Absolutely Perfect, Low Miles, Red Brake Calipers, Red Course Stitching on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Kahn and Evanta team up for hot-rod Defender, custom Barchetta

If you're familiar with the work of Afzal Kahn, it's probably for his tuned Range Rovers. And if you live in London, you may have seen his Bugatti Veyron with the F1 license plate. But the British tuner and self-styled "automotive fashion designer" is now embarking on a far more ambitious project. Kahn is teaming up with Ant Anstead of Evanta fame – responsible for rebodying Aston Martin DB7s to look like DB4 GTs and that full-scale DBR1/2 model kit – on a new outfit called Ant-Kahn. Far more than a tuning endeavor, Ant-Kahm is setting about creating truly unique (and uniquely British) automobiles. Their first project is called the Flying Huntsman, a long-nose Land Rover Defender that we imagine will emerge as something like a British take on the 1998 Jeepster concept crossed with something Icon might concoct. It'll pack a 6.2-liter GM LS3 V8 producing 550 horsepower, mated to a push-button six-speed automatic transmission, mounted close to the bulkhead with over 15 inches of extra bodywork and set to be unveiled within the coming months. Their second collaboration is set to yield the Evanta Barchetta previewed by rendering above. "Inspired by the design language of 1950s motorsport," the Barchetta pays homage to classic British and Italian roadsters. It's being built around a tubular frame with handcrafted composite Kevlar bodywork and powered by that same LS3 tuned to 450 hp but in a much lighter form than the Flying Hunstman. Only 20 examples will be made after its debut at the Goodwood Revival come September. An Aston Martin project codenamed WB12 is also in the works, painting a picture of an ambitious startup backed by two experienced operators whose projects we're looking forward to seeing come to fruition. Ant-Kahn – The birth of a groundbreaking collaboration between two leading figures in the UK automotive industry. Ant-Kahn is a collaborative partnership between Afzal Kahn - innovative automotive fashion designer and founder of the Kahn group of companies, and Ant Anstead, founder of expert vehicle manufacturer Evanta, and star of Channel 4's "For The Love of Cars". Working together under the Ant-Kahn banner, they will lead a resurgence in British specialist vehicle manufacture, with a number of projects already underway. Their focus is on luxury and quality, using modern prototyping and manufacturing technology, while maintaining the attention to details associated with traditional coach building.

Behold the Aston Martin SUV: Officially named DBX, coming in 2019

It's official. The Aston Martin DBX SUV is named and it's on its way, folks. Oh, and Aston really wants you to know it can drive on dirt. Every official photo we have of the thing shows it doing something off the pavement. In other definite news on the SUV, it will be revealed in the last quarter of 2019 and be built at Aston Martin's new St. Athan factory in the U.K. Everything else about the tall Aston will remain a mystery for now. But we finally have a decent look at what's coming. The most obvious feature is the V8 Vantage-style grille. It's the most outlandish and distinguishing styling element on the Vantage, but we're not so sure about it on the DBX. There's plenty that looks unfinished behind the fake grille-looking piece, so we wouldn't be prepared to say that the design is what we'll see on the production SUV quite yet. It looks like standard, boring SUV fare down the sides, but then it gets funky in the rear. To our eyes, it looks like there are two spoilers back there — one extending from the roof, then another ducktail-looking thing coming out of the hatch. Once again, the design doesn't strike us as fully-baked yet, so it's tough to say what the rear end is going to end up like. The little exhaust outlets poking out of the bumper are pretty cool, though. This prototype pictured is being put through a Welsh rally stage for testing purposes, one of many different environments in which Aston says it wants the DBX to excel. The other notable spot is the Nurburgring, but we'd expect an Aston Martin SUV to handle well. We don't think an electrified version is coming right away, but Aston is building it in the same factory it says will be the brand's "Home of Electrification." It's safe to assume a hybrid or fully-electric vehicle from Aston will be coming when we get to the next decade, especially with the way Aston is talking. Related video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin DBX prototype View 13 Photos Image Credit: Aston Martin Aston Martin Crossover SUV Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance aston martin dbx

Xcar gets first live look at Aston Martin Vantage GT3

Yesterday Aston Martin took the wraps off the Vantage GT3, a limited-edition version of its entry level model that has now become its most powerful and hardcore. But while we'll have to wait a couple of weeks until the Geneva Motor Show to see it up close and in the metal, Xcar has been granted an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Gaydon's latest. The Vantage GT3 packs the same 6.0-liter V12 as just about everything else Aston makes (save for the lower-spec V8 Vantage), but with 592 horsepower on tap and less weight to motivate, it'll out-perform them all. One of the best parts, though, is the engine note which Xcar was able to record and which sounds second to none. We're going to miss big naturally aspirated engines like this once the turbos have taken over for good. Related Gallery Aston Martin Vantage GT3 View 22 Photos News Source: Xcar Geneva Motor Show Aston Martin Coupe Performance Videos xcar aston martin vantage gt3