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Wingsuits are somehow involved in new season of 'Top Gear'

It's a shame that Matt LeBlanc is leaving "Top Gear," but there's a bit of solace in the situation: There's still one more season of him as frontman. BBC just released the new trailer for series 26, and it shows LeBlanc, Chris Harris and Rory Reid getting into all sorts of shenanigans around the globe. "Top Gear" announced LeBlanc's imminent departure back in May 2018, but he still had to finish one more season before leaving. Thus, the upcoming series will be his last, and it looks like he'll go out in a whirlwind of dust, bent metal, water spray and burnt rubber. The trailer shows everything expected from a season of the storied automotive show (well, everything except Hammond, May, and Clarkson, if you're one of those people). There will be precision driving, dubious stunts, name-calling and gobs of stunning videography. In the short one-minute clip, there are flashes of numerous attention-piquing vehicles. The new Bentley Continental GT, a Bentley Le Mans racer, Porsches, Ferraris, the Aston Martin Vantage, and the Mercedes-AMG GT all make appearances. And for some random fun, the boys are seen in wingsuits (doubtful it's actually them), and playing polo in some three-wheel rickshaws (before wrecking said rickshaws). We'll update with more information as soon as we know when the show will start. Related Video: News Source: BBC Celebrities TV/Movies Aston Martin Bentley Ferrari Mercedes-Benz Porsche Videos Top Gear chris harris matt leblanc rory reid

Fisker sues Aston Martin for $100M over The Force 1

We were expecting Henrik Fisker to bring The Force 1, his next vehicle design, to next week's Detroit Auto Show, but that might not happen. In December an attorney for Aston Martin sent Fisker a letter asking the Danish designer to either not show his car in Detroit or to change the design. Fisker responded to that letter by filing $100-million civil extortion lawsuit against Aston Martin in a California Federal court, naming company CEO Andy Palmer, chief spokesman Simon Sproule, and chief creative officer Marek Reichman as defendants. Based on the overhead-view sketch, the English carmaker believes that The Force 1 is "strikingly similar to several of Aston Martin's cars, including the DB10" from the movie Spectre. At the same time the carmaker's letter to Fisker admitted that it doesn't know what the final design will look like, but it appears that the carmaker's intent to "protect its valuable rights if necessary" could not make way for patience. Or perhaps Aston Martin is trying to prevent another Thunderbolt episode before it starts. That incident last year involved the carmaker suing Fisker over his reimagined Vanquish, with the two settling the matter out of court. Fisker says The Force 1 has isn't based on an Aston Martin, and as part of the lawsuit submitted a design breakdown of both the DB10 and The Force 1. Fisker's latest is apparently in partnership with VL Automotive, the company that's been threatening to release a V8-powered Karma sedan for years now, and the Detroit show organizers say they've been working with VL, not Fisker. The lawsuit seeks the $100 million for punitive and compensatory damages and court costs, alleging that Aston Martin's actions "would subject [Fisker] to public humiliation, embarrassment in the industry, and significant financial losses." The public allegations go even further, Fisker's lawyer Jonathan Michaels saying that the English brand, "In an effort to protect itself from further market erosion... conspired and devised a scheme to stomp out Henrik Fisker's competitive presence in the luxury sports car industry." News Source: Wall Street Journal Design/Style Government/Legal Detroit Auto Show Aston Martin Fisker Coupe Luxury Performance lawsuit Henrik Fisker spectre aston martin db10

The Aston Martin Valkyrie and its V12 sound insane

Formula 1 is where the mind goes when we listen to this teaser engine clip of the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar. And we're not talking about the lame-sounding turbo cars they're racing now. No, this sound brings to mind the stupid-high-revving machines of the 2000s. It makes sense too, because we've been told that the 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine is loosely based on Cosworth's 2.4-liter V8 it made for Formula 1. Rumors place the Valkyrie engine somewhere around 1,000 horsepower with a kinetic energy recovery system providing even more thrust. We've seen a number of reports putting the final combined figure around 1,130 hp, but the actual number will remain a mystery for the time being. The sound of "THE" GREAT British car company! Thank you @Cosworth @redbullracing #AstonMartinValkyrie #NaturallyAspirated#V12 pic.twitter.com/HmEICj29uH — Andy Palmer (@AndyatAston) October 3, 2018 This video with the Valkyrie's soundtrack layered behind it comes courtesy of Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer. Dramatic renderings of the Valkyrie cycle through in the background, but the noise is what we're paying attention to here. The engine's redline is reportedly 11,000 rpm and we don't doubt it after listening to the soundtrack more than a few times. No other production car revs that high — even LaFerrari tops out at 9,250 rpm. The team definitely has the engine working, and production is slated to kick off sometime in 2019. We'll be waiting impatiently until then to hear that insane V12 in person. Related Video: Aston Martin Coupe Performance Supercars hypercar Aston Martin Valkyrie