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Aston Martin teases the DBX again ahead of December debut

Aston Martin began the teaser campaign for the DBX two months ago with a 37-second video of the coming crossover on a romp over dirt roads, carousing and drifting through a magenta landscape. The next month brought a dynamic tease, the DBX running up the hill at Goodwood. Now another teaser is out, this one called The Grille, focused on that trademark Aston Martin component. The dreamy vid, laid out like an opening credit sequence for a Bond film, is captioned, "Aston Martin’s first SUV features the iconic DB grille." In case that's not enough to make the connection, the DB11 opens the 41-second clip before eventually transitioning into the DBX. The DBX is built on the same Second Century Architecture supporting the DB11, the SCA also planned to carry the Lagonda's future lineup of electric vehicles. Power will come from the same Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 found in the DB11 and the Vantage. If the horsepower rumors come true, we can expect 503 ponies from the charge, same as found in the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe, and something like 516 pound-feet of torque. The engine being hooked up to a Mercedes electrical architecture helps explain the surfeit of Mercedes-looking switchgear inside the DBX cabin, including what looks like a heavily MBUX-inspired infotainment system. Without stating a figure, Aston Martin makes note of DBX towing capability; the GLC 63 can manage 3,500 pounds, enough for the DBX to pull the required barrow of champagne to Royal Ascot 2020. The reveal is scheduled for December, deliveries to come in 2020 after units roll off the carmaker's new factory in St. Athan, Wales. Production numbers are penciled in for 5,000 units per year. The order book opened over the weekend at Pebble Beach; selling the planned annual production would nearly double the company's annual sales.

Aston Martin's oldest car prepares for its 100th birthday bash

Aston Martin will celebrate in style the 100th birthday of its oldest-known remaining car. It will send the 1921 A3 to the annual Concours of Elegance taking place in September 2021 on the near outskirts of London. Fittingly, the Concours of Elegance is one of the most prestigious car shows in the world. It was first held in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's reign over the United Kingdom. It retains royal ties, so showing to the event in a bondo-colored Renault 18 is completely out of the question. Aston Martin's A3 will fit right in, however. Its name signals that it's the third car built by Aston Martin, and that it's powered by a Type A engine, which denotes a side-valve four-cylinder tuned to develop about 11 horsepower. That's a rounding error in 2021, but it was impressive in the early 1920s, and it allowed the A3 to set several speed records. It notably averaged over 86 mph during a 100-mile event held at the Brooklands track, which 100 years later is commonly associated with Bentley. After extensive testing, Aston Martin sold the A3 in 1923. It was sold and bought several times until it ended up in the hands of a man named R.W. Mallabar. He shipped it back to Aston Martin's headquarters when a connecting rod failed, and he asked the company to refinish it in gray with red wheels while it was tearing apart the engine. The A3 then disappeared until 2002, when it appeared at an auction and its historical significance was uncovered. Aston Martin received the A3 as a generous donation in 2003, and it commissioned Ecurie Bertelli to give it a full — and painstakingly long — restoration. Its frame was rebuilt from scratch with ash wood, and it received a reproduction body made with hand-beaten panels. It's now black with black wheels, which is the livery it wore until Mallabar commissioned a respray. Its engine was rebuilt during the refurbishment, so it moves under its own power. Whether that means the A3 will drive to the event under its own power hasn't been revealed. Regardless, when it gets there, it will bask in the sun (or get drenched by a late-summer storm) next to a star-studded lineup of Gulf- and Martini-liveried race cars and other historically significant machines. It's a little too old to participate in the display put together to celebrate the Queen of England's 95th birthday; there will be one car for each year that she's been alive.

'Q by Aston Martin' bringing unique creations to Monterey

Want an Aston Martin unlike any other on the road? You'll need to look to Q, and no, we're not talking about the inimitable Desmond Llewelyn. No, we're referring to Aston's in-house customization shop, a one-stop destination that can set your Vantage or Vanquish even further apart from every other vehicle on the road. Aston Martin is bringing four new Q-customized cars to next week's festivities in scenic Monterey, CA, covering the gamut of the brand's portfolio. At the lead is the Aston Martin flagship, the hardtop Vanquish. Finished in an eye-catching – and decidedly un-Aston-like – Abor Orange, the Vanquish boasts unique carbon fiber work, with a twill that's twice the size of your average CF. Inside, a new print has been emblazoned on the Obsidian Black leather, which Aston says is styled after the helix of a carbon molecule. For those who want to stand out and experience the wind in their hair, Q is also bringing out a pair of Aston Martin's Volante variants. The Vanquish Volante wears Frosted Silver paint, 10-spoke alloys and a Chestnut Tan interior. The DB9 Volante, meanwhile, sports perhaps the oddest style of this quartet, with Ashen Blonde exterior paint and, um, a pink interior. It's actually called Blush Pearl, and it's complemented by Piano Ice Mocha on the center stack. Finally, Q has turned its eye on the V12 Vantage S, decking it out in amethyst paint with a Monterey Pearl grille. The cabin sports the same Obsidian Black leather found on the Q-fettled Vanquish, but rather than the helix design, the Vantage S sports bold, Vivid Purple leather accents. The contrasting bits include the seat stripe, headliner, portions of the steering wheel finish and glove box liners. Take a look both up top and below for galleries of all four customized Astons, and then scroll down for the full press release from Aston Martin.