Design student pens Aston Martin Volare concept, complete with AWD and hydrogen fuel cell
Aston Martin Volare concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
While driving the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson lamented that with tightening environmental regulations, this may be as good as it ever gets. If he's right, Aston's going to have to look elsewhere for fresh ideas on how to bring the high-performance GT into the green age, and they might want to have a chat with James Trim. The 23-year-old designer penned this concept car, called the Aston Martin Volare, as his latest project. And needless to say, it looks fantastic.
Blending the aggressive lines of the One-77 with the taut stance of the Vantage, the Volare has a smooth design all its own. But it's what's underneath that could be the most important: electric motors driving all four wheels and supplied by a hydrogen fuel cell stack. Trim's portfolio also includes some convincing Audi, BMW and Jaguar designs, but the Aston could be his most convincing yet.
[Source: James Trim via AutoTrader]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Dtown 8:06PM (8/24/2009)
looks good but it would be nice to see some view other than the worms eye view.
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Paul 10:02PM (8/24/2009)
Jeez, I was thinking the same. All these wide-angle ground level shots don't give me a sense of it at all. The general forms seem cool but I just can't see it...
So much for 23 year olds as designers. This kid needs to learn how to present before he plays in the big leagues.
ekrus 10:23PM (8/24/2009)
maybe coz it's not bigger than a lawn mower....?
AMcA 11:04PM (8/24/2009)
If you're going to style an Aston, you really aren't allowed to change the shape of the grill. Major no-no. Especially when you make it look like a Fisker Vapor-Mobile.
thomas 11:55PM (8/24/2009)
i'm officially killing all this talk of vapor-stuff.
if you don't know what it means, dont say it.
same rules that apply to a 5 year old, apply to you.
Darrin 2:45AM (8/25/2009)
'Kinda like the Barrett-Jackson auction coverage on Speed channel - the dork holding the camera all but *refuses* to lift the damned thing above kneecap level.
/eye level is a good thing...
AutoCritical 3:55AM (8/25/2009)
This is a students work. Its a scaled model - that is why there is a 'worms' eye view...It's probably 1/3 or 1/4 scale.
Looking at this project as a design project (aesthetics) I have to admit that there is nothing really ground breaking about this design. No doubt James is an awesome sketcher, and no doubt I'm sure he will do really well in a design firm, but as a concept it could have been more 'wild' and highly conceptual (for aesthetics). (Unless that was not the aim of his project)
Goto his website, he has more interesting concepts there too! Great sketches and ideas! http://jamestrim.co.uk/
Watch out for this kid!
Autocritical
http://www.autocritical.com/blog
timwang2006 8:11PM (8/24/2009)
What is up with the trend of sports cars going AWD? As tire technology gets better and better, AWD is becoming obsolete in most applications (like sports cars), not to mention AWD cars are usually less efficient with more parasitic loss and weight. Seems weird that automakers are adding green technologies and AWD at the same time in their concepts and production models.
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timwang2006 8:25PM (8/24/2009)
WHY ARE YOU REPLYING HERE?
sepirioth 9:10PM (8/24/2009)
I am going to sound like a moron but do you mind explaining a little what you meant with tire tech making AWD obsolete?
tankd0g 10:36PM (8/24/2009)
4 small electric motors are just as efficient as one big one.
timwang2006 11:21PM (8/24/2009)
Back in the old days, you needed four wheel drive to get any power on the ground without ending up in a cloud of smoke. Nowadays, a fat pair of summer rubber can easily handle 400+ hp without much fuss. The amount of grip from modern high performance tires and especially r-compound makes AWD more or less redundant. It still has uses in ares like dirt and snow but even then, tires have a bigger impact than the drive configuration. A Civic on snow tires will still outhandle an Impreza on all seasons in the winter.
and @tankd0g
Wut wut?
BoxerFanatic 11:09AM (8/25/2009)
But an impreza, audi, or evo, etc... properly shod with snows will embarrass just about everything short of a 4WD truck, in the snow... and not have the binding issues of a transfer case.
Why would someone buy a superior tool like an AWD car, for it's traction benefits, and then skimp on the tires? By that, I do not necessarily mean buying the most expensive thing out there... but snows are snows, and grippy summer tires are NOT.
All-season should be called All-mediocre compromise tires. The few square inches of your car that actually touch the ground should be considered one of the most important parts, as pretty much everything else depends on it.
A pure sports car, I can see being RWD. Especially if mid-engined, for proper weight distribution for good traction, and purity of dynamics...
Otherwise, AWD is well worth the weight and mechanical drag, the traction advantage is significant, especially if the weather isn't always warm and dry.
While an Aston might not need it, I am certainly glad I have it on some of my cars. If I were cross shopping Porsche and Aston, AWD would be a positive in Porsche's corner, if I planned on using the car on other-than-sunny days. But Aston has some plusses of it's own.
Rev Junkie 8:12PM (8/24/2009)
It's great, but I have two points to make. First, a classic GT car like an Aston should be rear-drive. Second, this guy does know the baggage the Volare name carries with it, doesn't he? The Volare was an awful $hitbox from the malaise era, a "compact" that weighed about 3500lbs and, in wagon form, is longer than a standard-wheelbase Escalade.
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Jung 8:43PM (8/24/2009)
Iono... are you referring to Aston Martin Virage by any chance? I cannot find any Aston Martin Volare from the past, except this concept.
inline6 8:54PM (8/24/2009)
Jung,
The Volare was a Plymouth. It replaced the Valiant in '76 and was replaced by the Reliant in '81.
Actually, for as big as the Volare was (try 200" overall...as big as today's full-sizers), it wasn't that heavy, especially when you consider it was made out of iron and had a set of boat anchor engines that dated to the late '50s/early '60s (225 Slant-6, 318 V8, 360 V8). On paper, it was perfectly competitive. It also sold like hotcakes in its first two years...300k+ in each year, IIRC.
But yeah, it rusted in the showrooms, had brake problems, and was thrown together with zero quality control, as Chrysler was nearing Bailout 1.0. It was one of the main reasons Chrysler was the first automaker to recall more cars than it sold, as it did in 1976 - the Volare/Aspen's first year.
This kid isn't old enough (and probably not American) to remember the Plymouth Volare. So that's probably his excuse. Chrysler built its twin, the Dodge Aspen, and STILL had the temerity to stick that name on the side of its most expensive vehicle. So what's theirs?
SickNasty 8:17PM (8/24/2009)
ugly ugly UGLY!!
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nzo 8:35PM (8/24/2009)
Dunno, its a bit stylized for my tastes but I kind of like the headlight design concept.
Mr.Oak 8:20PM (8/24/2009)
Very, very nice. I'm really happy to see all the different manufacturers taking crack at alternative fuel cars.
Every time I hear one of those ignorant jackasses on CNBC or Fox Financial whine about there being no market for alternative fuel vehicles it just ticks me off.
The global auto industry is in transition. We can't expect to wake up one day and be there, without going this transition.
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futurama 8:28PM (8/24/2009)
ummm... you do realize that it's just a 'STUDENT' proejct, not manufacturer's official plan...