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Aston Martin sues Henrik Fisker over Thunderbolt design

Imitation is supposedly the sincerest form of flattery, but Aston Martin isn't blushing after taking a look at the Fisker Thunderbolt. The british luxury brand has filed a lawsuit against the designer for allegedly copying the company's designs without permission in a US District Court in California. Fisker unveiled the Thunderbolt at the at the 2015 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance as his own take on the Vanquish. The former Aston Martin stylist's changes included reshaping the grille, adding a power dome to the hood and incorporating wraparound rear glass. The version on display was a concept for the design, but the plan was to sell a slightly modified production version through Galpin Aston Martin. This lawsuit puts assembly in doubt. "This lawsuit centres on Henrik Fisker's creation and promotion of automobiles that Aston Martin contends infringes Aston Martin's rights, by an improper and unauthorised attempt to exploit and free-ride off them," said a portion of a prepared statement from the company emailed to Autoblog (embedded in full below). According to Bloomberg, the automaker claims in the suit that portions of the design, including "the famous Aston Martin mark, wings logo, side vent mark, and Vanquish mark" are being coping in Fisker's design. The business also calls the plan to change the design for the production version a "bait-and-switch." Fisker helped to shape the look of the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage during his time as a designer at the brand. "Today Aston Martin filed a lawsuit in the state of California to protect its valuable trade marks, designs and intellectual property rights. This lawsuit centres on Henrik Fisker's creation and promotion of automobiles that Aston Martin contends infringes Aston Martin's rights, by an improper and unauthorised attempt to exploit and free-ride off them. Aston Martin regards such conduct as wholly unacceptable and reserves all rights available at law to challenge it."

The legendary Aston Martin DB4 GT is reborn

The trend of resurrecting ghostly automobile legends continues with Aston Martin, which announced Friday it's building a limited run of 25 more DB4 GTs. Originally built from 1959 to 1963, the DB4 GT was among the most powerful British cars of its era and a precursor to the modern supercar. Just 75 DB4 GTs were built during the first run. The GT model was lighter and more powerful than the stock DB4, giving it excellent racing chops. Stirling Moss drove the GT to victory at Silverstone in its competition debut in '59. It's a rare breed with a deep lineage. Within that first batch, just eight even lighter-weight models were built, and Aston is using those as the basis for its continuation series. The company says it will build them in Newport Pagnell in England, its headquarters for decades and now home to the Aston Martin Works heritage division. The DB4 GT continuation brings assembly work back to Newport Pagnell for the first time since production of the Vanquish S left in 2007. The original DB4 GT was produced on this site. The new cars will wear VIN numbers that pick up from the end of the first run in '63. They will use a version of the Tardek Marek-designed straight six-cylinder engine making an SAE-rated 331 horsepower with three twin-choke Weber carburetors. Though it's a straight six like the original, Aston started "from scratch" with the new one, a spokesman said, drawing on the DB11's supplier for the castings. Modern elements, like an FIA-spec roll cage, fire extinguisher, and seat belts will also be added. It will weigh 2,706 pounds. The DB4 GT employs a four-speed David Brown manual gearbox. The car rides on a tubular frame with an independent front suspension; the rear is a Watts linkage setup and both use coil springs. The fuel tank holds 36 gallons, which should prove useful for racing. In that vein, these 25 will be track-only models, and buyers will be able to participate in an international driving program that spans two years and visits circuits like Yas Marina. Owners can receive training from Aston experts like Darren Turner, who counts several class victories at Le Mans. The cost? About $1.9 million at the prevailing exchange rates as of this writing. Aston will begin delivering the DB4 GTs in summer 2017. It joins the growing field of nostalgic continuations, like the Jaguar XKSS, that pick up where the original lineage left off.

Airbus and Aston Martin tease helicopter collaboration

Aston Martin is working on a new partnership in a different part of the transportation sector. This week, the British company known for its beautiful car designs announced a collaboration with Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) that is set to launch in 2020.  ACH and Aston Martin are working on a helicopter, and this short video is the first official teaser of the partnership. The project has been under design development for the past 12 months, and Aston Martin Lagonda Vice President and Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman said the project will be a blending of automotive and aeronautical design principles.  Although the teaser did not give away much info about the helicopter, the name of the video might. It's titled, "ACH130 AM TEASER 16x9." The 16x9 part is just the dimensions of the video, but ACH130 AM likely indicates a nod to the Airbus H130 helicopter, which is most often used for "sightseeing services, charter operators, and emergency medical services, among others." It comes in six- or seven-passenger configurations.  This is not the first time Airbus has collaborated with an automaker on a helicopter design. Peugeot previously worked with Airbus on an H160. The ACH130 AM debuts in the French Alps on January 3, 2020. And this is not the first time Aston has collaborated on transportation beyond a car. Last year, Aston put its luxury imprint on a submarine. Auto News Design/Style Aston Martin