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Aston Martin DB9 successor spied, may be called DB11

This is by far our best look yet at the car that will replace the long-serving Aston Martin DB9. Previous photos of the grand tourer have consisted of mules based on the current car, but here we get our first taste of a model wearing its production skin. Despite the heavy camouflage, the DB9 successor looks to borrow its styling from the Aston Martin DB10, which will feature in the latest James Bond film. Considering this, it's not surprising that our spies report the new GT will wear the DB11 moniker. While the headlights look somewhat like the current Vantage, it's a fair bet that they'll bear more of a resemblance to the DB10 when the production model arrives. The grille sits lower than on current models, although, unlike 007's Aston, it does have an independent lower grille. It's hard to discern much from the rear of the car, though, owing to the fake taillights and heavy camouflaging on the rear hatch. That, thankfully, isn't an issue in the car's profile. Despite the heavy camo, we can see a suitably large set of haunches and the brand's trademark side grille. Expect Aston to continue using swan wing doors, judging by the shape of the units spied on this prototype, while we predict a larger greenhouse than seen here, owing to the camo over the quarter window. The partnership between Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG will bear production fruit with the so-called DB11, as our spies report the new Brit will be available with the same 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 being offered in the AMG GT. Don't fret purists – Aston's 6.0-liter V12 will also be on offer. We're fairly convinced Britain will sink into the ocean before Gaydon abandons the venerable 12-cylinder. Have a look at the latest round of spy photos and let us know what you think of Aston Martin's work so far. Related Video:

Aston Martin fleet week: Next vessel to sail is a luxury submarine

Aston Martin's latest project aims to go beneath the surface, literally. It announced Thursday a partnership with a Florida-based developer of submersibles to develop a strictly limited-edition, deep-diving submarine code-named Project Neptune. The luxury brand is apparently making quite a splash at the Monaco Boat Show this week, having just revealed the AM37, a 37-foot, six-passenger, two-crew-member speedboat replete with natural teak sliding decks and custom-outfitted interior that will cost $1.6 million. For Project Neptune, the British marque is joining forces with Triton Submarines, which makes luxury submarines for superyacht-owning hobbyists as well as more robust models for scientists and filmmakers that are capable of exploring the deepest parts of the ocean. Plans call for marrying Triton's Low Profile three-person platform with the automotive brand's design and engineering language, under the direction of its Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman. Aston Martin Consulting will oversee the project. No details yet, but Triton's existing 1650 Low Profile three-person sub, its lightest model, weighs 8,800 pounds and can dive to 1,650 feet. A 30 kWh battery powers four 5-horse thrusters, and it can stay submerged for up to 12 hours. The most dramatic part of Triton's design is its incredible bubble shape — a spherical, transparent pressure hull. Some of Triton's more rigorous designs can reach depths of 7,500 feet. A Triton sub reportedly starts at a cool $3.3 million, and it's certainly nice, with stitched leather seats. But that, of course is a crude version compared with Aston Martin's panache and uber-exclusive materials. Pass the caviar, won't you, old boy? Related Video: Weird Car News Aston Martin Luxury submersible

Aston Martin's AM-RB 001 hypercar will have a 6.5-liter Cosworth V12 and so much more

It's been a while since we heard any big news about the Aston Martin-Red Bull hypercar, the plainly named AM-RB 001. When it debuted last year, we got a look at the shape – and that's about it. Sure, a super-powerful V12 hybrid powertrain was promised, but we didn't have any concrete details on it or what was going into the pretty wrapper. Well, now Aston has made some announcements about partners, and they certainly have our attention: Cosworth, Ricardo, Multimatic, and Rimac. Cosworth, the famed engine supplier, will be supplying the engine. It's a 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12. Aston had previously said the car will be a member of the one-horsepower-per-kilogram club, and so people are expecting the engine to make about 900 horsepower. It will of course be augmented by an electric motor, which will be fed by a high-performance battery from Rimac. (Yes, the same Rimac whose Concept_One has been shown in videos beating everything from Teslas to LaFerraris.) The as-yet-undefined amount of power will be routed through a seven-speed paddle-shift transmission supplied by Ricardo. And because you're going to want to stop, there will be big carbon-ceramic brakes – Alcon and Surface Transforms will supply the calipers and carbon discs. Multimatic, builders of awesome shocks, will make the carbon-fiber tub that everything goes into. Multimatic has worked with Aston in the past, including on its last limited-production vehicle, the One-77. Bosch is responsible for the ECU, traction control, and stability control. LED lights will be supplied by Wipac. So yeah, there almost aren't any high-profile companies left after this announcement. This car is going to be pretty extreme. Aston reiterates that it will build a maximum of 150for the road including prototypes, plus 25 more track-only models. They'll start going to customers in 2019. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Aston Martin Red Bull AM-RB 001 Aston Martin Coupe Hybrid Lightweight Vehicles Performance Supercars aston martin am-rb 001