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Aston Martin working on an inline-six to replace Mercedes-sourced V8?

There's no straight line to figuring out whether Aston Martin plans a straight-six motor for future products. In March, comments by the automaker's chief engineer for vehicle attributes, Matt Becker, led many to believe the British firm could use the Mercedes-AMG 3.0-liter hybridized inline-six from the new CLS53. A week later, Becker said his comments had been misconstrued, that he "was speaking in more general terms that we might have to one day look at downsizing engines." Autocar just threw a new curve, citing "a source close to the firm" to report that Aston Martin's working on its own straight-six. The English outlet says the deal Aston Martin signed with Mercedes-AMG was a stopgap deal while Aston Martin worked on proprietary engines. The report says the inline-six developed in Gaydon would eventually replace the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 currently powering the DB11 and Vantage. If this purported inline-six were augmented with electrification, perhaps developed with help from the electric Rapid E program, it could make more sense of Becker's first, misconstrued comments. At the time, Becker said the Mercedes hybridized engine "could fit with the brand in the future." Taken generally, he could have meant an Aston Martin version of the German engine. The certainty is that there's a six-cylinder coming for larger-volume series production models, yet the reports and denials put competing rumors and powerplants in play. Aston Martin installs a 5.2-liter V12 in the DBS Superleggera, and Autocar suspects an inline-six could be derived from that engine. The automaker already has a six-cylinder in development, though, that being the turbocharged hybrid V6 said to be headed to the Ferrari- and McLaren-fighting Valhalla. Creating two new six-cylinder engines in different formats seems an odd choice for a tiny manufacturer. What about the rumors that say the DBX crossover could get a six-cylinder? In July, when Motoring asked chief creative officer Marek Reichman about it, he said the DBX "could [use a Mercedes-sourced six-cylinder], because that would be a pretty good engine and combination. Potentially." Autocar suggests, however, that the DBX will be first in line for the in-house inline engine. Aston Martin has a storied history with the inline-six, all of them with links to other automakers. The legendary inline-six in the original DB cars of the mid-20th century were originally drawn up by Walter Owen Bentley - yes, that W.O.

Aston Martin lead designer doesn't fear the future

Marek Reichman is the chief creative officer of Aston Martin, so he oversees the creation of some of the world's most desirable vehicles. This includes not only the production cars from the venerable British brand, like the DB11 coupe and convertible, or the all-new Vantage, but also "Specials." These limited-edition, extremely expensive, outrageous and drool-worthy custom vehicles are developed by Aston's special advanced engineering skunkworks, like the Vulcan and Valkyrie. And, now, with the revival and reimagining of Lagonda as an electric and autonomous ultra-luxury sub-brand, he's also responsible for creating a full line of vehicles to fill out its offerings — a limousine, a coupe and an SUV. Speaking at the global launch of the brand's new Vantage — long its best-selling vehicle and the entry-level gateway into the Aston universe — Reichman is cautiously optimistic about the future of the traditional sports car. In part, because he believes that some humans will always crave speed and feel. "Washing clothes became automated, building refrigerators became automated. Everything becomes automated, because we see it as advanced," Reichman says. "But there will always be a segment of the population that wants that experience. That engagement." Of course, as technology advances toward the alleged inevitability of our electric and autonomous future, and rules regarding who can own or drive what kind of car lead or follow, this segment may become increasingly restricted. Reichman lives in Oxford, England, which will become the first city in Europe to completely ban carbon-emitting vehicles in the start of the next decade, so he is well aware of these impending changes. "At the high performance end it might become the province of the rich, who will need private spaces to use these vehicles," he says. "But what will happen with the Morgans or the Lotuses of the world — the more accessible brands? There may still be a place for them." View 17 Photos This sense of possibility stems from Reichman's belief that the next generation can hold simultaneously divergent ideas. "I think there is always going to be a space for the personal need and desire for performance driving. I see it even in kids today," he says. "They believe in the world of electrification. That that is their inevitable future.

Get lost in Evo's sublime 2013 Car of the Year testing

Every year Evo stages its Car of the Year test, bringing the best performance cars in the world to one location for an epic shootout. This year the magazine pitted eight CotY finalists against each other on Route Napoleon in Southern France - Evo claims it's the "best road in the world" - and then proceeded to nitpick the smallest of faults on each car until the winner could be named. You see, this year's lineup of machines was just so good that only one car obviously wasn't CotY material from the get-go. Can you guess which one judging from the list below?
- Aston Martin V12 Vantage S
- Audi R8 V10 Plus