Silver Arrow concept watch by Fabien Cacheux – Click above for high-res image gallery
If you’re going to make a supercar, you’re going to need the watch to go with it. It’s what upscale customers have come to expect. But while has collaborated with a number of watchmakers in the past, it has yet to release a timepiece to accompany its new flagship, the .
That’s where Faibein Cacheux comes in. The budding French industrial designer has penned the concept watch you see here to compliment the Gullwing supercar. It features a tourbillon movement rotating around a central hub with a power reserve meter at six o’clock, all housed in a titanium case and affixed with a neoprene strap. And like , it incorporates buttons to open and close the doors remotely. ‘
Unfortunately the watch is just a concept at the moment, but if Mercedes could display the fortitude to bring the SLS to market, maybe it could do the same for the Silver Arrow concept watch.
The Rapide may be one of the most gorgeous sedans ever produced, but it comes at the expense of refinement.
In our first installment from Japan, we take a critical look at how Toyota is dealing with the engineering and organizational failures that lead to this year’s massive recall debacle.
The next M5 is right around the corner, but Alpina has already created its own uber-5 Series, complete with a 507-hp, twin-turbocharged V8.
Also of interest:
SYNC system can block features while vehicle is moving
expands 60-day ‘risk-free’ return policy to Jeep, Dodge and Ram
Not the shape of Lotus things to come? – Click above for high-res image gallery
plans to reinvent itself, and in addition to a range of new products, a dealership makeover is in the cards. PistonHeads reports that Lotus CEO Dany Bahar sent out a letter to the company’s European dealers informing them that their contracts will be terminated as of July, 2012. Why the long notice? The company’s current contract with its dealers stipulates that Lotus must give two years notice prior to contract termination. The move will likely result in many dealers losing their ability to sell Lotus’ wares, but current dealers will reportedly be given the opportunity to re-apply for a new contract.
Back in June Lotus that it was entering the “Dawn of a New Era.” Lotus has reportedly been spending its time and money picking up ex-Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin employees in an effort to build up its brand as a high-performance luxury make.
1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage Convertible – Click above for high-res image gallery
Britain has produced more than its fair share of memorable classics, but arguably few as seductive as the classic of the 1960s. Introduced in 1963, the DB5 benefited from several generations of DB4 development, largely retaining the Touring bodywork but replacing the old 3.6-liter engine with a new 4.0-liter unit and several other advancements.
Over two years of production, over a thousand DB5s were built, the vast majority of coupes outselling the 12 Radford coachbuilt shooting brakes and the 23 convertibles. Of those few roadsters, only nine were outfitted with the more powerful Vantage engine, and one of them has just sold for a record £551,500 ($833k) at the Bonhams auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The example in question, with original “VDB 5″ license plates, had three previous owners who saw it through two comprehensive restorations (one at the Aston Martin Works Service in 1992 and another at Aston Service Hamburg in 2004), and was displayed last year at Villa d’Este.
Along with the DB5 Vantage Convertible (the Volante name only coming into use on the subsequent DB6), Bonhams also auctioned off the 1937 featured in the Bond film “Never Say Never Again” for £221,500 ($335k), a rare Lister- for £232,500 ($351k) and several more, totaling £3,707,687 ($5.6m) in sales. Details in the press release after the jump, with photos of the beautiful Aston in the gallery below.
2010 Aston Martin Rapide – Click above for high-res image gallery
Do you like noir? No, not the perfume, the literary and film genre. You know, hard-boiled crooks, wise-cracking private eyes, Los Angeles under cover of night and blondes so blonde they’ll kill you dead. Those blondes are, of course, are better known as femme fatales, and in truth, the color of their hair doesn’t really matter. Think Theda Bera, Rita Hayworth, Mary Astor, Barbara Stanwyck and Marlene Dietrich. And let’s not forget the lovely Lana Turner – she’s the one, in a case of life imitating art, with the daughter that killed Mickey Cohen’s strongman/goon Johnny Stompanato. In other words, women so pretty you’d throw your life away just so they know you’re throwing your life away.
Here’s the free, online-encyclopedia definition of femme fatale in case you’re still wondering: “An alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous and deadly situations.”
Let’s state up front that the is not, to our knowledge, unsafe in any way, shape or form. But man, oh man, is it seductive enough to make us overlook every single bad thing about it. That, or walk into an uncovered manhole cover while staring at it. Anyhow, “irresistible desire” and “compromising situations” are this British superstar’s raison d’etre. Philip Marlowe would eat his fedora just for a ride. Thankfully, we had to perform no such theatrics: simply let us borrow their car.
2011 Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 – Click above for high-res image gallery
You remember the ? released the special-edition sportscar back in 2007 to commemorate the success of its Vantage N24 racer at the Nürburgring. It packed 400 horsepower, a series of suspension tweaks and some special cosmetic touches. Unfortunately, Aston only produced 240 examples of the ‘N’, all of which have long since sold out. But now it’s back. With a vengeance.
Whereas the previous N400 upgraded the stock 380 horsepower to 400, the new N420 – based on the current, post-2008 updated – carries over the stock 420-horse mill. Suspension upgrades come courtesy of the otherwise optional Sports Pack, here fitted as standard equipment, along with a special exhaust unique to the N420. A new front splitter, side skirts and diffuser are made of carbon fiber, unique rims are fitted along with black mesh grille inserts, and 27 kilograms (60 pounds) have been trimmed from the curb weight. Upgrades have also been carried out to the interior, and buyers can choose from a range of “race collection” paint schemes.
Like its predecessor, the new Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 will be sold in coupe or roadster format and available with either six-speed manual or Sportshift semi-automatic transmissions. Deliveries will begin next month in the UK, the £96,995 price tag (that’s over $147,000 USD but includes the UK’s hefty Value Added Tax) represents a £13,804 ($21k) premium over the base model, which sells in the UK for £83,191 (equivalent to $126k at today’s exchange rates) and in the United States for $119,500. Details in the press release after the jump, high-res gallery below.
Aston Martin One-77 at the Nurburgring – Click above for high-res image gallery
Yeah, yeah. We know the One-77 has already shown its hips to the world, but our crack team of spy photographers have managed to lay their lenses on one of the super-exclusive Astons bumping around the Nurburgring. Even better, the megacar is dipped in a new color that we’ve yet to see. The deep metallic bronze paint is drop dead gorgeous, even on what appears to be nothing more than a pre-production engineering mule.
The is built to be an exercise in what Aston Martin can accomplish when cost and exclusivity are no barrier. With a 7.3-liter under the hood producing a proletariat-crushing 700 horsepower, the coupe exists in a world detached from reality. That’s just fine, though, because Aston Martin is only building 77 of the cars, and with each coming in at a staggering $1.8 million, the people who can afford it aren’t of this world anyway.
It’s one of the most insane SUVs on the planet, but its further proof that evolution works in very mysterious ways.
The elusive 10-minute mark remains unbroken, but Tajima, Millen and the rest of the Unlimited crew put up a fight at this weekend’s Pikes Peak festivities. We were there and we’ve got the inside story on the men, the mountain and what’s in store for next year.
There’s a lot the Challenger needs to keep up with the competition, and a serious horsepower bump is near the top of the list.
Two anonymous sources have told Automotive News that is courting both Bob Lutz and retired BMW executive Tom Purves to become advisors to the British brand.
As , Lotus’ Malaysian parents at Proton are on a kick to increase both volume and model mix to take on its exotic rivals at , and . In order to boost production to around 8,000 units annually, Lotus needs to take a long, hard look at what it’s offering and how it can expand the brand to take on Europe’s elite – possibly at the expense of Lotus’ core values. Or not.
To that end, Lotus could be looking at both Lutz and Purves for their product knowledge, which in the case of Maximum Bob is as wide and varied as it is successful. Lutz has already said he’s and he’s already . But at this point, however, formal bids for both retired execs have yet to provided by Lotus.
2011 Aston Martin DB9 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Despite the fact that few people would actually argue that the really needed a nip and tuck, that’s exactly what it’s getting for 2011. Given how well the DB9 has held up over the last seven years, the changes have been kept pretty discreet. The lower front grille has been reshaped and new mesh inserts have been added, while the rocker panel crease now sweeps up into the rear wheel arches.
Mechanically, the DB9’s 6.0-liter V12 powertrain has been carried over, as has its 470 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. The most significant upgrade for 2011 is the adoption of an adaptive damping system similar to the one already available on the DBS and Rapide. Thanks to the improved handling offered by the damping system, Aston has decided to drop the Sport Pack previously available on the DB9. Production of the upgraded models has already started and customers should be getting the new cars in the coming weeks.
Not the shape of Lotus things to come? – Click above for high-res image gallery
Yesterday rather… odd. The Malasian-owned British sports car maker sent the entire automotive world a high-res picture of Stonehenge and announced it represented the, “Dawn of a new era.” We initially interpreted this to mean that the new would show up in Paris. We still think we’re right about that part, but might have been letting a little bit more cat out of bag than they intended.
According to a report from Malaysia, Lotus owner Proton has hired a plethora of ex-Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin employees (including Frank Tuch, the former Director of Quality Management at Porsche) in hopes of transforming the brand away from Toyota-engined track day novelties (hello, !) into a full-fledged , and fighting luxury, high-performance brand. Of course that entails abandoning Colin Chapman’s maxim, “Simplify, then add lightness,” in favor of the German mandate to, “Complexify, then add steel.” If you think the Italians are any better, realize that every new Ferrari ships with eighteen miles of wiring. But look on the bright side, the new cars (which will have of cooked in) could draw power from Chapman spinning his grave.
As we speculated yesterday, the new Esprit will need something resembling a V8 engine (at least) to not only fill the shoes of the old, long-loved Esprit, but also to compete with the world’s best luxury/performance machers. Luckily for both Lotus and Lotus fans, engine-supplier Toyota has just such a motor in the form of the 416 horsepower, 371 pound-feet or torque 5.0-liter V8. Of course, if you want to play in the stratosphere with the likes of Ferrari, Porsche and/or Aston Martin these days, you’re going to need at least 500 horsepower. But where would Lotus get an engine like that?
According to the report, the 552 hp, 9,000 rpm 4.8-liter V10 could be made available for Esprit duty, though it might be slightly detuned. Still, an aluminum and composite V10 is an aluminum and composite V10. While that might sound odd at first blush, (no doubt) spent a sick amount of yen coming up with the LFA’s V10, but they’re only building 500 or so LFAs, so why not recoup the development costs elsewhere? The question does become: Does the world want a 500+ horsepower Lotus dolled up with enough electronic whizbangery to compete with Europe’s finest? Only time and the marketplace will tell.
Our have been busy little bees lately. The crew recently managed to set their lenses on what appears to be the next , complete with a pretty new face. From what we can tell, the company has refreshed the V12 heathen with all-new body work from the A pillars forward. The car now wears a revised fascia with thinner headlamps, and the hood appears to have a few new wrinkles as well. We’re having a hard time telling if the front fenders have been significantly massaged or not, but chances are they’ve been modified somewhat to mate with those new LED-bespeckled lights.
From the rear, its clear has equipped the car with a redesigned diffuser, and the taillights have been redrawn as well. So, will the company supply buyers with any extra power to accompany the new suit of clothes on the DBS? It’s possible, but not likely. Odds are the car will still pack the same burly 6.0-liter V12 with 510 horsepower. Which still sounds pretty good to us.
In any form of motorsport, manufacturers come and go, but the sport continues to be shaped by the teams and the major players that lead them. So when , you knew it was only a matter of time before David Richards and his company Prodrive would be back on stage. Now it looks like that opportunity could come from .
Richards has made no secret of his desire to bring Prodrive back to the WRC, but rather than re-enter as a privateer, he’s indicated that the new outfit will be fielded under the auspices of a major manufacturer. Given the ties which Richards has fostered with Toyota – particularly over the Cygnet/iQ deal which be brokered with the Japanese auto giant in his capacity as chairman of – and the reported presence of Toyota scouts at several rallies recently, the signs are pointing towards Toyota’s involvement.
It’s been over a decade since the Japanese automaker has competed in the WRC, but recently trimmed a significant drain on its motorsport budget by . A top-tier rally team is tipped to cost around 8% of what Toyota had been pouring into its over-funded F1 program. And speaking of F1, Richards has for the time being abandoned aspirations to return to grand prix racing, having run both the Benetton and BAR- teams in the past. But he leaves F1 with an intriguing suggestion to replace the current qualifying system with a computerized grid that would rotate the starting order with each race, thereby mixing up the outcome of each race. Interesting, but the Toyota reports seem more plausible.
Edo Competition Aston Martin DB9/DBS – Click above for high-res image gallery
You’d think that someone who can afford to have their transformed into a could probably afford to simply buy a new DBS. We can’t really speak to the motivations of one Russian DB9 owner, but Edo Competition wasn’t about to argue with a paying customer.
After the five-year old DB9 was brought to Edo for conversion, the tuner replaced the original metal body panels with the carbon fiber parts used on Aston’s flagship DB. In addition to the external appearance, the interior of the car has been customized with a mix of leather, alcantara, carbon fiber and metal.
The DB9’s 5.9-liter V12 has also been upgraded from 470 horsepower to 550 hp, taking it beyond the 510 hp output of the factory-built DBS. A car that goes faster needs to be able to stop as well, so the binders have been enlarged, though Edo oddly stuck with steel brakes instead of upgrading them to carbon. No cost has been disclosed for the conversion, but we can’t help but wonder whether the net expenditure was greater than the cost of a new car minus the trade-in.
Amidst all the hubbub surrounding this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, race organizers ACO have announced that the current GT1 class would be integrated into a new GT2 category for next year.
After having effectively scrapped its own GT1 class last year, the ACO welcomed in the new generation of sports-racers built for the FIA GT1 World Championship into the iconic 24-hour race. As it turns out, however, 2010 will be the only time these entries will have been allowed into the race, as the ACO moves to eliminate the category once and for all, replacing it with a two-tier category based on the current GT2 regulations.
The move reportedly enjoys the support of winning drivers in both categories, including the team’s four-time class winner Oliver Gavin and ’s Tomas Enge, who see the excitement shifting to GT2 in recent years.
2008 Fisker Latigo CS on eBay – Click above for image gallery
Are you not a fan of the current BMW 6 Series? Can you not wait for the next-generation model? Are you looking for something a little more exclusive? Has caught your attention with the Karma, but not so much for its hybrid drivetrain? If your answer to any of these questions was an emphatic “yes,” then you may want to have a look at this eBay Motors listing.
Before kicking off his ambitious luxury hybrid project and after having penned such gorgeous sportscars as the and BMW Z8 roadster, the noted Danish designer Henrik Fisker started his own coachbuilding operation. The California-based operation had two products: the Mercedes SL-based Tramonto and this, the BMW M6-based Latigo CS. Only 150 examples of each were made, and one of the latter – a – has now popped up for grabs on eBay.
Mechanically, the Latigo is essentially the same as the M6 up which it is based, but Fisker managed to cut out some excess weight and enlisted the services of tuning house RDSport to tune the high-revving 5.0-liter V10 engine up to 648 horsepower. Stiffer springs and custom rolling stock are also part of the package, to say nothing of the exquisitely-crafted interior. This particular example has a Buy It Now sticker of $90,000; check it out in the extensive image gallery below or follow the link to the auction page.
Peugeot 908 HDi qualifying for Le Mans 2010 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is getting quite predictable, with the big question being which of the Peugeot 908s will come out on top. After three timed sessions over two days, the No. 3 Peugeot of Pedro Lamy, Sebastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud came was quickest as the four French diesels filled the first two rows on the grid. Right behind them are the three factory R15+ TDIs and then the two -Lolas.
Down the field in the LMP2 ranks, the powered ARX-01c campaigned by UK-based Strakka racing lapped the eight-mile circuit 1.46 seconds faster than a similar car being run by defending American Le Mans Series champs Highcroft Racing. 2010 is the final year of eligibility for the GT1 class at Le Mans and Aston Martin hopes to go out in style. The DBR9 driven by Tomas Enge, Christoph Nygaard and Peter Kox edged out a pair of Ford GTs and the ex-factory GT1 Corvettes.
In GT2, ALMS regulars ruled the roost. The No.82 Risi ran fastest but its time was disallowed because of an unknown technical infraction. As a result, the two C6.Rs will lead the GT2 field to the green flag with Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Emmanuel Collard on the pole. Unfortunately for the team, the cool green-and-black leaping cat livery has not translated into much speed with the finishing dead last in qualifying, nearly 13 seconds slower per lap than the lead Vette. The green flag falls at 3PM CET on Saturday, so stay tuned.
Gallery:
[Sources: Le Mans, Corvette Racing, Audi, Peugeot]
Following the introduction of the and One-77, and with the miniaturized Cygnet on its way, is turning its attention to its two core model lines. But rather than replace the existing and with all-new, ground-up redesigns, word from the UK is that Gaydon is planning thorough revisions of the existing models, including to their chassis and engines.
Both the DB9 and the Vantage are based on Aston’s flexible VH platform, which will reportedly carry on for another generation. However Aston’s aiming to cut weight by around 10 percent. Although the VH is made of aluminum, the vehicles based on the platform are heavier than they should be. A comprehensive re-engineering of the platform components, as well as the possible use of lightweight composite body panels, should help Aston trim the weight off the next-gen mode – expected to arrive around 2013/14 – thereby helping the company reach EU emissions targets.
The current DB9’s V12 engine is also expected to carry on for another generation, although significant revisions are expected there as well. Technologies developed for the brand’s racing program will be brought to bear for the road car, although it remains to be seen whether the potential benefits of incorporating direct injection will outweigh the costs involved.
Stylistically, both the DB9 and Vantage are expected to take their cues from the One-77, with a low, wide grille and strong character line running from the signature front-fender vent to the rear, albeit somewhat toned down for the volume models.
Before the original this Fall, it and three other Astons from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s will get together for a party in the UK. The , Vanquish, and V8 Vantage Volante from , and will be on hand for the Midsummer Classic at the Park Stoke Club.
The Park Stoke Club is hardly new to Agent 007, having been a setting in at least two Bond flicks among other lesser known films. The absence of the original DBS from 1969’s and the V8 Vantage coupe from The Living Daylights means this isn’t quite a complete set, but it’s close enough. Now we just need to bring together the and assorted from the middle years of Bond for a more complete retrospective.
