David Brown Speedback Was Built by Passion and Joy

Thank you David Brown Automotive for creating the beautiful shape of the Speedback two-door, the first ever model to be rolled out by the newly-founded company. It’s a car whose look is most inspired by old Aston Martins, although there are hints of 1960s Jaguars and Ferraris in there too, plus it rides on Jaguar underpinnings.

Rumor Mill Adds SL and SLK Platform to Possible Mercedes Offerings for Aston Martin

After reigniting rumors that Aston Martin could use Mercedes GL running gear to underpin its SUV, the rumor mill confirms them again, with additional details and further speculation to boot.

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Neiman Marcus Edition to Debut at L.A. Auto Show

The new 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Neiman Marcus Edition will be on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week. Only 10 units will be handcrafted by the company’s bespoke customization arm, dubbed "Q by Aston Martin".

Inspired by the iconic 1969 DB6 Volante, the bespoke Vanquish Volante debuted as part of the 2013 Neiman Marcus Fantasy Christmas Catalogue and will be the first Vanquish Volante to enter the U.S. market.

All cars are painted in a Neiman Marcus Exclusive Seychelles Blue paint with the fabric convertible hood in Atlantic Blue, while other exterior cues include 20-spoke alloys in a “Liquid Silver” finish, blue brake calipers, Sterling Silver and Flux Enamel wing badges, and other bespoke trim details.

On the inside, the limited edition model comes with black semi-aniline leather seats with Aurora Blue contrast stitching and embroidered NM logo, Ivory Roekona headlining and walnut veneer fascia. Also included in the package is a matching 4 piece bespoke leather luggage set.

Technically, the Neiman Marcus Edition brings no modifications compared to the standard Vanquish Volante. The car is powered by the same 6.0-liter V12 engine producing 565hp, with the 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) sprint taking just over 4 seconds and the top speed being rated at 183 mph (295 km/h).

The Neiman Marcus Edition of the Vanquish Volante is priced at $344,500 in the U.S., which represents a hefty premium over the standard model's starting MSRP of $296,295, excluding a $2,825 destination charge and a $1,700 gas-guzzler tax.

By Dan Mihalascu

PHOTO GALLERY

Battered 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Barn Find Going Under the Gavel

The Aston Martin DB6 represented the end of an era, and the culmination of the design and style theme brought about by the late 1950s DB4 model. Its successor, the DBS, went for an angular 1970s look that is nowhere near as elegant, I think, as the curvaceous earlier examples…

Now, a white DB6 Vantage from 1967 is set to go under the hammer at auction, on November 13. It’s a barn find that hasn’t been used since the 1990s, and requires a full restoration, having done 86,057 miles or 138,495 km throughout its life.

It’s expected to go for between £60,000 - £90,000 (€71,100 - €106,700 or $95,300 - $142,935).

Currently owned by a garage owner “living in the far north of Scotland,” it comes with detailed history that includes hand-written notes regarding a restoration that it underwent in the late 1970s, early 1980s.

Its power comes from a four-liter straight-six engine that in Vantage trim made 325 hp, enabling it to nudge 150 mph or 240 km/h flat out. However, by the looks of it, this particular one needs a bit of attention before such an attempt enters the realm of the plausible/possible.

Check it out in the gallery after the virtual jump.

By Andrei Nedelea

Story References: bonhams via silodrome

PHOTO GALLERY

Italy's Investindustrial Buys Major Stake in Aston Martin

Just yesterday, we were telling you about the rumors surrounding former Ducati owner Investindustrial's interest in Aston Martin.
On Friday, the wedding became official with the Italian private equity fund Investindustrial signing a deal to acquire a 37.5 percent stake in Aston Martin from the brand's major shareholder, Kuwaiti-based Investment Dar, which had a 64 percent share in the carmaker.

Former Ducati Owner Investindrustrial Rumored to Beat Mahindra in Securing Aston Martin Share

Reports about Aston Martin major shareholder Investment Dar looking to offload a stake in the British sports car maker in order to secure much-needed funds, have been circulating since early November.
Mahindra & Mahindra, which last year acquired Korean SUV maker SsangYong, was said to be the highest bidder. According to Bloomberg News, though, it seems that it has lost out to London-based equity firm Investindustrial.

Mahindra & Mahindra and a Consortium Tied to Mercedes Reportedly Bidding for Aston Martin

Earlier this month, we ran a story about Aston Martin's major stockholder Investment Dar seeking a buyer for the British carmaker. According to the report, one of the interested buyers was India’s Mahindra & Mahindra, while Toyota had ordered a preliminary analysis, but didn’t proceed to a full-on evaluation.
All of the aforementioned parties either refuted the story or declined to comment; but then that’s usually the case with such transactions.
Now, The Financial Times is reporting that Investment Dar is currently in talks with the final bidders for a 50 percent stake in Aston Martin, citing four sources familiar with the subject.

GoldenBuy: Aston Martin Seeks Potential Buyers, Toyota Reportedly Among Interested Parties

On March 12, 2007, Ford sold Aston Martin to a consortium led by David Richards (of Prodrive and WRC fame) together with Aston Martin collector John Sinders and Kuwaiti-based companies Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co.
Four months later, a Vanquish S was the last car to roll out of the Newport Pagnell plant before production was transferred to Gaydon. Ever since, the British automaker has increased its worldwide presence considerably; it even opened its first dealerships in China.
Now a report from Bloomberg New says that Investment Dar, which controls 64 percent of Aston Martin’s shares, is searching for buyers interested in the British sports car maker.

What do You Think About the Aston Martin Vanish CUV Design Concept?

From the moment Aston Martin did the unthinkable by placing its name and badges on the Toyota iQ (Scion in North America) city car to build the Cygnet, just about anything goes when it comes to imagining future products for the British brand.
One of the more interesting projects we have seen lately comes to us from a first year Automotive and Transport Design student at the Coventry University, identified under the alias 'Mcflurry1992'.

Sounds of Fury: The Best of the Best from the 2012 Top Marques in Monaco

Ah, Monaco, the playground for the rich and famous and one of the best places on earth to catch the crème de la crème of supercars and luxury vehicles of all sorts in action.
The small sovereign and independent city-state that's tucked between the foot of the Southern Alps and the Mediterranean, nine miles east of Nice, France, plays host to the swanky "Top Marques" show that brings together the most exotic and expensive cars in the world.

Well, This is Embarrassing: Aston Martin One-77 has the Hiccups…

It's never a pleasant experience should your vehicle stall on a heavily trafficked public road with a lot of people watching, but we can't help but think that it has to be worse when it occurs to a €1.1+ million (US$1.3 million) Aston Martin One-77 that's capable of reaching a top speed of about 220mph (355 km/h).
And that is exactly what happened to one of the 77 owners of the exclusive Aston Martin model, not once, but more than a couple of times somewhere in France.
For the record, the One-77's 750bhp 7.3-liter V12 powerplant is linked to a six-speed automated manual gearbox with column-mounted paddles. Hop over the jump to check out the video.

First Production Aston Martin V12 Zagato to Debut at Kuwait Concours d’ Elegance

We were expecting to see the final production version of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show but instead the British company turned one of the racing concepts into a road-spec show car to give an indication of what it would look like.
Now the time has come for Aston Martin to put the concepts aside and show the first finished customer car that will make its world premiere at the Kuwait Concours d’ Elegance from February 15 to 18.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420: New Special Edition

Aston Martin has slid the covers off a new motorsport-inspired special edition, the V8 Vantage N420 which is the successor to the special edition V8 Vantage N400 of 2007 and has been created to celebrate the brand's racing achievements in the Nürburgring 24-hour race.

The N420 is based on the standard V8 Vantage and makes use of the same 4.7-litre V8 engine with 420-horsepower, but it features an upgraded sport suspension and unique styling cues while also offering a 27kg [60 pounds] weight saving achieved through the application of carbon fibre throughout the car.

SCOOP: Is this the Facelifted Aston Martin DBS or DB9?

Truth to be said, most Aston Martins of the past decade look so alike that even professionals have a hard time telling the difference between some models, especially when they're camouflaged. The Aston Martin DBS and DB9 are the perfect example.

However in this case, we're going to disagree with some other car blogs / sites that posted similar spy photos of the same car as the facelifted DBS and vote for the updated DB9 for a few of reasons.

First of all, this camouflaged prototype has the same bootlid as the one found on the DB9 and not on the DBS which gets a more prominent spoiler incorporated into the boot lid.

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.

Sir Stirling Moss Buys an Aston Martin Cygnet for his Wife

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.

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.

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.