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Aston Martin unveils aero kit and Heritage Racing Editions for Vantage

Each year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, enthusiasts are met with an artistic white sculpture that represents a unique part of automotive history. For 2019, the Central Feature, as it's called, highlights Aston Martin with a DBR1 frozen high in the sky.  Celebrating 60 years since Aston went 1-2 at Le Mans and 70 years since the company first raced at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, Aston Martin also unveiled an aero kit and the Heritage Racing Editions for the Vantage coupe. Crafted by Aston's bespoke division "Q", only 60 examples of the Vantage Heritage Racing Editions will be made, each acting as an homage to a historic racecar from the company's past. The green and silver Vantage, named "Razor Blade," has been color-matched to a racer that set records in the 1500-cc light car class at Brooklands in 1923. The red example with Aston Martin lettering, "The Italian Progettista", is a call to the Ulster, which Aston calls its most iconic pre-war racecar. It finished third overall at the 1935 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished fourth in the RAC Tourist Trophy Race. The "David Brown Era" Vantage seen in yellow and green is inspired by the DB3S from the '50s. The red, white, and blue Vantage, dubbed "The Group C Monster", celebrates the AMR1 racer. At the time of development in 1989, the AMR1's use of a kevlar and carbon fiber monocoque was cutting-edge. The "Le Mans Winner" Vantage wears the Gulf livery and nods to the endurance racing series that Aston Martin has participated in since 1928. Lastly, the Lime Essence and Stirling Green Vantage is a hat tip to the current Vantage GTE racecar that competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The special-edition models also debut a new aero kit that will be available on all Vantages. Thanks to a carbon fiber rear wing, dive planes, an extended front splitter, the kit produces an additional 428 pounds of downforce at 190 mph. Each car has lightweight wheels, the Sports Plus Pack, and interior carbon fiber features for additional weight loss. Aston Martin has yet to announce pricing or availability, but all six special-edition cars can be seen next to the Central Feature throughout the Goodwood events.

Robert Plant’s 1965 Aston Martin DB5 is for sale

It was made famous by James Bond in the 1964 film "Goldfinger," and this particular version was given its lived-in quality by the frontman of one of rock-and-roll's biggest bands. Now you, too, can own the Aston Martin DB5 likely driven to Bron-Yr-Aur and across the land of the ice and snow by none other than Robert Plant. The website Classic Driver is offering the 1965 DB5 coupe owned by Plant, who is most famous as the former lead singer of hard rock titans Led Zeppelin, from the early 1970s until 1986, when he sold it to father and son collectors based in England. Painted in Dubonnet Rose, the four-seater GT has 62,400 miles on it, a tan leather interior and what must be many, many untold stories of rock-and-roll excess. The DB5, which updated the DB4, had an all-aluminum 4.0-liter, DOHC straight-six engine that made 285 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque mated to a full synchromesh ZF five-speed gearbox. It also featured three SU carburetors, twin hydraulic brake servos, Girling disc brakes and the early use of electric windows. It became famous as James Bond's third but most recognizable card, with a prototype version full of gadgets used by Sean Connery in "Goldfinger," and the car re-appearing in several subsequent Bond movies and with different actors. This particular DB5 was restored by Aston Martin agents Chapman Spooner shortly after Plant sold it in 1986, and the car was entered into a number of Aston Martin Owners Club events during the '80s. The current owner bought it in 2008 from Nicholas Mee & Co., used it very sparingly and kept the car in a controlled environment. Given the lore that surrounded Led Zeppelin in its heady '70s rock-juggernaut days, it's remarkable that the car survived intact as well as it apparently has. The DB5 was apparently a popular one among British rock royalty of the era, as Bonhams Bond Street just sold a '64 version previously owned by Paul McCartney for $1.8 million.Related Video: Featured Gallery Robert Plant's 1965 Aston Martin DB5 View 15 Photos Image Credit: Nicholas Mee & Co Ltd Aston Martin Automotive History Coupe Luxury Classics famous cars aston martin db5

Buy Sir Stirling Moss's '54 Aston Martin DB3S for just $10m

Bonhams estimates this rare 1954 Aston Martin DB3S will fetch as much as $10 million when it hits the auction block late next month. The fifth of 31 examples (and only 11 works racers) built, this particular DB3S was originally built for the private use of the company's owner David Brown. But after three other examples were destroyed at Le Mans in 1954, Brown handed his car over to the racing department, which replaced the fiberglass bodywork with aluminum and put it to work. Drivers like Sir Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, and Roy Salvadori drove it at Spa, the Nurburgring, and the Mille Miglia. As if that provenance weren't enough, the roadster then went on to appear in the '60s comedy School for Scoundrels alongside Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, and Janette Scott – plus an Austin-Healey 100-Six and a 1928 Bentley 4 1/2 -Litre Open Tourer dubbed the "Swiftmobile." Bonhams has chassis number DBS3S/5 consigned for its upcoming sale at the old Aston Martin Works factory in Newport Pagnell. With all that history, the auction house anticipates it will sell for GBP6,000,000-7,000,000 – equivalent to $8.5-10 million at current exchange rates. That would, according to the records at Sports Car Market, make it one of the most valuable Astons ever sold at auction, besting the DB3S that Gooding & Company sold in 2014 for $5.5 million. Related Video: THE 1954 ASTON MARTIN DB3S: CAR OF THE SILVER SCREEN RACED BY THE GREAT STIRLING MOSS, NOW OFFERED AT BONHAMS A rare Aston Martin Works team car – chassis number DB3S/5 – which was campaigned in period by such legendary racing drivers as Sir Stirling Moss, Peter Collins and Roy Salvadori, and latterly went on to co-star with Terry-Thomas in 1960s movie classic 'School for Scoundrels', will be offered at Bonhams Aston Martin Works Sale on 21 May 2016. It is estimated at GBP6,000,000-7,000,000. This historic Aston Martin began life as the personal road car of David Brown, the multi-millionaire industrialist owner of the Aston Martin marque. Under Brown's reign the legendary post-World War 2 'DB' series of Aston Martin cars were built, including the Atom, the DB2, DB3, DB4, DB5, DB6, DB7, DB9 and the DBS, all named using Brown's initials. Aston Martin also built a number of DB3S models for the Works racing team.