2007 Aston Martin Vantage Coupe, 6 Spd, 23k Miles, Silver, Black, Serviced on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Aston Martin appears to be testing a V12 Vantage in these spy photos

For a few years now, the Aston Martin Vantage has been without V12 power. It's technically been without Aston Martin power, too, since its twin-turbo V8 comes from Mercedes-AMG. But that may change in the near future based on these spy photos from the Nurburgring. They show a Vantage, but one that's wider and with exhaust that suggest it may get a few more cylinders like its close cousin, the V12 Speedster. Staring us down is the prototype's enormous front grille, taller and wider than standard Vantage units. It's flanked by two smaller inlets and underlined by an aggressive front splitter. The whole front seems to be wider, as evidenced by the mismatch around the front fender and hood. Speaking of the hood, there's a big mesh "V" sitting on top to cover what are likely heat-extracting vents, which would probably be important for handling the heat from a twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12. Changes at the back are a bit more subtle, but only a bit. The rear fenders have large fender flares, suggesting the production car will also be wider at the back with correspondingly larger tires. There's a little gurney flap on the rear spoiler, so we may see a more aggressive spoiler in production. We also see a center exhaust instead of each of the dual pipes on the ends of the rear diffuser. This exhaust looks a lot like what Aston used on the V12 Speedster, itself based on the Vantage, but without the roof section. This is probably the strongest evidence that the car has the extra cylinders. With Aston clearly knowing how to shove a V12 into a Vantage chassis, and the high-end sports car market's never-satiated desire for more powerful and rarer items, a V12 Vantage seems like a slam-dunk product. The question will be, what output will it make. The V12 Speedster made 700 horsepower, but it was a limited-production special edition. The V12 Vantage could get the DB11's 630-horsepower variant to give the Speedster a bit of breathing room. And that would still be a nice power increase over the 503 horsepower of the regular Vantage. Based on these spy shots, we'd bet we have around a year before we see the production model, maybe a little less, maybe a little more. Related Video:

Aston Martin to display first DB4 GT Zagato Continuation at Le Mans

Aston Martin has announced its new DB4 GT Zagato Continuation series will officially debut at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race is this weekend, June 15-16, and the first completed vehicle of the 19-car continuation production will be displayed at Aston's premises trackside. The DB4 GT Zagato Continuation #1 wears Rosso Maja paint, a hue which is not that common on classic Astons, but suits its flanks well. The interior is done in black leather, and the car comes with full FIA-specification roll cage. It takes Aston's Heritage Division some 4,500 hours to build one of these cars, so the words "artisan craftsmanship" aren't lightly thrown around. But like Aston Martin announced earlier, it is using modern technologies such as a digital body buck to help build these cars, even if traditional aluminum panel beating methods are also still in use. The body of this first car was readied in April. The car's engine is a 390-horsepower, 4.7-liter straight six that is coupled to a four-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential. The manufacturer remarks that the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation is the most expensive new Aston Martin on sale, and that can't be far from the truth: Prices for the "DBZ Century Collection" start from 6 million pounds, or $7.6 million, and the price will include a matching DBS GT Zagato delivered in the fourth quarter of next year. Customers will receive their DB4 GT Zagatos during Q3 of 2019. Featured Gallery Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Continuation View 19 Photos Image Credit: Aston Martin Aston Martin

At St. Moritz, the Ferraris and Bugattis are small wonders

The Little Car Company is once again taking to glitzy St. Moritz in the Alps to show off an array of scaled-down automotive classics that will include a Bugatti Baby II, Ferrari Testa Rossa J (for junior) in both base and Pacco Gara models, and an Aston Martin DB5 Junior. The elegant, electrified miniatures, all available for test drives, will be assembled at the upcoming International Concours of Elegance at St. Moritz this Friday and Saturday to entertain the rich and famous, and others perhaps not so well positioned. The Little Car Company is a U.K.-based firm that has re-created everything from a pint-sized Bugatti Type 35 to a life-sized dune buggy based on a Tamiya R/C kit from the 1980s. Their cars run on electric power. Other models are put on static display, and one of those at St. Moritz is to be its newly launched Bentley Blower Jnr. "A step into new territory for the brand," the company says, the Blower Jnr is an 85 percent scale electric version of the British manufacturer's legendary original, and is The Little Car Company’s first road-legal automobile. Said CEO Ben Hedley, "This year will be the third time that we have participated in this wonderful event, so it is only right that we bring even more unique pieces for guests to get behind the wheel of, but also that we bring something new for guests to look at: the Bentley Blower Jnr." Operating for about five years, the Little Car Company hand-builds licensed products in entertaining partnerships with some elite manufacturers. Its cars are aimed mainly at collectors but can be driven. Among its recent offerings, the Testa Rossa was launched in 2021 as a 3/4-scale replica of the legendary "red head,” powered by a 12kW battery and able to reach a top speed of 47 mph, Little Car Company planned to build only 299 examples of the Testa Rossa. One of them was on display at Harrods in London just before Christmas, priced at just about $100,000. A terrific gift, but youÂ’ll need a bigger tree.   Featured Gallery The Little Car Company at St Moritz Design/Style Aston Martin Bentley Bugatti Ferrari Electric