2007 Aston Martin Db9 Base Coupe 2-door 6.0l on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin requests exemption from stringent US safety regulations

If you were intrigued by the chance to buy a new Aston Martin Vantage GT for $99,900, it might be best not to wait too long. There is a slim chance that the Vantage and DB9 may not have much life left in the US because they don't meet new crash standards. Aston Martin has filed documents with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asking that the new pole and moving barrier crash safety requirements – internally referred to as FMVSS 214 – be waived for the two models. The company is claiming "substantial economic hardship" and says that it can't afford to bring the vehicles into compliance. We aren't talking about a huge number of vehicles here. The Rapide and Vanquish comply with the new rules, and Aston Martin predicts that it would import 670 Vantage and DB9 models into the States between September 1, 2014 and August 31, 2017. The automaker estimates it would cost around $30 million to make them compliant. The company has indeed been in rough shape in the not-too-distant past. According to the documents, sales volume decreased by about 48 percent from a high of 7,281 units in 2007 to 3,786 vehicles in 2012. The automaker had planned to have new models ready in time so that it wouldn't need an exemption, but the global economic crisis delayed it. Interestingly, the paperwork reveals that Aston currently plans to launch a replacement for the DB9 between September 2016 and August 2017. Aston Martin doesn't have very long for NHTSA to deliberate. The new rules go into effect for them on September 1, 2014 for hardtops, and September 1, 2015 for convertibles. While it would still be able to sell its other models here, it would certainly be a shock if it had to pull the the Vantage and DB9. Both documents are available in PDF format to download and read.

Ford GT dominates Le Mans qualifying, gets slapped with performance adjustment

Fifty years after Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon drove the Ford GT40 to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford is poised for a historic return to the Circuit de la Sarthe. The new Ford GT took the top two qualifying positions in the LMGTE Pro class, and four of the top five. Ferrari's 488 filled in the rest of the spots in the top seven, the first two from AF Corse. In other words, we're primed for a reboot of the classic Ford-Ferrari feud at this year's race. Or not, as the ACO, which organizes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, announced sweeping pre-race Balance of Performance (BOP) adjustments this morning that make this year's GT class anybody's race. In LMP1, last year's overall winner Porsche locked up the top two spots with the 919 Hybrid and will lead the entire field at race start. Toyota's two-car factory effort followed with qualifying times 1.004 and 2.170 seconds behind the pole lap. Audi rounds out the manufacturer-backed LMP1 class in fifth and sixth. Full qualifying results can be found here. The storyline for the GT cars is perfect - some say too perfect. Ford's class-leading times came after BOP adjustment to the Corvette Racing C7.R before qualifying. BOP is intended to level the playing field in the class by adjusting power, ballast, and fuel capacity. (Check out this explainer video for more, or even just if you love French accents.) But the process is riddled with unknowns and ripe for accusations of sandbagging. That is, if the Ford cars were intentionally slow in practice they could hope for BOP adjustment to improve their race chances. On the Corvette side, last year's GTE Pro winner went from the top of the field to the bottom, barely improving from practice to qualifying. If you think Le Mans is as rigged at the NBA Playoffs, well, it's not that simple. Because if Ford and Ferrari held back until qualifying - the eighth-place Porsche 911 RSR is three-and-a-half seconds off the class pole time - it was a pretty dumb strategy. This morning, the ACO tried to put things back in order by limiting the boost in the Ford GT's twin-turbo V6 and adding 11 pounds of ballast. Ferrari was also given extra weight but allowed more fuel capacity. The Corvette and Aston Martin teams were both given breaks on their air restrictors, which will allow their engines to make more power. Both Ford and Porsche also received extra fuel capacity.

Aston Martin Valkyrie does a tantalizing lap of Silverstone

The Aston Martin Valkyrie performed a low-level fly-by at Britain's Silverstone Circuit during the Formula One Grand Prix weekend. The lap marked the first public demonstration of the future paterfamilias of the Aston Martin range, after months of digital modeling and time in the simulator. Aston Martin test driver Chris Goodwin didn't drive the 1,160-horsepower coupe in anger, but he did touch the throttle with some emotion. Regrettably, video of the event lays music over the far more redeeming Cosworth V12 soundtrack, but we do get a taste of what's to come. Thing is, "Top Gear" visited Cosworth in December last year to get some face time with the 6.5-liter V12. Toward the end of the video, Cosworth ran an engine dyno simulation of the V12 going hard through the first sections of Silverstone. Oh, the sound. Oh, the fury. Combine that with the sight of the car cruising the circuit, and know that something wicked this way comes.  If you want to know just how serious the team behind the Valkyrie takes the brief, presenter Jack Rix said Red Bull F1 aerodynamics guru Adrian Newey stopped by the shop to look at the finished product, after two years of development. Newey tapped the lacquered carbon fiber intake manifold cover, then asked Cosworth how much the lacquer weighed. When Cosworth told him "130 grams," Newey looked disappointed. That response turned into offering Valkyrie buyers the option of having the engine's carbon cover with or without lacquer. In American terms, this is much ado over 4.6 ounces, or a McDonald's Royale with Cheese.   With deliveries scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, Aston Martin has a packed program of validation testing for the car, called Verification Prototype 1. After that come competition entries into the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).