Aston Martin: Db7 Vantage Volante Convertible 2-do on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin Project 003 is a road-going evolution of Valkyrie

The Aston Martin Project 003 will effectively be the most road-going example of Aston's mid-engined hypercars. It quite obviously draws heavily from the Valkyrie (aka Project 001), which is as much the result of aerodynamic requirements as it is maintaining a family resemblance. It may not appear to be as extreme in certain respects, and it isn't, but it does feature a number of advances. The 003 utilizes the next-generation of "aircraft morphing technology, to create a variable airfoil across the entirety of the rear wing. The technology named FlexFoil ... has been validated by NASA through extensive performance and acoustic flight testing, with Aston Martin the first to implement this cutting-edge aerospace technology in the automotive industry. The system allows for the car's downforce to be changed without changing the physical angle of the entire element." So yeah, fancy stuff, and in fact, the production version will feature an even further evolution of the technology. Aston hasn't released full details, but did indicate the 003 will be powered by a hybrid powertrain consisting of a new turbocharged V6 developed in-house. This is in contrast to the Mercedes-sourced engines in recent Aston Martins. It will feature a sealed oil system previously utilized in the Aston Martin Vulcan and in multiple 24-hour endurance races that allows for oil changes in 90 seconds and the refinement and reuse of the engine oil itself. The production 003 will be the first road-going car to receive this technology. There is plenty shared with Valkyrie, however, including the active suspension and various electronic systems. Aston says the chassis will be "blessed with next-level precision, control and driver connection for class-leading dynamics on road and truck." Also like the Valkyrie, Project 003 utilizes a lightweight carbon fiber structure with carbon fiber bodywork. It was shaped for maximum aerodynamic effect, which results in the two mid-engine hypercars sharing a common shape and general look. One noteworthy visual difference are the front and rear lighting units. Their lightweight technology are shared, however. Aston Martin says the 003's four lighting units weigh less than one DB11 headlamp. Inside is where the 003 most ventures away from the Valkyrie, and where it demonstrates its more road-going nature. Greater concessions have been made for usability and comfort, although that is certainly relative.

2015 Aston Martin Vanquish [UPDATE]

There's something really special about an Aston Martin Vanquish. It's not my favorite model in the British automaker's range – I'm more of a Vantage guy, if I'm being choosy. But every time I drive one, I feel like I'm piloting something fit for royalty, $300,000 price tag and all. It's stunning to look at, even in the rather drab shade of gray pictured here. It makes an absolutely killer noise, the free-breathing V12 firing from beneath the hood and out the back with a truly intoxicating sound. And from behind the wheel, it feels like a truly proper grand tourer. Well, almost. The one major hiccup with the Vanquish I drove last year was its six-speed automatic transmission. In a word, it was awful. Really jarring shifts, delayed manual control through the paddles, and really, just a hugely misaligned piece of an otherwise excellent puzzle. So I was happy to hear that for 2015, Aston Martin had fitted a new, ZF-sourced, eight-speed unit – you know, the transmission being used by automakers like BMW, Jaguar, Audi, and many more. I normally have zero issues with this silky gearbox. But in the Vanquish, it wasn't smooth sailing like I expected – it feels like it still needs some final calibrations. But that doesn't make this car any less special. Drive Notes I love this engine. The 5.9-liter, naturally aspirated V12 makes 569 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, and it absolutely loves to rev. That's a good thing, since the siren song of the Vanquish's V12 is most pronounced at higher engine speeds. In fact, it's not really all that audible right from the get-go. You have to work it up past 2,500-3,000 rpm before this thing really starts to sing. But when it's turned up to 11, it's one of the best-sounding engines I've ever heard. That said, getting the Vanquish going is kind of an awkward process. There's a surprising momentary lack of power delivery right at throttle tip-in, and then the Vanquish suddenly jolts forward. It's alarming – I found myself raising an eyebrow and yelling "GO!," especially when trying to quickly merge into the traffic flow. But it'll go, when it's ready, and hitting 60 miles per hour takes just 3.6 seconds. The transmission is still an issue here. When left to its own devices, it doesn't have a problem finding the right gear for the occasion, but the actual shifts don't fire off with the smoothness and quickness that I've come to expect from this tranny in other models.

Autoblog's adventures at the Nurburgring 24-Hour race [spoilers]

The brand-new Audi R8 LMS, said to share 50 percent of its components with the street-legal R8 shown off at Geneva, has won its very first race at the 2015 Nurburgring 24-Hours. The No. 28 car driven by Christopher Mies, Edward Sandstrom, Nico Muller, and Laurens Vanthoor for the Audi Sport WRT team out of Belgium finished only 40.279 seconds ahead of the No. 25 BMW Sport Team Marc VDS Z4 GT3 in second place, for the smallest winning gap since the race began in 1970. Those two cars traded the lead throughout Sunday morning and were less than a minute away from one another for the last two hours. They were part of a total 35 lead changes during the entire race – a record for the event – and both did 156 laps. Third place went to the No. 44 Falken Tire Porsche 997 GT3, one lap down. The Audis did what they always do: lurked close to the front, stayed out of trouble, then pounced when everyone else faltered. For the opening stretches the BMW Z4 teams owned it, running 1-2-3 for a while, but all of them hit trouble. When morning came and the race got over its yellow-flag fever, the No. 28 Audi was in front and stayed there. It was the third Nurburgring 24-Hour win for Audi in four years, the brand's first win only coming in 2012. Last year's winner, the Phoenix Audi team that set a race record by doing 159 laps, had both of its cars retire. One hit an oil patch about 12 hours in, spun and was hit by another car behind, taking on too much damage to continue. The other retired with engine issues. Other Notes Three cars crashed out of the race while leading, after the rains that weren't supposed to happen, happened about 90 minutes in. The No. 20 Schubert BMW Z4 led the first 50 minutes of the race, hopped a crest at Pflanzgarten, landed in a pool of water, and hit the wall on the 30th lap. Then the No. 30 Frikadelli Porsche, with a driver team that included ex-'Ring Taxi driver Sabine Schmitz, hit the No. 31 Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 on the approach to Carrousel and crashed out. Then the No. 1 Phoenix Audi, last year's winning car, took the lead but hit the wall after that oil patch near Pflanzgarten and was out of the race. Aston Martin celebrated a class win in the SP8 category with the No. 49 Vantage GT4 N430. This being the tenth anniversary of the Vantage running the Nurburgring-24, this year's car was painted in the same colors as the racecar from ten years ago.