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Aston Martin DB11 V8 loses four cylinders but none of its grace

We love the Aston Martin DB11. Few vehicles combine speed, luxury, and comfort as well as that beautiful British coupe. That said, it's not the most efficient or affordable GT in the world, but Aston Martin is planning to change that. Starting this year, the company will offer the DB11 a twin-turbocharged V8 sourced from the mad Germans at Mercedes-AMG. We've known about the engine partnership for a while now, though we assumed the first Aston Martin to use a Mercedes-AMG V8 would be the next-generation V8 Vantage. At first, sticking a V8 under the hood might seem like an odd choice, but the DB series only recently started using V12s. Historically, the car has packed powerful inline-six engines. Offering two engines will allow the company to sell a lower-cost model and presumably boost sales. That means changes are strictly mechanical in nature. The engine is the now-common 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged Mercedes-AMG V8. Output is 503 horsepower and 498 pound-feet of torque. That's down 97 horsepower and 18 pound-feet of torque from the 5.2-liter V12. In the Mercedes-AMG C63 S, the 4.0-liter V8 makes equal horsepower and 18 more pound-feet of torque. Aston Martin says that the partnership with Mercedes-AMG allows the company to tailor the engine for Aston Martins. This means a new ECU with new engine and throttle mapping. Losing four cylinders changes the character of the car a bit. The DB11 V8 is a not-insubstantial 254 pounds lighter than the V12. Since most of the weight savings comes from behind the front wheels, Aston Martin says the V8 model is more agile than the V12 model. Engineers have adjusted the suspension bushing, geometry, anti-roll bars, springs, dampers, and stability control to account for the weight savings. The DB11 V8's diet helps offset the lower power output. As such, the 4.0-second 0-62 sprint is just 0.1 seconds off the V12. Top speed is down 13 mph to a still extralegal speed of 187 mph. We don't have fuel economy ratings for the US, but expect an improvement from the V12's current rating. The V8 will be available with all of the same equipment and trims as the V12, with just a few visual changes to distinguish the two models. The V8 gets unique wheels, darker headlight surroundings, and just two vents on the hood, available in either black or titanium. The DB11 V8 goes on sale in the US later this year. At $198,995, it undercuts the V12 model by $17,500.

Latest Spectre trailer loaded with cars, action

We've already received our first glimpse of the latest James Bond film, Spectre. But while that 90-second trailer was a bit light on vehicular mayhem, the trailer that aired during last night's NBA Finals game certainly wasn't. The 60-second spot started similarly to the first official Spectre trailer, but it quickly descended into something with a lot more action. Bond's one-off Aston Martin DB10 makes an appearance, as it did in the first trailer, but this time, we get a look at its duel with the Jaguar C-X75 of the film's villain. There are flames. Many flames. Check out the full trailer up top, and keep an eye open come November, when Spectre hits theaters.

You can buy James Bond's Spectre Aston Martin DB10

If you watched Daniel Craig sliding around Rome in Spectre and wished you could drive the Aston Martin DB10 too, an upcoming Christie's auction will be your best chance to own one. The company will sell the first of these rare cars to the public on February 18 in London, but you'll probably need a martini – shaken, not stirred – after signing the check because the coupe will likely go for over 1 million pounds ($1.4 million at current rates). The proceeds will benefit Medecins Sans Frontieres. Aston Martin designed the DB10 specifically for Bond and built 10 of them for Spectre. Underneath the carbon-fiber body, the British automaker based them on the V8 Vantage, including its 4.7-liter V8 and six-speed manual gearbox. The movie's production modified most of the DB10s for filming, but it left two untouched, including this one. Daniel Craig also signed the car. The chance to share a vehicle with James Bond sounds incredibly tempting, but you might have a hard time taking the DB10 out for a drive because Aston Martin doesn't have homologation for the car or certification for it to be on public roads. However, you could still enjoy pretending to be a secret agent around a track or another piece of private tarmac. UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN AN ASTON MARTIN DB10 PREDICTED TO RAISE OVER GBP1 MILLION FOR CHARITY The only DB10 to date to be made available for private ownership Opportunity to own a piece of automotive history To be auctioned on February 18th to raise money for Medecins Sans Frontieres 21 January, 2016, Gaydon: The Aston Martin DB10 – the first car created exclusively for James Bond by British luxury brand Aston Martin – is to go under the auctioneer's gavel at the London auction house of Christie's on 18th February with proceeds donated to Medecins Sans Frontieres. 'Spectre – The Auction' celebrates the release of the 24th Bond film on Digital HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD with 24 special auction lots going under the hammer for charity, led by the Aston Martin DB10. Celebrating the great British brand's half century with Bond, which started with the iconic DB5, the DB10 gives a glimpse of the future design direction for the next generation of Aston Martins. Production of the DB10 was strictly limited to ten examples of the bespoke sports car which was developed and hand-built by the designers, engineers and artisan craftspeople at Aston Martin's Gaydon headquarters in the UK for the latest Bond film, Spectre.