This car has always been a collage of a sublime engine, and body-work of devine proportions - a car that was always going to be beautiful from the start of the production line. It would be near impossible to ruin a stylistic masterpiece like the Vantage, with its V12 6.0 engine, deriving from the DBS, although the RS name evokes a not-so-elegant and discreet competition.

Fortunately at Gaydon, they have decided to remain faithful to the initial spirit of the V12 RS concept, ensuring that fascination remains uncurtailed as does the British soul of the car. The V12 contained in the bonnet of the Road Sport has an output of about 550bhp, combined with a retractable rear spoiler - when you do a body-kit…

The British publication Car has another juicy rumour: Aston Martin could be working on a new V8, with 4 733cc, photographed on a Vantage doing the rounds of the Nurburgring. In short, beauty has been born.

Continue reading: Spy shots: Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS

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Unfortunately the near 100-year tradition of Aston Martin will have to take a step back: Ulrich Bez, desginated administrator of the British company, has announced that the production of the Aston Martin Rapide will occur outside the United Kingdom’s borders. Manufacturing will be trusted to Magna Steyr, who will assmeble the berlina-coupè at its facility in Graz, Austria.

Bez has also suggested that the production (estimated at over 2000 units a year) will start sometime in the next year with quality standards similar to Gaydon. Gaydon, Aston Martin’s historic locus amoenus in Warwickshire, has in fact reached saturation point, with 8,000 cars produced annually. And it’s not capable of quickly accommodating the annual production of the 2000 Rapide that Aston Martin is expecting to sell. Obviously, Bez also reinforced that he believes in the capability of Magna Steyr to offer levels of construction quality equal to those of Gaydon.

Via | Caradvice (Thanks Reggiani)

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Aston Martin will build a Roadster variant of the V8 Vantage N400, a special limited-edition based on the V8 Vantage shown at the latest Frankfurt auto show and dedicated to the legendary Nürburgringer Nordschleife.

Only 240 units will be produced, but for the Roadster version it will not be possible to order the roll bar that can be had as an optional for the N400 coupè. The N400 pack consists of a new, more powerful version of the 4.3-litre V8 engine of the Vantage, that on the N400 outputs 400 bhp and 420Nm. The suspension set-up is also different from the softer one of the normal Vantage Roadster.

We can imagine how gratifying will be hearing the ferocious sound of the V8 on this en-plein-air supercar…

Via | MotorAuthority

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It seems that billionaires Bernard Arnault and Albert Frère are looking into making a joint bid on Aston Martin, according to the Financial Times.

Arnault is the first shareholder and CEO in LVMH (Louis Vuitton - Moët Hennessy), one of the world’s biggest luxury goods groups, while Frère is chairman of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert.

Aston Martin will be sold at an auction which is being managed by UBS. At the moment the swiss bank is soliciting bids from prospective buyers.

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Envy consumes us. A journalist from Auto Bild had the oppurtunity of driving the Aston Martin Rapide, the most beautiful 4-doors car of the last (how many?) years. He waxes lyrical:

“Amidst the well known circular instruments and the chromed control panel, the Start button awaits. Whoever presses it will experience the elemental power of the 6.0 liters V12 engine.”

An engine which now outputs 480 ps, 30 more than the DB9, to compensate the added weight. An engine which can make the Rapide “accelerate like greased lightning” (from 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds). He goes on:

“the 20″ tyres grip the road like they were a zipper. The steering manages a rare synthesis of precision and feedback … the brakes bite like a Dobberman”

The only big defect: “the steering circle is more like that of a channel ferry than that of a car”. The capabilities of this car and the richness of the interior will have prospective buyers in a forgiving frame of mind, though. Even about the lack of headroom for the rear seats and the price, expected to be about 160.000 €.

Continue reading: Auto Bild drives the Aston Martin Rapide

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Some very nice spy-shots of the upcoming Aston Martin Vantage Roadster from Auto Express. It will be called Roadster because the Volante denomination is reserved for four-seater Aston Martin Convertibles.

The engine will be the same 380 hp V8 from the Vantage Coupè (it of the loud, throaty growl, see the test from Top Gear: part 1, part 2). Top speed should be about 285 km/h, the 0-100 km/h sprint should take less than 5 seconds.

The Volante Roadster should be presented at the Los Angeles show in november, with production starting in the summer of 2007. You can find higher-res pics on Supercars.net: 3/4 rear, 3/4 front, front.

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A couple of Aston Martin suppliers have revealed to Automotive News that the Aston Martin will start production of the Rapide in mid-2007 and that deliveries will start soon thereafter. Nobody expected such a fast concept ⇒ production passage for the stunning Rapide, even if Aston Martin on unveiling the Rapide declared that it was “production ready”.

One can imagine what the reaction in Zuffenhausen will be, at the knowledge that the Aston Martin Rapide will be on the market 2½ years before the Porsche Panamera. Even if the target is pretty different (3.000-3.500 Rapides per year against 20.000 Panameras/year), the Rapide could subtract sales from the top-versions of the Panamera, those potentially more profitable for Porsche.

You can find other photos of the Rapide here.

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The Aston Martin V8 Vantage convertible will get the name Roadster and not Volante as current Aston cabrios are called: the Volante name is reserved for 2+2 cars, while two-seater Astons have traditionally been called Roadster.

Whatever the name, it’s sure to be a stunning car … [From Autotelegraaf.nl via Autoblog.nl]

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While you wait for the Aston Martin Vantage RS (lightened & with 40 hp more), you can enjoy 8 long minutes of car-porn, with aboard the plain vanilla Vantage V8, in the snow, on dirt tracks and at the Nürburgring] Nordschleife … [Via Autoblog.nl]

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