1998 Aston Martin Db7 Volante on 2040-cars

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Race Recap: 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans defines 'endurance'

Commenting on the rush of events that rocked beginning and end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Paul Truswell of Radio Le Mans said "the race is about the ability to endure, not just the ability of drivers to do what they do for a long time." The entire race machine, all the way down to the pit boards and radios, has to survive the stress and abuse of the entire day. This was the race to prove those words.
There were two Toyotas, two Porsches and three Audis, five of the seven led the race at some point, six of the seven ran in the top three. Toyota will be hugely disappointed that it didn't win when its car and drivers were so, so strong, but they gave Audi the kind of scare we haven't seen since the best of Peugeot's days, and Toyota did a better job of it even in the loss. Porsche blew away everyone's expectations, falling 3.5 hours short of a fairy tale ending that would have made Disney cry.
But Le Mans doesn't really do fairy tales. Well, not that fairy tale. Audi's Twitter handle during the event was #welcomechallenges. As usual, Le Mans answered for the entire field.

Aston Martin Vengeance embodies the wrath of Kahn

Kahn Design, for those unfamiliar, is a British customizer that's known primarily for modifying Land Rovers. And it brought a few of those with it to the Geneva Motor Show this year as well, particularly a rebodied DB9 called the Vengeance. The lines follow a familiar form that still speaks of its underpinnings, but the details have all been worked over: the grille is bigger, the front fenders are wider, the hood has a bulge in it, the C-pillars and rear haunches are wider, the horizontal taillights have been replaced by more retro round units, and the wheels take their inspiration from a roulette table. The result is described as "the conclusion of British designer Afzal Kahn's lifelong pursuit to design the car he has always wanted to drive," and comes with Aston Martin's blessing – or at least its acquiescence: "There is a long and rich history of specialist coach-built Aston Martins," said the company's purchasing director Gary Archer, "and we wish Kahn every success with the Vengeance." The cost of converting a DB9 to Vengeance spec has yet to be announced, but according to the statement below, it " is expected to represent extremely good value for a limited edition coach built car." Related Video: THE KAHN VENGEANCE MAKES ITS INTERNATIONAL DEBUT AT THE GENEVA MOTOR SHOW 2016 The 2016 Geneva Motor Show will see the long awaited launch of the Kahn Vengeance, a new coach built two-door coupe which represents a stunning synthesis of modern engineering and classic streamlined design. The Vengeance will be unveiled to the media at the Kahn Design stand, 6338, on March 1st 2016. Inspired by the Aston Martin designs of the 1980s and 90s, the Vengeance is the conclusion of British designer Afzal Kahn's lifelong pursuit to design the car he has always wanted to drive. Designed to hark back to the glory days of British coach building, the hand built Vengeance is a coachbuilt two door coupe based on a new Aston Martin DB9 chassis. Face on, the redesigned front bumper and wide spaced grille give the Vengeance an aggressive look, framed by widened front wings which merge seamlessly into the doors. The signature central bulge of the bonnet continues to the highly defined lines of the roof, which flow outwards to the widened C-pillars and rear wings, lending a muscular definition to the car's surfaces.

Aston Martin considers offering new Lagonda Taraf outside of Middle East

Aston Martin officially took the wraps off its new Lagonda sedan in Dubai on Monday, revealing the luxury limousine in all its glory and revealing its nameplate as Taraf – derived from the Arabic word for "luxury" (not for some Kurdish starlet). A fitting name, since it will only be offered to select customers in the Middle East, where a large number of its '70s-era predecessors have found homes. But while the model was clearly and emphatically targeted at the Persian Gulf clientele, Aston Martin is reportedly considering offering the Lagonda Taraf in other markets as well. Both Car and Top Gear are citing Aston's new chief executive Andy Palmer on the matter from the unveiling in Dubai: "I can confirm today that we are also evaluating the opportunity to offer this Lagonda in other markets." Whether it would carry the Arabic name along with it, we don't know. Nor do we know, for that matter, if the US would be among those markets which Aston would consider selling the sedan. "We have enjoyed excellent levels of interest in the Lagonda and we are investigating possibilities for other markets besides the Middle East," said Matthew Clarke, the company's spokesman for the Americas, in correspondence with Autoblog. "However, we can't add any more or be any more specific at this very early stage." Understandable, of course, but we hope to hear good news in the near future.