Autoblog

Review: 2009 Aston Martin DB9 Volante makes getting away with it half all the fun

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Aston Martin, Reviews, Luxury

2009 Aston Martin DB9 Volante - Click above for high-res image gallery

Let's say a clandestine organization asked you, for your country, to "take care of" an enemy of the state at tonight's performance of Tosca at The Met. And let's say this organization gave you the choice of any Aston Martin in which to conduct the evening. Which Aston would you choose? If you said the DBS, we hope you've arranged bail. You're getting caught. Quickly.

Despite its impressiveness, the DBS is just a little over the top. Driving it says to the world, "I'm rich (or I have rich backers), I'm sociopathic (or at least self-centered), and I kill people (or I've had them killed)." There's no denying this. Attempt to pull off your mission at the opera and you'll be fingered before the body hits the ground. "It was the guy in the suit and the DBS," the rattled, blood-spattered socialites will tell the authorities just before you're whisked off to a damp, underground bunker in a country created by the breakup of the USSR.

The better choice? The 2009 Aston Martin DB9 - even the Volante. It's got just enough gentleman to remove you from suspicion, but the faintest hint of evil to make fearsome things happen when needed. We had it for a weekend, yet despite the urge and a twitchy trigger finger we never got the chance to test out our "cleaning" abilities.

Gallery: Review: 2009 Aston Martin DB9 Volante

Continue reading Review: 2009 Aston Martin DB9 Volante makes getting away with it ~~half~~ all the fun

Review: 2009 Aston Martin DB9 Volante makes getting away with it ~~half~~ all the fun originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Frankfurt 2009: Mansory Cyrus is what carbon fiber was made for

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:41:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Frankfurt Motor Show, Coupe, Performance, Aston Martin, Luxury

Mansory Cyrus -- Click above for high-res image gallery

When Mansory wants to give it to us good, they know how. This is the Mansory Cyrus (Khouresh Mansory told us that Cyrus was the first king of Iran), and - even though every other colleague here disagrees with us - we feel it the best use of carbon fiber we've seen since we've been here. The car is DB9-based and has been redone in aerospace, pre-preg carbon fiber, and gets 28 extra horses.

Well, all except the rear fenders because they couldn't shape the carbon fiber accordingly, so the carbon fiber -- extended in width by two inches from the original car - is glued to the standard panels with adhesive bought from Lamborghini. Otherwise it's all CF. No, the roof scoop isn't functional - but beauty makes no promises to functionality. You can also get the DBS done up thusly, and although we don't know what that car is called, we hope it's Xerxes. The Cyrus will run you €380,000 on top of a DB9. We won't call it money well spent... but we'd spend it.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Mansory Cyrus - Aston Martin DB9

Frankfurt 2009: Mansory Cyrus is what carbon fiber was made for originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Daniel Craig gets free pass to drive Astons for life

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:02:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Supercars, Aston Martin, Celebrities

As if being chosen to play the consummate British secret agent wasn't enough for Daniel Craig to brag about, the current 007 has been extended a free pass to drive Aston Martin's best cars any time he pleases. And he isn't limited to driving on the street. Aston has made its test track available to the faux agent. Craig must be quite the Ambassador to the brand to be granted such special privileges. Unfortunately, Mr. Bond seems to have no intentions of actually going out and purchasing one for himself, saying, "I could drive it faster and more furiously [on the track] than anywhere on the road. I live in London [and] it doesn't make any sense to drive an Aston Martin there. I've nowhere to park it." Yeah, we know how you feel, Daniel. That's the reason all of on the Autoblog staff don't own Astons too... nowhere to park.

[Source: Contact Music]

Daniel Craig gets free pass to drive Astons for life originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Aston Martin to move further upmarket?

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Supercars, Aston Martin

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Such is the logic of luxury economics: charge tens of thousands of dollars more for the same product, sell fewer of them and boost the balance sheet and your brand's long-term viability. That is what Aston Martin's considering for the next phase of its business plan, which runs from roughly 2011 to 2019 and will see the launch of DB9 and Vantage successors, the Rapide, and the renewed Lagonda brand.

The Vantage and DB9 are big sellers for Aston, but the company might be unsure of how to sustain the momentum. One option is to move the price of the $113,000 Vantage closer to the $171,000 DB9, and move that latter car closer to the $265,000 DBS, sell fewer of them but make more money. The DB9 does strike us as a (relative) bargain - it's cheaper than a Bentley GT -- but pricing the Vantage closer to the DB9 would seem to wreck its business case as a 911 fighter. Another option could be to replace the Vantage or DB9 with a mid-engined sports car, which could be drool-worthy and well worth the price bump... but perhaps un-Aston-like.

AutoWeek also appears to report that the One-77 isn't sold out, writing "Although Aston has said that it would make a maximum of 77 cars, insiders privately say the market is closer to 25." We don't know how that could be, unless a bunch of the 100 people who applied to buy the car were just kidding...

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

[Source: AutoWeek]

Aston Martin to move further upmarket? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Aston Martin DB9 to get Caparo brakes

Noah Joseph — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:57:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Technology, Supercars, Aston Martin

Click pics for high-res gallery of the Aston Martin DB9 and Caparo T1

It's been a while since we heard anything about the Caparo T1 supercar. One of the most extreme applications of the "F1 for the road" theme, the project originally began independently under the name Freestream before being acquired by component manufacturer Caparo as a rolling demonstration of the latest in automotive technology. Part of that tech is now finding its way into another British sportscar: the Aston Martin DB9.

Reports now indicate that Aston Martin will be upgrading the brakes on its V12 sportscar with units developed for the Caparo T1. In the place of the 355mm front discs currently employed will be a set of 378mm discs, gripped by four-pot calipers each machined from a solid piece of cast aluminum. The new stoppers, developed by the 18-man team at Caparo AP Braking, promise to deliver a 24% reduction in fade while reducing peak temperatures by 18% in return for 30% less pedal force required. Interesting that Aston Martin decided to outsource a new set of brakes for the DB9 instead of adopting the carbon-ceramic units from the top-of-the-line DBS.

We've added some new high-resolution images of the DB9 and Caparo T1 to the galleries below. Check 'em out:

Gallery: Aston Martin DB9

Gallery: Caparo T1

[Source: PistonHeads]

Aston Martin DB9 to get Caparo brakes originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Bond stunt driver takes plunge into lake in Aston Martin DBS

Damon Lavrinc — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:02:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Aston Martin, Celebrities

At 6:30 this morning, a stunt driver shooting a scene for the upcoming James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, lost control of an Aston Martin DBS while filming a chase scene and plunged into Lake Garda in Italy. The film's executive producer, Anthony Waye, said that the scene was being shot in the pouring rain, and although the DBS didn't survive it's unplanned excursion into the water, the driver sustained only minor injuries and was released from the hospital earlier this afternoon. MI6 declined to comment on the incident, but a spokesperson for the agency remarked that the submersible kit for the Aston was under development. Too little, too late Q.

Thanks for the tip MaTTia.

Gallery: 2008 Aston Martin DBS

[Source: Reuters.it - translated]

Bond stunt driver takes plunge into lake in Aston Martin DBS originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

VIDEO: Supercar road test

Siddharth Raja — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:38:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Supercars

The lads at Autocar magazine really do have one of the best jobs in the world. They recently put together a "test" comparing some of the fastest cars in the world, including the Bugatti Veyron. Other cars include the brand new Lambo Gallardo Superleggera, Audi R8, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and the Aston Martin DB9 with Sports Pack.

While this video isn't a review per se, you do get an idea of the different personalities of each car and some flaws. If nothing else, watch it for the shots of a DB9 drifting through a corner or hearing the bark of the 530hp V10 engine in the Gallardo.

[Souce: YouTube via German Car Scene]

Continue reading VIDEO: Supercar road test

VIDEO: Supercar road test originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Aston Martin developing a DBX?

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 08:27:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, SUV, Aston Martin

With the ink still moist on the purchase agreement for Aston Martin, there are some interesting developments already. As we've heard ~~ad nauseum~~ previously, David Richards of Prodrive, along with Texas banker John Sinders, and the Kuwaiti Investment Dar and Adeem Investment have taken a 90% stake in the company. Prodrive and Aston will stay separate, but Richards will get a seat on the board of directors, while Ulrich Bez will remain Chief Executive. The Gaydon plant will soldier on and possibly expand to make room for, wait for it, some new models.

The Rapide has been confirmed, with annual production of 1,000-2,000 units a year expected. Before that hits dealers, however, there should be a new, new DBS. "This will be different from the car that appeared in the latest James Bond film, and it won't be a direct replacement for the Vanquish either, because we prefer to carve out a new identity for the car," Bez explained. "However, it will be our flagship product, and it will use our VH platform."

Very interesting news, as we expected a Vanquish-ized DB9 in that slot. But it gets even better. Bez also mentioned in passing a new DBX. Rather than taking this as a mention of a DB9 replacement, his follow-up comment had the Autocar staff on the edge of their seats. "In the long term, we have to look for growth beyond the current range of cars," said Bez. Immediate thoughts of a Cayenne or Range Rover competitor came to mind. Perhaps it was the "X," but with their new association with Prodrive and the continued connection to Ford and PAG, anything is possible. Of course it could still be a new DB9 replacement that simply heads in a slightly different direction, say, by adding AWD, perhaps?

[Source: AutoCar via Coolbrit]

Aston Martin developing a DBX? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Mar 2007 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

2012 Porsche 928: Images and speculation

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 08:34:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Performance, Porsche

At the 1977 Geneva Auto Show, Porsche introduced the world to the 928, a - gasp - front-engine GT car that would compete with some of the great touring cars of its day. The portly Porsche achieved limited popularity over its 17-year run, but served as a sign of things to come when the Cayenne was introduced seven years later. Porschophiles the world over decried this latest offering as another bastard product that would water down the heritage of the automaker. No matter how much profit may have been generated by the Cayenne, or the Boxster for that matter, respect from Porsche's die-hard fanatics waned.

Fast-forward to 2006 and the controversy of Porsche's ever-expanding line-up comes to the fore again, this time in the form of the four-door Panamera. The new FR platform will allow Porsche to compete with other German manufacturers in the burgeoning $100k+ sedan market and also allows the automaker to resurrect the 928 moniker by shortening the wheelbase and lopping off its rear doors. Porsche wants a dog in the most prestigious of fights and in the realm of the high-price GT, stiff competition from BMW's M6, Merc's CL (now with AMG muscle), Aston Martin's DB9 and Jag's XKR proves that the market exists.

Car and Driver has put together what limited information is available about Porsche's new GT to come up with the above rendering and some technical speculation. As mentioned previously, both the Panamera and the 928 will share a platform, with the GT expected to share approximately 60 percent of the sedan's parts. A shorter wheelbase, coupled with a stiffer, multi-link suspension setup and the loss of a few pounds should lend a great deal to the 928's sporting pretenses. Motivation will come from a NA V8, producing upwards of 350 HP, with the option of cannibalizing the Cayenne's twin-turbo V8, making well over 500 HP and placing M.B.'s and BMW's high-po offerings directly in its sights. Gear selection will be similar to what's offered in the Panamera, with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox channeling power.

Pricing is expected to begin just above the 911's $90k, then head due north towards the mid-$100,000 market. If all goes according to plan, Porsche will debut the 928 sometime in 2011, with sales beginning the following year.

[Source: Car and Driver]

2012 Porsche 928: Images and speculation originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Oct 2006 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments