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Drive an Aston Martin | The List #0568

Few cars can drum up feelings of intrigue like an Aston Martin. On this episode of The List, hosts Jessi Combs and Patrick McIntyre travel to England, the birthplace of Aston Martin, to drive the V12 Vanquish and learn more about this luxurious brand. From exploring narrow country roads to braving a rain storm on the track, we put this beautiful British sports car to the test. The 2016 V12 Vanquish is a sight to behold no matter the road, but there's something special about driving it around England. We visited the Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, the site of an Aston factory from 1954 - 2007, to learn more about the brand's past. From the DB4 all the way to the Vanquish, the beauty of these hand-built machines has stayed consistent throughout their history. After admiring the classics, it was time to push the shiny new Vanquish to its limits on the track. Fighting through intermittent rain didn't make it easy. "Getting a little squirrelly for sure," said a visibly excited Patrick. "Too much. Way too much on that one." When it was Jessi's turn, her self-proclaimed lead foot actually led her to an interesting conclusion about the vehicle. Because of the subpar track conditions and because the car is in fact a grand tourer, Jessi actually makes that claim that "I think I'd rather have it out on the open road." Regardless of environment or driving conditions, it's certain that the Vanquish is an incredibly impressive machine. Perhaps most importantly, it helped us check "Drive An Aston Martin" off of our List. Click here to find more episodes of The List Click here to learn more about our hosts, Jessi and Patrick Aston Martin Luxury Performance Supercars The List Videos Original Video aston martin vanquish

2020 Aston Martin Vantage AMR First Drive Review | It has a manual!

NURBURG, Germany — The new Aston Martin Vantage AMR has a manual transmission. In the precision-engineered, sequential dual-clutch automated hell-scape in which we now dwell, that might be enough copy for a full review. But driving this boisterous menace around the perfect, sweeping, foothilly roads around Germany's Nurburgring (but not on the ‘Ring itself), I discovered that the seven-speed stick shift makes the Vantage approximately 77% more engaging. For this, we have Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer to thank. “Andy committed to always having a manual in the lineup,” said transmission engineer James Owen, at the Aston Martin Racing (AMR) Performance Center at the edge of the ‘Ring, when I asked, insolently, why this car exists. “And as the sports derivative of our sportiest, most focused sports car, Vantage, itÂ’s right for the lineup.” A bit more about that transmission, because it should be dwelled upon: It is built by famed Italian manufacturer Dana Graziano, which has been building transmissions for the likes of Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo since the middle of the past century. It has a dogleg high-ratio first gear that requires some increased load to knock into. It rev-matches on downshifts, and also allows no-lift upshifts, so you can keep the pedal floored between gears to minimize transitions. ItÂ’s air cooled, for less weight. And it has a Launch Control feature that works like this: clutch down, find first, stomp on the gas, wait for the little light to appear on the dash, clutch out progressively but quickly. Glory. It was, in fact, surprising just how much the gearbox changed my relationship with the Vantage, a car I already liked. The AMR doesnÂ’t add any power, the Mercedes-sourced 4.0-liter turbo V8 still sits at 503 hp. But the torque figures are down significantly, from the 505 pound-feet available in the automatic to 461 with the manual. Remember, this is the first time a manual has been paired with this engine, be it by Aston Martin or Mercedes-AMG. Despite losing 200 pounds from the Vantage's curb weight – through the use of the lighter transmission, forged wheels, carbon ceramic brakes, carbon fiber body and trim bits, and the switch from an electronic differential to a limited-slip one – itÂ’s nearly a half-second slower from 0-60 than the base Vantage (3.9 seconds vs 3.5).

Aston Martin Valkyrie heads to public roads for the first time

The Aston Martin Valkyrie may not be headed for the WEC racing series anymore, but it is finally hitting public roads. Aston Martin shared some images of the start of public road testing and tuning with a production prototype. The car is undisguised because, well, we've seen it a number of times before, but it's still interesting to see it in such mundane settings. Public roads really emphasize how alien the Valkyrie looks. In particular, the shot of it in front of other production cars show that it's about half their height. It also doesn't look especially longer or wider than some of the somewhat small cars in the background such as that Hyundai Kona. And of course the Valkyrie's deep diffuser openings, undulating fenders and little cockpit all look outrageous on the street. We mean that in the best way possible. Aston still plans to begin delivering Valkyries to customers in the second half of this year. It will make at least 1,000 horsepower and rev to over 11,000 rpm. It will be street legal, though not when equipped with the track package or if it's the 1,100-horsepower AMR Pro variant.