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Aston Martin says DBX is an obvious candidate for the AMR treatment

The 2021 Aston Martin DBX made its debut at the Los Angeles auto show with a Mercedes-Benz-sourced V8 engine under the hood. While that's the only engine that will be available at launch, the British company's chief executive confirmed there are several other options on the table. Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told Road & Track the twin-turbocharged, 5.2-liter V12 found in models such as the DB11 AMR and the DBS Superleggera fits in the DBX's engine bay. On its own, that's not a guarantee that a V12-powered model will arrive; just because there's space to install a 12-cylinder engine doesn't mean it makes sense to drop it in. Palmer didn't confirm or deny that the DBX will gain four additional cylinders, but he stressed that Aston hasn't mined the DBX's full potential yet. "We'll probably do other engine derivatives, we'll do other spec derivatives. As you do with any lifecycle management," he explained without going into more details about what's next. The twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8 delivers 542 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque when bolted between the DBX's fenders, which means there's already room for improvement. The same engine makes 603 horses in the GLS 63 and GLE 63 S that Mercedes-AMG unveiled in Los Angeles, and its output checks in at 630 horsepower when it's under the GT 63 S's long hood. Swapping the V8 for a V12 would also bring the DBX's output above 600 horsepower — the DBS Superleggera's 5.2-liter packs a 715-horse punch — but it would put a Lagonda-sized dent in the vehicle's fuel economy. Aston Martin, like its peers, is under intense scrutiny in the emissions department. Time will tell which direction Palmer's team takes the model, but it's safe to bet we'll see a sportier variant. "We're committed to doing an AMR in every one of our range, so that would be an obvious candidate," Palmer told Road & Track. When it arrives, there's a good chance it will face serious competition from the long-rumored Urus Performante that Lamborghini is allegedly working on.

Sir David Brown's 1964 Aston Martin DB5 C is for sale

In 1946, David Brown answered a classified ad in the London Times selling a "High Class Motor Business" for GBP30,000. That business turned out to be Aston Martin, which Brown bought a year later for GBP20,500. According to the Bank of England, he paid nearly GBP600,000 in today's dollars, about $736,000 U.S. He didn't do a bad job with it, attaching his name to the DB series of sports cars from DB1 to DB6 and DBS that won Le Mans and became the preferred choice of real royalty and a fictional secret agent, buying Lagonda to get the straight-six engine for Aston Martin that had been designed by W.O. Bentley, and setting up the coachworks at Newport Pagnell, still considered the historic home of hand-built Astons. All of this, along with wartime contributions on the tractor side, helped make him Sir David Brown, and one of his cars is for sale.  Brown's daily driver was allegedly a Jaguar XJ because of its friendlier running costs compared to his company's products, so there won't be too many ex-David Brown Aston Martins around. He ordered this DB5 Convertible in Caribbean Pearl with a Navy Blue interior and matching top a year after the model hit the market, when Aston Martin began selling it with the new five-speed ZF transmission. The droptop also got a Motorola radio, chrome wire wheels, and the 3.77:1 Power Lock rear differential. He held onto chassis DB5C/1273/R for three years before passing it on to an Aston Martin garage proprietor, who took excellent care of it. A full overhaul in 2014 rebuilt all of the mechanicals, retrimmed the interior, and applied a new paint job from the metal up.  Just over 99,000 miles have accrued on the chassis to now. UK specialist shop Nicholas Mee sold this car in 1994, and is doing so again with an asking price of GBP1,150,000 ($1.4 million U.S.). That sum includes a fresh service, registration, a 12-month warranty, and original accessories like the tool roll, mallet, jack, and owner's manual. Related video:

Aston plans Tesla-fighting 800-hp electric Rapide

Aston Martin is taking direct aim at the top versions of the Tesla Model S with a plan to launch a battery electric Rapide sedan boasting 800 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and a 200-mile range within the next two years. Company CEO Andy Palmer confirmed the vehicle's development to Automotive News during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. A test mule to engineer the powertrain was already on the road, Palmer asserted. The electric Rapide would join the internal combustion version, rather than replace it, and the BEV would likely remain a niche product with just a few hundred per year carrying a price between $200,000 and $250,000. Palmer indicates the model would prioritize performance. "I think that the fact that you could drive a few laps of a decent race course or race it around the Nordschleife is much more interesting than doing 500 meters in Ludicrous mode," he said to Automotive News, taking a swipe at Tesla's latest upgrade. Palmer has referenced the electric Rapide before. Earlier this year, he said that power would be a major priority for it. Aston Martin has also received help on the project from an undisclosed Silicon Valley partner, but Palmer said the collaborator wasn't Tesla. "If you want to keep making V12 engines, then you've got to do something at the opposite end of the spectrum," Palmer said about the company's strategy to Automotive News. The Rapide is just the first step in the brand's electrification, and the DBX is also under development for the next decade in EV, plug-in hybrid, and internal combustion versions. The crossover concept debuted at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show as an EV.