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Aston Martin Valhalla interior debuted in Monterey

Aston Martin began releasing estimated specs for the Valhalla supercar last summer. The figures described the thoroughly overhauled car, redrawn with just as dramatic yet smoother lines than the original concept from 2019, and repowered with a plug-in hybrid V8 sourced from technical partner Mercedes-Benz instead of the in-house straight-6. The quick summary describes a mid-mounted 740-horsepower flat-plane-crank V8 with an e-motor in back and another in front contributing 201 horsepower. The front electric motor can pull the coupe for up to eight miles of pure electric running, reversing is also done under electric power, not via the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Curb weight of 3,417 pounds pairs with a top speed of 217 miles per hour, the firm hoping its charge can lap the 'Ring in 6:30, which would be a record for a production car. Deliveries are expected to commence toward the end of next year. Around the driver. With the driver. For the driver. Valhalla is MASTERY. DRIVEN. #AstonMartin #Valhalla #MASTERYDRIVEN — Aston Martin (@astonmartin) August 26, 2022 We still hadn't seen the inside of the car last summer, though. Aston Martin finally lifted the dihedral doors on the show inside during the recent Monterey Car Week. Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman described the cockpit as being "pure," "about driver focus" and "concentration," and "dedicated to the mastery of driving." So despite an exterior update that injected "a more mature" road-going road ambience into the Valhalla's silhouette, the cabin makes strong ties to the F1-inspired and track-consuming Valkyrie. These are seats that emphasize the "bucket" in "bucket seats," supporting driver and passenger such that their heels lie above the level of their hips. The driver grabs a square wheel that's jettisoned the central display in the Valkyrie's square wheel. In fact, for those decrying the explosion of screens lately, here is your safe space. A slim rectangle ahead of the driver serves as dash display, and the infotainment screen can be hidden away, which it is in the short Twitter vid. We can see it staying stowed more often than not, in fact. Even if the V8 doesn't pour its 7,200-rpm flat-plane note into the cabin — along with roof scoop inhalations and rubber-band-thin Michelin thrumming — the passenger quarters cannot be the kindest space to design a stereo for.

Aston Martin DB5 hood used to make Atelier Jalaper watches

There are more than a few famous movie cars, like Eleanor, Doc's DMC-12, the Bandit's Trans-Am, and Bullitt's Mustang, for instance. There are hardly any movie cars that are famous, beautiful, and lustworthy, and that 60 years later are still having a moment. Consider that Aston Martin produced the DB5 from 1963 to 1965, sending only a touch more than 1,020 units into the world, but it seems like every six months we get a new take on either the car itself or something having to do with the car. Atelier Jalaper is the latest to make an entry in the latter category. Two gents got the idea to produce a watch using something from a historic car. After putting the Jaguar E-Type, AC Cobra, Ferrari F40, and Aston Martin DB5 donor cars up for vote on Instagram, the people chose Bond, and the results are the AJ-001 and AJ-002 watches. The journey started with a successful Kickstarter campaign, which was the easy part. With money in hand, it took the two men behind the company a year to find an authentic hood from an original DB5. To ensure provenance, Atelier Jalaper had Aston Martin Works verify the hood, a two-hour process that produced a 20-page report on the Silver Birch unit. The men then visited Switzerland to find the engineers and watch maker who could turn the metal into a timepiece. The engineering involved tasks like flattening the hood and removing the nine layers of paint while leaving the metalworking marks and patina of the raw steel, and a 58-minute-long process of lasering texture into the dial. The actual watch bits include a Miyota automatic movement visible though the clear back, numerals that resemble the odometer figures in the DB5, and a choice of two complications. The AJ-001 features the date, the AJ-002 features the day and date. Both are available in a polished steel case or a matte black PVD case. The series is limited to 600 units, each serial engraved into a button on the left side, and customers can choose a serial number if it hasn't been taken already. Prices start at ˆ800 ($814 U.S.) for the AJ-001 in stainless steel and go to ˆ1,150 ($1,170 U.S.) for the AJ-002 in black PVD.     Related video:

Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster revealed with 690 horsepower

Aston Martin kicked off the week with one V12 convertible, and it's finishing it out with yet another one. But unlike the DBR22, the V12 Vantage Roadster has a folding soft top and will be available at the end of the year. It's not quite as powerful as the DBR22, but it's no slouch, and is practically as fast as its coupe twin. Performance upgrades to the V12 Vantage Roadster are essentially identical to the coupe. It has a twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12 making 690 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. Power goes through an eight-speed automatic transmission to a mechanical rear differential. In practice, the Roadster reaches the same 200-mph top speed as the coupe, and it's only 0.1 second behind it to 60 mph at 3.5 seconds. Major weight savings have been found throughout. The exhaust is an ultra thin stainless steel system as part of multiple weight saving measures including the carbon ceramic brakes with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rears. The body has been widened by 1.6 inches and features a carbon fiber front bumper, hood, fenders and side sills, as well as a composite rear bumper and trunk lid. A new grille and hood vent improve cooling, and a splitter and diffuser help with downforce. The coupe's large rear wing isn't included as a nod to classier design, but it's available as part of aerodynamic package. Optional forged wheels can save even more weight, along with optional carbon fiber sport seats. Production of the Roadster starts in the third quarter of this year, with deliveries coming later. Only 249 will be built. That makes it rarer than the coupe, of which Aston built 333 examples. All the Roadsters have been spoken for, and Aston didn't give pricing. Related Video:

Aston Martin DBR22 is a retro roadster for the lucky few

It's Pebble Beach Concours week, and you know what that means: high-end automakers showing new exotic machinery. Kicking things off is the Aston Martin DBR22. Aston calls it a concept, but that's more of a stretch than Honda with its "prototype" car reveals. The company has said it will build some. The exact number hasn't been given, but don't expect many. The company highlighted a couple of its previous special models such as the Vulcan and V600, each of which were made in numbers below 30 units. The car is more specifically from Aston's "bespoke" division, Q, and it's a celebration of the division's tenth anniversary. It takes its design inspiration from far longer ago, though. The DBR22's dramatic curves, lack of a windshield and towering cowls are all based on the company's 1950s race cars, particularly the DB3S and DBR1 (which already inspired another low-production Aston). The grille is even based on the latter's. The entire exterior is unique to the DBR22, down to the headlights and full-width tail light bar. It's all made of carbon fiber, too. The interior is also unique with leather wrapping most surfaces including the carbon seats. And being a product of the Q division, the handful of buyers will be able to customize pretty much every facet of the exterior and interior to their preferences. No matter how an individual's DBR22 looks, they should be the same under the skin. Aston's twin-turbo 5.2-liter V8 sits below the vented hood and makes 705 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. It sends power through an eight-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels. Top speed is 198 mph, and it will hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. No mention was made of what platform the DBR22 is built on, but it likely shares similarities with the DB11 and DBS. It boasts upgrades, though, such as shear panels front and rear for greater rigidity, plus unique tuning for the adaptive shocks. Most interesting is the rear subframe. It's made of multiple 3D-printed aluminum parts that have been bonded together. It's a preview of future Aston Martin production techniques and the company says it has allowed them to make a lighter subframe than normal with the same rigidity. It also lets the company more easily produce custom parts for low-production models. Aston Martin made no mention of when it will start building customer DBR22 models or when it will take orders. We wouldn't be surprised if the company has already lined up buyers.

Aston Martin bringing two surprises to Pebble Beach

Aston Martin has at least three treats planned for its "strongest-ever presence" at this month's Pebble Beach shindig. Two are surprises, including a "very special, ultra-exclusive" vehicle that will celebrate the first decade of the company's Q by Aston Martin personalization service. The department that turns individual taste into automotive reality has done something said to "encapsulate the brand’s winning track bloodline, with a nod to success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans." We don't know what the model will be based on. Some muse it could be another limited-run special like the V12 Speedster DBR1. The cynic in us won't be surprised to find a DBX with special colorways, leather embossing and checkered flag motifs resting on a northern California plinth.   The second surprise is a "high performance model" — as if Aston Martin makes anything else — that will go into series production, expected to be the V12 Vantage Roadster. The coupe dropped in March, a wild sendoff to the littlest 12-cylinder, front-engine sports car in the company's lineup and the last Vantage to get the twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12. The note about series production wouldn't mean unlimited production, though. There will be only 333 examples of the V12 Vantage, Roadster numbers could be even further restricted. Whatever it is, this one's going to be revealed on Friday, August 19 at the English maker's private Aston Martin Club 1913 that's been relocated to provide a better view of the lawn during the Concours.  The final goody is an update on the progress of the Valhalla, the mid-engined hybrid supercar with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and three electric motors producing 937 hp and 738 lb-ft. We hear there will be a mockup of the revised interior that potential buyers will be able to sit in, experiencing the driver-focused, F1-like seating arrangements. Assuming nothing has changed since the Valhalla prototype exterior made its U.S. debut at last year's Pebble Beach, the coupe will be limited to 999 examples, first deliveries planned for just two years from now. Related video: 2023 Aston Martin DBX707 walkaround

James Bond cars heading to auction with other series costumes and props

Here's your chance to really drive what 007 drove. On Sept. 28, Christie's will be auctioning 60 pieces from the expansive EON Productions archives, including costumes, props, and since this is Autoblog, cars! Much of the Sixty Years of James Bond Collection up for auction are pieces used during the filming of "No Time to Die," but there are some other noteworthy items from earlier films. The 60 pieces coincide with the film franchise's 60th anniversary. Among the cars is one of seven Aston Martin DB5 replica stunt cars built specifically for the movie, complete with plenty of damage incurred during the pre-credits sequence. It would also seem to be one of the stunt cars fitted with Gatling gun props behind the headlights (you can read more about the team behind the stunts here). As it's a replica and a stunt car, it does not have a full DB5 interior. However, as it's a replica and a stunt car, it also has a 3.2-liter inline-six from an E46 BMW M3. Now that's a melding of my personal tastes if there ever was one. Its price estimate is between GBP1.5 million and GBP2 million, or about $1.84 million and $2.46 million. Proceeds from every lot will go to various charities.  The auction's other cars driven by 007 in the film include an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera and one that's particularly close to my heart, a 1981 Aston Martin V8. Although it appears to be the same car driven by Timothy Dalton in "The Living Daylights," it's in fact a different car, made obvious by the fact that its model year is from six years prior to Mr. Dalton's first go in the tux. Also included in the auction are stunt vehicles used by baddies (we really need to talk about the blood money on JLR's hands after doing all this business with Spectre), including a Range Rover Sport SVR, a Land Rover Defender 110 and Jaguar XF. There's also a Triumph Scrambler motorcycle used in the filming, plus a new special edition 007 60th Anniversary Land Rover Defender 110 V8 not used in the film.  The only vehicles being auctioned from earlier films include a Q Boat from "The World is Not Enough" (I'm guessing EON still has a couple of them), the cello case from "The Living Daylights" (yes that counts as a vehicle), and a Day of the Dead parade bike from "Spectre" (I could buy that, ride around Portland on it and no one would bat an eye).

Fernando Alonso to join Aston Martin F1 team next season

LONDON — Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will extend his Formula One career by joining Aston Martin next season. The 41-year-old Spaniard will replace Sebastian Vettel, who announced his retirement last week. AlonsoÂ’s contract with Alpine was ending this season. Aston Martin said Monday that it signed Alonso to a multi-year deal. “No one in Formula One today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me,” Alonso said of Aston Martin. “I still have the hunger and ambition to fight to be at the front, and I want to be part of an organization that is committed to learn, develop and succeed.” Alonso will be going into his 20th season in F1. He won his titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006. He took two years off in 2019 and 2020 to race in other series, including runs at the Indy 500. “I have witnessed the excitement in the engineering team and throughout the whole organization at the opportunity to work with Fernando,” Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack said. “We know that nearly everyone can learn from someone of FernandoÂ’s calibre and experience. We are confident that he will inspire everyone to lift their game.” Aston Martin, whose other driver is Lance Stroll, son of owner Lawrence Stroll, is only ninth in the 10-team constructorsÂ’ standings this season. Alonso said he knows Lance and Lawrence well and they share the same “ambition and passion to succeed” in F1. “We all appreciate that there is much to be done to get to the front, and that we must apply all our energies in working together to find performance,” Alonso said. “The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convince me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to the sport. I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me.” Alpine has been improving in recent seasons and sits fourth in the constructorsÂ’ race. Alonso is 10th in the 20-driver standings. He joined Alpine in 2021 after his two-year break from the series. Related video: 2023 Aston Martin DBX707 walkaround

Aston Martin updates its logo for the eighth time in its history

Whoa, easy on the squinting there, folks. We know, the new Aston Martin logo looks basically the same as the old one. But we promise, it has changed. Here, take a look at the old one (below, left) next to the new one (below, right). There, now do you see it? Aston dropped the single vertical line at the bottom and the inverted arch. Also, the lines are thicker. It's like Aston Martin highlighted the badge and clicked "bold." It also happens to be the eighth redesign of the logo. The original appeared on Astons in 1920, with subsequent designs launching in 1927, 1930, 1932, 1954, 1984, 2003, and now. You can see all of them in order below. Aston Martin Badge 1920 View 8 Photos Aston probably wouldn't be that put off by us describing the new logo as the old one, but "bold," because the company's new tag line follows suit: "Intensity. Driven." Yes, the tag line is basically a synonym for "bold." Aston says the new branding is part of a new focus on providing luxury cars with maximum performance. It also seems to reflect the brand's upcoming roster of mid-engine sports cars with the F1-inspired Valkyrie (above, left), now in production, and the less extreme Valhalla (above, right), the latter of which will start deliveries in 2024. The new badging will appear on the Aston Martin F1 cars, and will also appear on these new-generation Aston sports cars. Related video:

Saudi wealth fund to become Aston Martin's second-largest shareholder

Aston Martin's shares jumped 20% on Friday after the British luxury carmaker announced an capital raising that will see Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) become its second-largest shareholder with an almost 17% stake. PIF's 78 million pound investment, together with a 575 million pound rights issue, will allow the 109-year-old company lower its debt and invest in new models. PIF will own a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin and will be entitled to two board seats, behind the 18.3% holding Chairman Lawrence Stroll's Yew Tree will have after the rights issue. The sovereign wealth fund, which owns stakes in electric carmaker Lucid Motors and British supercar group McLaren has been diversifying its oil-rich investment portfolio. For Aston Martin, the preferred ride of fictional secret agent James Bond which has gone bankrupt seven times in its history, the investment means it can secure its long-term future. Its current second-largest shareholder, German carmaker Mercedes-Benz AG will own about 9.7% after the capital raising. Debt-Ridden Inheritance "In 2020, I inherited a business in deep trouble that needed to be reset," Stroll told reporters. COVID-19 lockdowns and the disruption to global supply chains has slowed the company's recovery, he added. Half of the new capital will be used to repay debt that stood at 957 million pounds at the end of March. The company also pushed back the date at which it will start producing cash from 2023 to 2024. The carmaker said former owner Italian investment group Investindustrial and China's Geely had proposed up to 1.3 billion pounds in funds last week, which the board rejected. The pair would have injected 203 million pounds for a stake, making them the largest shareholder. Stroll said the proposal would have been highly dilutive to shareholders and believed it was a takeover offer in disguise. ($1 = 0.8446 pounds) (Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur, Tomasz Janowski and Louise Heavens) Earnings/Financials Aston Martin

Sir David Brown's 1964 Aston Martin DB5 C is for sale

In 1946, David Brown answered a classified ad in the London Times selling a "High Class Motor Business" for GBP30,000. That business turned out to be Aston Martin, which Brown bought a year later for GBP20,500. According to the Bank of England, he paid nearly GBP600,000 in today's dollars, about $736,000 U.S. He didn't do a bad job with it, attaching his name to the DB series of sports cars from DB1 to DB6 and DBS that won Le Mans and became the preferred choice of real royalty and a fictional secret agent, buying Lagonda to get the straight-six engine for Aston Martin that had been designed by W.O. Bentley, and setting up the coachworks at Newport Pagnell, still considered the historic home of hand-built Astons. All of this, along with wartime contributions on the tractor side, helped make him Sir David Brown, and one of his cars is for sale.  Brown's daily driver was allegedly a Jaguar XJ because of its friendlier running costs compared to his company's products, so there won't be too many ex-David Brown Aston Martins around. He ordered this DB5 Convertible in Caribbean Pearl with a Navy Blue interior and matching top a year after the model hit the market, when Aston Martin began selling it with the new five-speed ZF transmission. The droptop also got a Motorola radio, chrome wire wheels, and the 3.77:1 Power Lock rear differential. He held onto chassis DB5C/1273/R for three years before passing it on to an Aston Martin garage proprietor, who took excellent care of it. A full overhaul in 2014 rebuilt all of the mechanicals, retrimmed the interior, and applied a new paint job from the metal up.  Just over 99,000 miles have accrued on the chassis to now. UK specialist shop Nicholas Mee sold this car in 1994, and is doing so again with an asking price of GBP1,150,000 ($1.4 million U.S.). That sum includes a fresh service, registration, a 12-month warranty, and original accessories like the tool roll, mallet, jack, and owner's manual. Related video: