2010 Aston Martin Vantage Couope Tungsten 12970 Miles 2 Owner California Car on 2040-cars

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Maybach and Aston Martin alliance talks fall apart

If you have, like us, been salivating at the notion of a new generation of Maybach and Lagonda ultra-luxury crafts built by Aston Martin, we've got some bad news: According to reports emanating from Germany, talks between AML and Daimler have broken down.
The proposal under negotiation would have seen Daimler outsourcing production of the next family of Maybach models to Aston Martin, which in return would benefit from Mercedes-Benz platforms and engines - not only for its svelte GTs, but also for its own future Lagonda line of limousines and luxury SUVs. That, and a boatload of money - or at least that's what AML was reportedly seeking, an issue that served as the stumbling block over which the deal reportedly collapsed.
That's not to say the two parties couldn't still reach some sort of a compromise, but short of that, Daimler may opt to either shut down Maybach altogether, find another partner, or take another stab at building new models internally.

Woman wins Aston Martin during Price is Right Dream Car Week

If you need a quick shot of happiness to warm your day, watch this clip of a woman's reaction as she wins a $120,000-Aston Martin V8 Vantage on The Price is Right. The show doesn't usually give such high-dollar vehicles, but this is Dream Car Week, which considerably increases our interest in the prizes. This wedding photographer plays Spelling Bee where the goal is to pick the letters for "car" or win immediately with one of the cards that displays "Car." Skip to 3:38 into the video to dispense with her choosing the prices of items and get straight to the heart of the game. Host Drew Carey tries to convince the woman not to play with the offer of $25,000 cash, but she presses forward. That was a great decision, and the woman goes wild about winning the British sports car. It's wonderful to see someone so excited about getting such a fantastic prize. We hope she really enjoys driving her new Aston Martin. Related Video:

Aston Martin reveals the open-air Vantage Roadster

Aston Martin has tweeted the first official image of its Vantage Roadster in prototype form, following a promise made earlier this year to unveil a convertible version by year's end of the all-new coupe that was unveiled almost two years ago. As is clearly illustrated on the door, you’ll be able to buy the droptop next spring. ThatÂ’s about the extent of information on offer from the company, but, well, look at the thing! ItÂ’s presented in matte black paint, which suits it well and shows off the side gills, sculpted sidelines and the ducktail rear spoiler with the arching, full-length LED taillight. It may also be instructive to look at the DB11 Volante, the convertible version of AstonÂ’s higher-slotting sports car, for clues. It required tweaks to stiffen the chassis and redistribute the added weight as a result of chopping off the top. That droptop is also more expensive than the DB11 coupe, something we can also expect from the Vantage Roadster (the Vantage coupe starts at $149,995 and weighs in at 3,373 pounds). The Vantage features an AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that makes 503 horsepower and 505 pound-feet of torque and sends that to the rear wheels via a rear-mounted ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. In the coupe version, that setup helps produce a 0-to-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds and top out at 195 mph, though of course weÂ’ll have to wait for more from Aston closer to the soft topÂ’s launch. But before that, of course, weÂ’re likely to see the DBX sport-utility vehicle, which is set for a December reveal.