2007 Aston Martin Db9 Volante on 2040-cars

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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.

Aston Martin documentary tells development story of Vantage GTE racer

Aston Martin doesn't merely go racing, the carmaker's name enshrines racing: Company co-founder Lionel Martin conquered the Aston Hill Climb in 1914 with a tuned Singer automobile; when Lionel needed a name for the car he built with funding from Robert Bamford, Lionel's wife suggested "Aston-Martin." That makes the Vantage GTE racer that will enter the 2018 FIA World Endurance Championship not only an obvious descendant, but a necessary one. To show us what went into the new standard-bearer, Aston Martin produced a nine-minute documentary on the Vantage GTE's development. The endurance challenger replaces the six-year-old V8 Vantage GTE race car that — even at the end of its development path — took WEC team honors in 2016 and class victory at Le Mans this year. The short doc visits Aston Martin Racing over the course of 18 months spent creating the new Vantage GTE, finding out how the road car got upgraded to race spec, what new partners like Ohlins and Alcon provided, and revealing that electrical wiring can't be mapped out entirely in CAD beforehand, the wiring has to be laid into the chassis by hand in order to find the shortest paths. The Vantage GTE rings in at 2,745 pounds dry, roughly 500 pounds lighter than the Vantage road car. The AMG-sourced twin-turbo V8 gets around 536 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque depending on circuit regulations, and shifts through an Xtrac six-speed sequential transmission with a carbon fiber driveshaft. Ohlins created a five-way suspension, Alcon supplies the brakes, clutch, and limited-slip differential, the Akrapovic inconel exhaust exits just behind the front wheels, and 18-inch forged magnesium TMS wheels wear Michelin tires. Unanimous feedback from the drivers says the new racer is already more durable, more torque-y, and more reliable than the one it replaces. The Vantage GTE debuts on track at the 6 Hours of Spa on May 5, 2018. You can watch it now in the video above. View 16 Photos Related Video: News Source: Aston Martin via YouTube Motorsports Aston Martin Coupe Racing Vehicles Videos fia wec world endurance championship aston martin vantage aston martin vantage gte

2012 Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn offers a tutorial in cars to come

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is a showcase for some of the world's most exquisite vintage vehicles, but if newer metal is more your speed, the Concept Car Lawn is the place to be.
This year saw models from Bugatti, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren and Bentley as well as SRT, Hennessey, Infiniti and Lexus among others. The ultimate sampler platter of exotic and concept vehicles saw the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse mingle with the Lamborghini Urus Concept and the mighty Hennessey Venom GT, though we found ourselves particularly smitten with the BMW Zagato Roadster and the Aston Martin Vanquish.
Not that we could go wrong anywhere we looked. The 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed seemed perfectly content parked on the manicured putting green, as did the McLaren MP4-12C Spider. Get cozy with the full gallery below to see the smattering of metal on the lawn.