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Aston Martin teases the DBX again ahead of December debut

Aston Martin began the teaser campaign for the DBX two months ago with a 37-second video of the coming crossover on a romp over dirt roads, carousing and drifting through a magenta landscape. The next month brought a dynamic tease, the DBX running up the hill at Goodwood. Now another teaser is out, this one called The Grille, focused on that trademark Aston Martin component. The dreamy vid, laid out like an opening credit sequence for a Bond film, is captioned, "Aston Martin’s first SUV features the iconic DB grille." In case that's not enough to make the connection, the DB11 opens the 41-second clip before eventually transitioning into the DBX. The DBX is built on the same Second Century Architecture supporting the DB11, the SCA also planned to carry the Lagonda's future lineup of electric vehicles. Power will come from the same Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 found in the DB11 and the Vantage. If the horsepower rumors come true, we can expect 503 ponies from the charge, same as found in the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe, and something like 516 pound-feet of torque. The engine being hooked up to a Mercedes electrical architecture helps explain the surfeit of Mercedes-looking switchgear inside the DBX cabin, including what looks like a heavily MBUX-inspired infotainment system. Without stating a figure, Aston Martin makes note of DBX towing capability; the GLC 63 can manage 3,500 pounds, enough for the DBX to pull the required barrow of champagne to Royal Ascot 2020. The reveal is scheduled for December, deliveries to come in 2020 after units roll off the carmaker's new factory in St. Athan, Wales. Production numbers are penciled in for 5,000 units per year. The order book opened over the weekend at Pebble Beach; selling the planned annual production would nearly double the company's annual sales.

Aston Martin Vulcan teased in video

Get ready for the Aston Martin Vulcan. We're not sure exactly what that is – but Aston has released a teaser of its upcoming model/concept/thing – and it has a racy sound, that's for sure. That's about all we know from this video, as the car isn't shown. The Vulcan is set to debut March 3 at the Geneva Motor Show, and the official YouTube channel calls it "something very special." The Vulcan's pending reveal comes as Aston is set to get a cash influx from Investindustrial, an Italian equity fund that owns a chunk of the British automaker. The money will fund the company's new product plan, which is expected to help push Aston's global sales to 8,000 annually, double its current level. Aston's lineup of sporting machines has largely grown long in the tooth. New CEO Andy Palmer, who joined the company from Nissan, is charged with updating the portfolio to better compete with other high-end brands. The Vulcan appears to be the start of this, and it literally sounds pretty good. If nothing else, this engine sounds would like it make a nice ringtone for James Bond. News Source: Aston Martin via YouTubeImage Credit: Aston Martin Motorsports Geneva Motor Show Aston Martin Luxury Performance 2015 Geneva Motor Show aston martin vulcan

Aston Martin Bulldog gets another chance to wedge its way past 200 mph

Tell us if this sounds familiar: In the mid-1970s, Aston Martin decided it wanted to prove its engineering prowess by building a car that would hit 200 miles per hour, so company designer William Towns penned the Bulldog DP K9 concept; in 1980, Aston Martin test drivers took the Bulldog to 191 mph at the MIRA test track, but the company was short on cash, so when Victor Gauntlett bought a 10% stake in the company and became chairman in 1981, he canceled the Bulldog program. The company sold the car to a Middle Eastern collector in 1982, while Gauntlett engineered a sales recovery and Aston Martin's return to the James Bond franchise. Now, 37 years later, Classic Motor Cars (CMC) in Bridgnorth, wants to show off its new engineering facility and prowess, and it intends to do so with the Bulldog. CarBuzz picked up on the story that the concept's current owner sent the coupe to CMC for a nut-and-bolt restoration, expected to take roughly 18 months. After that, the Bulldog will take a run at its destiny, aiming for 200 mph, or even better, the 237 mph that Aston Martin engineers at the time said the car should do.      The Bulldog's ultra-wedge shape, stretched over 186 inches and just 43 inches high, could not have come from any other decade. A panel on the front lowered to reveal five square headlights, while giant gull-wing doors doubled the car's height when opened. The interior, matching the Towns-designed Lagonda Series 2, showed off LED lights, buttons and touchscreens. Designers put the 5.3-liter V8 from the front-engined "Oscar India" V8 Vantage into the middle of the Bulldog, then lashed two Garrett turbochargers on top, final output claimed to be 700 horsepower and 500 pound feet of torque. Shifting through a five-speed manual, the rear-wheel-drive, 3,814-pound coupe hit 60 miles per hour in 5.1 seconds. If the Bulldog had achieved its target, it would have been the fastest production car in the world. The plan was to build up to 25 units for sale, which would pay for development costs said to exceed 1 million pounds at the time. The restoration will return the concept to its original state, CMC's managing director adding that it "may include modern components and technology to improve the car's reliability." The original car, for instance, didn't have side mirrors; those were supposedly added by the Middle Eastern collector. The original was gray and white, not green, had a black interior instead of tan.