Pixie Lott Hairstyle: Aston Martin

Showing posts with label Aston Martin. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Ford Mustang Exotica Hides an Aston Martin Vanquish V12 Under its Hood [with Video]

We’re pretty sure that, during the time Aston Martin was under the ownership of Ford, the thought of stuffing an exotic V12 powerplant under the bonnet of a Mustang must have crossed the mind of a few company engineers.

And while we never saw something of the sort officially from Ford, an independent custom shop actually realized the idea with the 2005 Ford Mustang 'Vanquishd' show car that was presented at the 2006 SEMA aftermarket gathering.

Built by Western Motorsports, this one-of-a-kind Mustang gets a 6.0-liter V12 engine with 600 ponies from a 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish. Power is sent to the chunky rear wheels through a 6 speed manual Tremec T-56 transmission.

You would never think that an Aston Martin would need any sort of marketing push from a personality like Sir Stirling Moss, but to play around with our own words, up until recently, you would never think that Aston Martin would actually try to sell a hugely overpriced city car that’s a rebadged Toyota model…

In any case, the British racing legend is one of the first customers to receive the Aston Martin Cygnet, which he purchased as a birthday gift to his wife, Lady Moss. Appropriately, there was a photographer in hand to capture the gift-wrapped Cygnet.

V12 Zagato production run

Aston Martin has confirmed that ‘a strictly limited number’ of its new V12 Zagato will be built.

The decision comes after the car’s successful debut at the Villa D'Este Concours in May, where it won the design award for concepts and prototypes. This was then followed by an entry into the challenging Nürburgring 24 Hour race that took place at the end of June.

Production is expected to begin during the summer of 2012, with the first deliveries due shortly afterwards. Aston Martin isn’t saying exactly how many examples will be made, but the order book is open now with cars being allocated on a first come, first served basis.

The UK price has been set at £330,000, excluding taxes.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato Concept (2011) Front Side

Aston Martin V12 Zagato Concept (2011) Side

Aston Martin V12 Zagato Concept (2011) Rear Side

Dr. Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin Chief Executive, said of the V12 Zagato: “Such style, exclusivity and fastidious craftsmanship ensures it will be one of the most highly coveted models in Aston Martin’s 98-year history. A fabulous celebration of the iconic DB4GT Zagato, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the V12 Zagato is the perfect inspiration for the next 50 years of Aston Martin.”

Related posts:

Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Aston Martin is coolest

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Aston Martin V12 Zagato Given Green Light for Production, Priced from £330,000 / $528,000

It’s official; Aston Martin has not only confirmed plans to build a strictly limited number of the new V12 Zagato show car, but it is also accepting orders with first deliveries expected from the second half of 2012.

Production of the British firm’s new supercar model, which is the collaborative work of Aston Martin and Italian design house Zagato, will be limited to 150 examples that will be hand assembled at Aston Martin’s global headquarters at Gaydon.

Aston Martin to Bring the V12 Zagato to the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Only a few weeks after making its public debut at the Villa D’Este Concours and winning the design award for concept cars and prorotypes, Aston Martin’s new V12 Zagato raced at the Nurburgring 24-hour race. Now, the British automaker is bringing the stunning model, which was created by the two companies to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary DB4GT Zagato, to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Read more »

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Aston Martin Rapide Auction Proceeds Given to Toyota to Aid Tsunami Victims

Last month we reported that Aston Martin’s CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez, announced that he would auction off his company car, a fully-loaded 2009 “Concours Blue” Rapide, during this year’s annual Bonhams event at Newport Pagnell on June 21.

The buyer was furniture designer and Aston Martin enthusiast David Linley, who paid £100,000 ($160,000), which was handed over to Toyota which can better direct it to charities providing aid to victims of the recent earthquakes and Tsunami that devastated Japan.

AMV12: Sabino Leerentveld’s V12-Engined Aston Martin Hypercar Concept

Take these three cars: the Jaguar XJ220, the Aston Martin DBR9 and ItalDesign’s BMW Nazca M12 Concept and amalgamate them into an Aston Martin Bulldog for the 21st century and there’s a good chance you’ll have Dutch designer Sabino Leerentveld’s AMV12 design study.

Taut, masculine lines blend seamlessly with Aston Martin’s signature styling to create something truly unique. Presumably fitted with a V12 engine, this front / mid-engined (I honestly can’t tell) design study proposes a model that would theoretically sit above the limited edition Aston Martin One-77.

Aston ‘Cygnet and Colette’

Well that didn’t take long. Aston Martin has just announced the first special edition model based on its Cygnet city car which, in turn, is of course based on the Toyota iQ.

Called the ‘Cygnet and Colette’, the name recognises that Aston Martin has teamed up with Parisian fashion emporium Colette to create this exclusive version. Just fourteen examples are going to be built, which may seem a rather random quantity, but that’s the number of years Colette has been in business.

Aston Martin 'Cygnet and Colette' (2011) Front Side

The work has been entrusted to Aston Martin Works Tailored, which is usually responsible for personalising customer cars. Judging by the specification though, its talents have hardly been stretched.

Externally, the only things that differentiate the ‘Cygnet and Colette’ from the standard version are the Lightening Silver paintwork with contrasting blue elements and some special badges.

Aston Martin 'Cygnet and Colette' (2011) Interior

On the inside, there are Bitter Chocolate quilted leather door and seat inserts, plus quilted Alcantara sun visors. The back seats also get a couple of blue leather cushions, although arguably they’re a bit pointless given the cramped rear accommodation of the Cygnet.

The ‘Cygnet and Colette’ can be ordered now via the Colette store in Paris, and it costs €48,995 (around £43,600 at today’s exchange rates).

Aston Martin 'Cygnet and Colette' (2011) Rear Side

Anyone who misses out on this particular limited edition needn’t be too concerned, because Aston Martin has promised that it’s just the first in a series of ‘Cygnet and …’ collaborations.

Related posts:

£40k for iQ-based Cygnet

Aston Martin is coolest

Baby Aston Martin

Aston Martin Releases $70,550 / €48,995 Fashion-Trendy Cygnet Special

The Cygnet is on its way to becoming a true Aston Martin, but not in the sense you might think. We are referring to its price tag with the release of a new limited run special called “Cygnet & colette” that will set buyers back a whopping €48,995, equal to £43,800 and US$70,550!

That’s £18,000 or US$29,000 more than the entry-level Cygnet. This kind of money can buy you a Porsche Boxster in the UK and you would still have more than £7,000 left for spending! And all this for a car that is essentially a re-trimmed Toyota iQ…

Aston Martin Prepares Two V12 Zagato Concepts for 24h Nurburgring Battle

The world’s toughest 24-hour race at the Nurburgring circuit this weekend will see Aston Martin entering a bevy of sports cars led by not one but two specially prepared racing examples of the freshly revealed V12 Zagato Concept.

Based on the existing V12 Vantage chassis, the concept model was designed by Italian coachbuilder Zagato to celebrate its partnership with Aston Martin in the 50th anniversary year of the DB4GT Zagato. The prototype received its public debut at the Concorso D’Eleganza at Villa D’Este in May this year, winning the Design award for Concepts and Prototypes.

Aston Martin Cuts Back Production of Rapide Due to Poor Sales

Seems like the recession isn’t hitting just common people, but is also affecting the market for $200,000-plus supercars. One such example is the Rapide, Aston Martin’s sports sedan, whose sales are falling way off initial expectations.

According to media reports, the British carmaker is cutting back production of the Rapide to 25 cars per week, which translates to 1,250 per year, or 750 less than initial estimates.

Silverstone Organisers Ask: What is the Best British Sports Car of All Time?

The fifteen finalists in the Silverstone Classic’s, “Best British Sports Car of All Time” vote-in have been announced, and boy is there some choice picks. Before we get to that though, can I just point out a misnomer in using the, “of All Time” qualifier?

This assumes (prophetically?) that Britain will not be making any more sports cars in the future, whereas, “Best British Sports Car So Far” would be a far more accurate description. But enough with semantics: who are our lucky finalists? Read on….

Mercedes-Benz’s Parent Company Nearing a Decision on the Fate of Maybach

It’s no secret that for quite some time now, Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler has just about had it with Maybach and is looking to either shut down the über luxury car brand and call it a day or partner up with British sports carmaker Aston Martin on the development of a new model.

According to a report from Autoweek, the time has come for the German carmaker to make a final decision with the fate of Maybach to be decided by July 1. At a recent press event in Stuttgart, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche told journalist that "there is a higher likelihood to come to a positive decision" for Maybach if the company can find a partner. Up until now, the only automaker that has showed interest in working with Daimler on Maybach is Aston Martin.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Fifty years after the DB4GT Zagato, and following in the wheel tracks of several subsequent collaborations with the Italian design house, Aston Martin has unveiled the new V12 Zagato concept.

Its debut will be at the Villa D'Este Concours on 21st May 2011, which takes place near Lake Como in Italy. Aston Martin is going to use the occasion to ‘gauge customer interest’, despite already confirming that a strictly limited run of cars will be built.

But the V12 Zagato isn’t just going to be a road car. In the tradition of previous Aston Martin Zagatos a race programme is planned, starting off with the four hour VLN Nürburgring race on 28th May 2011, and then followed by a 24 hour event at the same venue on 25th and 26th June 2011.

Unsurprisingly for a Zagato creation, the looks are arguably more challenging than those of a series production Aston Martin.

Even Marek Reichman, Director of Design at Aston Martin, described it as ‘an elegant yet brutal design which reflects the great balance between race performance and pure Aston Martin style. The original DB4GT Zagato was a true icon, powerful and graceful; the new design is a true representation of the spirit of DB4GT Zagato. The muscular organic forms define the thoroughbred nature of the car's racing credentials.’

Regardless of whether the styling divides opinion, there’s no disputing the craftsmanship that has gone into building the car. Sitting atop the bonded aluminium structure (borrowed from the V12 Vantage) is a handmade aluminium body, assembled using traditional techniques. The front wings, for example, are each made from seven separate pieces of metal, while the roof panel alone uses five pieces.

No word on prices yet, but that probably won’t be of much concern to prospective owners.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato (Endurance Race Specification)
Body
Type	Two door, two seat coupe
Chassis	Bonded aluminium structure
Body	Hand crafted aluminium
Roll cage	FIA compliant; steel
Fuel system	120 litre endurance racing fuel tank
Suspension	All-round independent double wishbone with fully adjustable Multimatic DSSV dampers
Front brakes	Ventilated floating grooved discs with 6 piston callipers
Rear brakes	Ventilated floating grooved discs with 4 piston callipers
Engine
Type	All alloy, quad overhead cam 48-valve 5,935 cc V12
Location	Front mid-mounted
Power	510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS)
Torque	570 Nm (420 lb/ft)
Compression ratio	10.9:1
Transmission
Drive	Rear-wheel drive; limited slip differential; magnesium alloy torque tube with carbon fibre propeller shaft
Gearbox	Six-speed automated manual gearbox with auto shift manual / select shift manual (ASM / SSM) electric hydraulic control system; rear-mid mounted
Clutch	Twin plate competition