30-98 Type OE Boattail Wensum Tourer, beauties like the Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, long-tail Ford GT40, Maserati Tipo 60 Birdcage, Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, a sinister Ferrari 250 GTO and the even more sinister Rolls-Royce Phantom Aerodynamic Coupe, among others. All you need to do now is click and enjoy.