2000 Aston Martin Db7 Vantage Volante Convertible 2-door 6.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz expand collaboration

Aston Martin on Tuesday expanded a deal with Daimler to access the German automaker's technology, including its hybrid and electric drive systems, in exchange for new shares as the struggling British luxury carmaker's new boss drives changes. The company will place 250 million new shares with new and existing institutional investors at 50 pence (currently around 65 cents) a share, said the 107-year car maker that hired Tobias Moers, former CEO of Mercedes-AMG, to become its boss from August. The new shares issued would increase the size of Mercedes-Benz's stake to no more than 20% by 2023 from the current 2.6% in several stages. "We take another major step forward as our long-term partnership with Mercedes-Benz AG moves to another level with them becoming one of the Company's largest shareholders," said Chairman Lawrence Stroll. The German firm would get the right to nominate one non-executive director to Aston Martin's board after its first shareholding increase. The James Bond car maker, which has started deliveries of its first sport utility vehicle, the DBX, reported third-quarter adjusted core loss of 29 million pounds compared with a profit of 43 million pounds last year and revenue that nearly halved to 124 million pounds. Related Video:

This Aston Martin V8 Vantage prototype sounds like it has AMG power

We've known for a while now that the next Aston Martin V8 Vantage would get power from a turbocharged Mercedes-AMG engine, but this is the first time we've had a chance to hear it. The video above, recorded by Autoevolution, shows a prototype of the 2018 Aston Martin Vantage cruising around roads near the Nurburgring. The sound is definitely similar to other V8-powered Mercs, and absolutely does not an Aston power plant. As for how good it sounds, the office is split. At least we're in agreement that it's good the car will probably be offered with a manual transmission. We can also pick out a few little details from the body. This new Vantage will get fender vents like those on the DB11 starting from just behind the front wheel arch. The DB11's high and wide rear haunches will carry over as well. This particular prototype has a very deep chin spoiler up front, which may indicate there will be more than one version. The headlights are concealed well, but considering the similarities to the DB11 in other areas, we'd expect similar swept-back headlights up front. Basically, the Vantage is shaping up to continue Aston's tradition of similarly shaped sports cars in different sizes, but that's hardly a bad thing when the resulting cars look so good. Related Video: News Source: Autoevolution / YouTube via Road & TrackImage Credit: Autoevolution / YouTube Spy Photos Aston Martin Coupe Future Vehicles Performance Videos viral video mercedes-amg aston martin v8 vantage

Aston Martin updates its logo for the eighth time in its history

Whoa, easy on the squinting there, folks. We know, the new Aston Martin logo looks basically the same as the old one. But we promise, it has changed. Here, take a look at the old one (below, left) next to the new one (below, right). There, now do you see it? Aston dropped the single vertical line at the bottom and the inverted arch. Also, the lines are thicker. It's like Aston Martin highlighted the badge and clicked "bold." It also happens to be the eighth redesign of the logo. The original appeared on Astons in 1920, with subsequent designs launching in 1927, 1930, 1932, 1954, 1984, 2003, and now. You can see all of them in order below. Aston Martin Badge 1920 View 8 Photos Aston probably wouldn't be that put off by us describing the new logo as the old one, but "bold," because the company's new tag line follows suit: "Intensity. Driven." Yes, the tag line is basically a synonym for "bold." Aston says the new branding is part of a new focus on providing luxury cars with maximum performance. It also seems to reflect the brand's upcoming roster of mid-engine sports cars with the F1-inspired Valkyrie (above, left), now in production, and the less extreme Valhalla (above, right), the latter of which will start deliveries in 2024. The new badging will appear on the Aston Martin F1 cars, and will also appear on these new-generation Aston sports cars. Related video: