Aston Martin auto news

Official: Aston Martin debuts production V12 Zagato

Aston Martin has pulled back the sheets on the first images of its production V12 Zagato. The road car is headed for an official debut at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March.

Following in the tradition of the automaker's ultra exclusive One-77, the V12 Zagato will take more than 2,000 man-hours to manufacture thanks to hand-hewn body panels, including the hood, roof and doors. Not surprisingly, Aston Martin has committed to building just 150 examples. The V12 Zagato will also make extensive use of carbon fiber, with the front and rear fenders, trunk lid and door sills all constructed from the composite.

Aston Martin created four new colors especially for the V12 Zagato, and paint alone takes 100 hours to complete. Indoors, it takes a full seven hides to cover the cabin in hand-stitched, quilted leather.

The V12 Zagato effectively rides on the same underpinnings as the V12 Vantage, which means buyers can look forward to a 6.0-liter V12 engine with 510 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, while a six-speed manual transmission puts the power to the ground. Hit the jump for the full press release.

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Official: Production Aston Martin V12 Zagato headed for Kuwait reveal

A howling red prototype of the Aston Martin's V12 Zagato made the international rounds last year, and now the first production example is headed for a Middle East reveal at the Kuwait Concours d' Elegance (running February 15-18). Only 150 of the super-exclusive Astons will be made for worldwide consumption.

Aston Martin hasn't released any new photos so we don't know how the 510-horsepower, £330,000 (that's $550,000 U.S., before taxes), aluminum-and-carbon-bodied coupe will differ from its progenitor. If the model on display at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show is an indicator, though, the spoiler on the beauty in the above pic has been swapped for a redesigned trunk lid.

We'll know more in a few weeks, so until then there's a press release after the jump and a couple of image galleries for you to enjoy.

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Video: Aston Martin loves women, women love Aston Martin

If Aston Martin wants to make a sexy commercial, there probably doesn't need to be that much thought involved. All the ultra luxury brand needs to arouse the typical auto enthusiast is a collage of shots of the company's Vantage, Rapide or DB9.

That didn't stop Aston Martin from stocking its latest video creation with women, however, but it's not what you think. Hit the jump to watch Aston's 87-second-long featurette, which is titled "Aston Martin Loves Women. Women love Aston Martin."

The spot illustrates that women don't need a mini skirt to be featured in an exotic luxury car commercial, and that you don't have to be a guy to appreciate automotive beauty. And while the DBS rolling through the majestic twisties is a real looker, it's the sound bites that really get us going. Aston Martin may love women, and women may love Aston right back, but men are rather fond of 'em, too.

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Report: Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster coming to Geneva

It's amazing what a company like Aston Martin can do with what essentially amounts to two product families. Discounting the Toyota-built Cygnet and the exclusive One-77, the company's entire line-up is based around either the Vantage or the DB9. While the latter has also spawned the Virage, the DBS and the Rapide, Aston has also done a lot with the former. There's the V8 Vantage, the Vantage S, the V12 Vantage and even the exotic V12 Zagato - not to mention countless racing versions.

And then there's the convertibles. Aston offers open-top versions of just about all of these (save, once again, the Cygnet, One-77 and Rapide). All that's been missing is a V12 Vantage Roadster, and now word has it that Aston's got that one in the pipeline for the near future, too.

The formula is pretty simple: taking the mechanical bits from the V12 Vantage coupe and fit the folding fabric roof mechanism from the V8 Vantage Roadster and presto! an open-top twelve-cylinder roadster. And with 510 horsepower on tap, it should make for one heck of a wild ride. We're told to expect it's arrival as soon as the Geneva Motor Show this coming March, so stay tuned.

Video: New Cygnet videos attempt to show that supermini is worthy of Aston Martin name

What makes an Aston Martin an Aston Martin? Well, it has to be made by Aston Martin, to start with. But just what does that brand stand for? Performance, on the one hand, and luxury on the other, because Aston Martin doesn't exactly build extreme supercars, it crafts luxury GTs with prodigious levels of performance capabilities on tap.

And then there's the Cygnet. Mechanically the same as the Toyota iQ on which it's based, the Cygnet packs less than 100 horsepower - the next model up in the Aston Martin catalog has more than four times that. But Aston is keen to demonstrate that the Cygnet still offers the same levels of exclusivity, elegance, luxury and fine craftsmanship as its bigger brothers.

Whether it succeeds in convincing is up to you, so check out the pair of videos after the jump to see for yourself.

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George Harrison's Aston Martin DB5 sells for over half a million

Spell it with two Es and the name Beetle is intrinsically linked to Volkswagen. Drop that second E for an A, though, and you're looking at another 60s icon altogether. While the VW might not hold much sway for music buffs, the Beatles and its individual members hold plenty of interest for car fans.

If it's not John Lennon's '65 Ferrari 330 GT going up for auction, it's a special one-off Mini painted by George Harrison. This time around, though, it's Harrison's Aston Martin that's garnered our attention.

This 1964 DB5 belonged to Harrison back in the 60s and was just sold at auction for well above its estimated value. After a fierce bidding war under the auspices of Coys in London, the classic Aston went to an unnamed collector from Houston, Texas for £350,000 (equivalent to $547k at today's exchange rates) - a good £150k ($235k) more than expected.

At those prices, the new owner may be whistling "baby you can drive my car", but is more likely to hide his love away in a climate-controlled garage somewhere. Follow the jump for the full press release.

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Official: Aston Martin gets to work on new V12 Vantage GT3

It seems to us like Aston Martin never tires of rolling out ever hotter renditions of its Vantage sports coupe. As if the original V8 Vantage weren't enticing enough, Aston then shoehorned a V12 under the hood. Zagato then rebodied what we already thought was one of the shapeliest beasts on the market. And the improvements just keep on rumbling in. But then there's the racing versions. Oh, the racing versions!

The N24 showed us what it meant to take beauty to the beast that is the Nürburgring. Then came the GT4 racing model, followed by the even hotter GT2. The category in-between used to be tended to by the DBRS9, but now Aston's opted to replace it with yet another competition version of the Vantage.

First teased back in April, Aston revealed further photos and details of the V12 Vantage GT3 in August, and the British marque has now commenced track testing of its latest racing machine. Packing a 6.0-liter V12 with more than 600 horsepower and enough wings and ducting to make a fighter jet blush, the new Vantage GT3 has already covered a thousand kilometers of shakedown running while gearing up to take on series like the FIA GT3 championships, the Blancpain Endurance Series and the VLN Nürburgring series.

Like what you see? There's a fresh pair of images we've added to our gallery, and a whole mess of specifications in the press release after the jump, so check 'em out and start dreaming of racing glory.

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Official: HBH reveals final design for mid-engined Aston Martin Bulldog GT

Aston Martins often prove capable of tangling with the likes of Ferraris and Lamborghinis. But one thing that sets them apart is that, while their Italian counterparts often place their engines amidship, Astons are always front-engined. Right?

Well, discounting their Lola-built LMP1 Le Mans racer, everything that rolls out of the factory in Gaydon - much as they did before at Newport Pagnell - has its engine up front, even with supercars as exotic as the One-77, V12 Zagato and Vanquish. That's where HBH comes in.

The Danish firm, as we initially reported back in May and followed up on in July, takes its initials from the last names of its brain trust: Jesper Hermann, Christian Brandt and Torben Hartvig, who between them have a wealth of niche supercar experience to impart. For their latest project, the trio teamed up to produce the vehicle you see here: the Aston Martin Bulldog GT.

Aside from the engine being place behind the cabin, the Bulldog GT features unique aluminum bodywork that looks suitably Aston-like and accommodates placing the engine in the middle. And in case the 6.0-liter V12 lifted from the Vantage weren't powerful enough, HBH has bolted on two superchargers to boost output up to 666 horsepower. That's said to be enough for a 3.9-second run to 62 mph and a 186-mph top end, but we wouldn't be surprised to find those numbers conservative.

Perhaps the most intriguing bit is that HBH is not just selling the car, but half of its production rights along with it. That means the buyer can choose whether to keep it as a one-off or put it into limited production and reap the rewards. Sounds like an interesting business model to us. Take a closer look at the finished product in our gallery of images and draw your own conclusions.

Video: Aston Martin, Toyota CEOs swap race cars at N"urburgring

The chief executives of any two companies will inherently have something in common to share. All the more so for the CEOs of automakers, never mind how big or how small. But Akio Toyoda and Ulrich Bez share more than job descriptions. The heads of Toyota and Aston Martin also share a passion for motorsports and actively race themselves.

It's a relationship helped broker the deal to turn the Toyota iQ into the Aston Martin Cygnet. It's one that has seen not only their teams but they themselves compete against each other in sports car racing. It's also one that only stands to intensify next season in endurance racing when both field LMP1 racers. But before that happens, the two pencil-pushers turned hot shoes swapped cars at the Nürburgring, Toyoda taking to the wheel of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, and Bez piloting the Lexus LFA. Follow the jump to watch the video footage.

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Official: Aston Martin launches Works Tailored department at expanding Newport Pagnell

Special orders departments are nothing new for upscale automakers. These specialized divisions allow carmakers to offer their customers a level of personalization over and above the usual catalog of colors and options. But what Aston Martin is doing with the new Works Tailored department goes one step further. Or should we say, one big step backwards into the company's history.

With the new Works Tailored department, Aston Martin will give the owners of its vehicles - whether factory fresh, slightly used or veritable classic - the opportunity to have specialized work performed, including unique colors, materials and finishes, on any Aston no matter how old or new.

It's part of an extensive expansion plan at Newport Pagnell - the historic home of Aston Martin that, until the 2007 move to Gaydon, was the company's principal factory, and is now home to its Works Service department that has offered factory-level service to Aston owners since 1924. The plans also include a factory dealership to sell Astons old and new direct from the manufacturer. Follow the press release for further details.

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