Aston Martin N420 Special Edition: No 119 Of 420 Built on 2040-cars

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Revealed: Aston Martin shows first V12 Speedster prototype

The V12 Speedster — Aston Martin's "living show car" — has moved from the realm of dreams (and digital renderings) to the physical world. Here it is in the metal. In the composite? A bit of both, we'd reckon, but we can say this for certain: it's definitely not glass. Aston Martin's 88-unit, $950,000, topless supercar is officially entering the physical development stage "in earnest," the company's spokesperson said, and here are the photos to prove it. Aston Martin had originally planned to start delivering V12 Speedsters in the first quarter of 2021, but whether that's possible in the world of COVID-19 remains to be seen.  The company says this prototype is intended for "dynamic development," meaning it's going to be used to fine-tune road and track performance. Based on the details Aston Martin has released so far, we're inclined to believe that it will be a treat in both departments. Aston Martin V12 Speedster View 18 Photos Fortunately, we have Aston Martin's previous renderings. Aston says the V12 Speedster is powered by a 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 making 700 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. Power goes to the rear wheels by way of a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox. The British luxury builder claims this combo is good for a run to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph. The platform itself is made by combining elements of the DBS Superleggera and Vantage. It has 21-inch forged, center-locking wheels, huge carbon ceramic brakes and adaptive dampers. As you can see from the gallery, Aston Martin did not include any photos of the prototype's interior, and we suspect that's because it doesn't actually have one yet — at least not anything worth showing. That's just as well. This is a single-purpose toy, not a touring coupe, and anything more than a well-anchored set of seats and intuitive driver controls is just a bonus anyway. 

Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition adds more power, downforce

Well, it seems we were onto something, Aston Martin really did give us a pace car edition of the Vantage. Or, in F1 parlance, a safety car edition. It's technically called the Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition, and fortunately, it's not just a Vantage with a fancy paint job. It actually boasts several performance improvements that it shares with the real safety car. You can even see some of those upgrades. The car features a front splitter and canards, rear wing, and under body tweaks. They all allow the F1 Edition to make an additional 441 pounds of downforce at top speed over a standard Vantage. Though not majorly affecting performance, the Vantage F1 Edition also receives a slatted grille, carbon fiber accents, quad-tip exhaust, exclusive 21-inch wheels, and a matte dark grey stripe. Only three colors are available, Aston Martin Racing Green, black and white, all three of which can be matte or gloss. Inside, the car gets black leather and grey Alcantara with your choice of green, black, grey or red stitching and center stripe. The F1 Edition gets extra power, too. The twin-turbo 4.0-liter AMG V8 makes 527 horsepower, an increase of 24, though torque is unchanged at 505 pound-feet. An eight-speed automatic is the only transmission available, and Aston Martin says it has been retuned to shift faster. Acceleration and top speed don't change, with 0 to 60 happening in 3.5 seconds for the coupe and 3.6 seconds for the roadster. The coupe's top speed is 195 mph and the roadster's is 190. Besides the extra grunt, the F1 Edition gets stiffer springs and retuned shocks along with a steering rack that Aston says provides better feedback. To pick up one of these upgraded Vantages, you'll need $162,000 for the coupe. Pricing hasn't been given for the roadster, but it will likely cost a bit more. Aston is taking orders now, and cars will be delivered to customers and dealers starting in late summer this year. Related Video: Aston Martin DBX in Stirling Green | On road, off-road and on the track

2020 Virtual Geneva Motor Show Editors' Picks

There may not have been an actual Geneva Motor Show this year, but there were still loads of car reveals that happened the week that the show would have happened. So we still wanted to highlight what our favorites of the would-be show. Our list of cars seemed to match the theme of the reveals, too, highlighting over-the-top supercars and forward thinking electric vehicles. Scroll down to see our favorites. Fifth Place: Aston Martin V12 Speedster - 21 points Managing Editor, Greg Rasa: Astons are works of art, and this one's ready for the Louvre. The design nods to Aston history are nifty. It looks like a jet fighter, except those have canopies. Not sure what 186 mph would be like in this, but don't try it in summer when there are bugs. Contributing Editor, Joe Lorio: Admittedly, this one is a little silly. A $950,000 sports car with no roof? A 700-hp two-seater with no windshield? But the offerings at the Geneva auto show have always tilted toward absurdity, and Aston’s V12 Speedster is endearingly outrageous as a fighter plane for the street. Third Place (Tie): Volkswagen ID.4 - 26 points Senior Producer, Chris McGraw: I don't have much to say about this other than I am a huge fan of more EVs coming to the market, which is why two-thirds of my picks are electric, including the ID.4. Producer, Alex Malberg: Any new fully-electric crossover is a vote for me. The fact it doesn't look terrible and VW will be including AWD later are bonuses.  Third Place (Tie): Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio GTA - 26 points Road Test Editor, Zac Palmer: Hard to argue with the logic of this one. The Giulia Quadrifoglio is already the best driver in this class of hot sedans, so why not extend the lead with a special model. That wing is Type R levels of high, and I completely approve. Associate Editor, Byron Hurd: Love this car. Love it, love it, love it. It's beautiful, aggressive and fast. I'd take it over an M3 or C63 any day. As cool as the GTAm is, though, I'd rather stick to the four-seat GTA. Something about a four-door car with two seats just doesn't really work for me. I haven't alienated ALL of my friends quite yet. Second Place: Hyundai Prophecy - 35 points Senior Editor, Green, John Snyder: I get whiffs of the Genesis Coupe from this sleek concept. I like the focus on form, with interesting details to discover if you look for them. West Coast Editor, James Riswick: Does it look like a Porsche? Sure, but Porsches look neat.