2005 Aston Martin Db9 on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin brings impressive lineup of metal to Monterey

Aston Martin wins the manufacturer's round of Show and Tell on Thursday at Pebble Beach, bringing six cars to the collectors' bacchanalia with four North American debuts among them. The 540-horsepower Aston Martin DB9 GT said hello to US crowds for the first time, likely the beginning of a goodbye tour while it prepares to give way to the coming DB11. Having finished its work in Rome and other points distant filming Spectre, slotting in between DBs 9 and 11 comes the DB10 making its global public debut. The latest Bond car might look better sitting still in the Aston Martin pavilion than it does in the movie trailers. The Middle-East-and-Europe only Aston Martin Lagonda has never been to the US either, nor has the DBX electric crossover concept, and the utility vehicle got a coat of Mako Blue paint to make its introduction. The Vulcan racer got re-hued as well, in a coat of Saffron Orange. Finally, there's an Aston Martin Q Vanquish Volante built specifically for Pebble. Combining an "adventurous sport theme" and "deep teal colors of Arctic sea ice," Silver Fox paint is accented with Q Tomales Red and Ocellus Teal, Baltic Blue leather inside, and teal-tinted carbon fiber throughout. It's the most vibrant and fastest chunk of iceberg on the peninsula, certainly. Check out the entire range in the galleries above and below. Related Video:

New Bond car nets Xcar Aston Martin retrospective

Well, there's something to be said for timing. With the announcement that MI6 Agent James Bond would take the wheel of the all-new Aston Martin DB10 in his next film, Spectre, Xcar has taken a look back at 007's most iconic vehicle – the DB5. There's also something about some such special edition Vanquish, but it all kind of pales in the glory of the iconic DB5. Okay, so it's not just some special edition Vanquish. It's the gorgeous Centenary Edition, a limited run of just 100 cars – one for each of Aston Martin's history – that's been adorned inside and out with a number of premium touches. In the other corner, though, there's the real subject of Xcar's latest video. This stunning example of the DB5 only gets puttered around a parking garage, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful. Take a look.

The last gunfighter | 2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S First Drive

Here's a deliciously subversive thought for you: Stats are ruining enthusiast cars. We use them to rank the latest models, critique them, and deify them. Sometimes the numbers happen to align with a bunch of intangibles, and the car becomes transcendent – like the Ferrari 458 Speciale, a very special thing indeed. There are cars with great numbers and very little charisma; I've driven many of them. And then, there are the number-based narratives that mislead us. For example, the hoopla around the Mazda MX-5's horsepower, or the continuing lack of a Toyobaru with a turbo – frustrating crosstalk about purist platforms better understood on track than on paper. The 2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S is flawed, old, and weak – so say the insidious numbers. A mechanical watch doesn't keep time as well as a quartz one, the numbers say. A tube amplifier produces an inferior sound, the numbers say. The way to fight back is to stop this slavish devotion to the stats and go wind the thing out on good roads in imperfect conditions, which is to my mind the ultimate test of a grand tourer's competence. Southern California was rocked this winter by wild weather – much of the Angeles Crest Highway that dances along the spine of the San Gabriel Mountains was closed due to heavy snow. So much for Plan A. Some roadside rerouting led to some promising roads, so I pointed the Aston into the curves. The V12 roar is a profound part of this car's appeal. Uphill and building steam, the Vantage is a symphony's brass section playing the sounds of wolves on the hunt. Downshifts yowl and snarl like a pack crashing through the underbrush in search of prey. Under deceleration, it sounds like lupine static, unearthly and resonant; wound out it's a frenzied whir. Every stab of throttle brings an immediate response: sound and acceleration in equal measure. If you have even the barest appreciation of joy, you can't stay out of the throttle. This is soulful, warm, analog – but merely honest rather than consciously retro. There's nothing here trying to simulate an authentic experience – it is an authentic experience. It's all right there, under the long and delicate hood – twelve cylinders displacing 5.9 liters. And inside the cabin, a seven-speed manual gearshift lever that moves through a dogleg pattern. This watch requires winding; it's a tactile experience that the quickest, most sophisticated dual-clutch automated manual can't touch.