2019 Aston Martin Dbs Superleggera on 2040-cars

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Tesla, European automaker may share Supercharger network [w/video]

Tesla Model S owners have had the now-500-plus Supercharger locations all to themselves since the free, high-speed charging network first opened up three years ago. The day may be coming when they'll have to start sharing, however. According to CEO Elon Musk, the company is "in talks with some manufacturers" about opening up its infrastructure to other autos. The mission statement of Tesla Motors is to "accelerate the advent of sustainable transport," and it can be argued that the success of its Model S is doing this, at least to some extent, by inspiring other automakers to build long-range electric vehicles themselves. Witness the Porsche Mission E concept and Audi E-Tron Quattro Concept as two recently unveiled examples. Sharing the Supercharger system is another way to speed things up. When EV owners of other marques want to take a trip, they may find themselves facing a hodge-podge of charging networks, each with slightly different standards, availability, and fees. Supercharging for free at well-mapped and easily accessible locations can only make things easier, and Musk has long said he would like other companies to make use of the network. With some manufacturers declaring allegiance to the CHAdeMO and others, the SAE Combo system, it seemed like Tesla might not get any takers, but finally it may be getting traction. Musk mentioned the development on at least two different occasions recently at speaking engagements in Berlin: once in a morning discussion, and later during a larger meeting with the German Minister of Economy & Energy, Sigmar Gabriel. While in the first instance, Musk used the plural "manufacturers," indicating there may be discussions with more than one firm, the second mention might be more relevant to the near term. In that case, while answering a question about sharing the Superchargers, he stated that "the CEO of one European car company, not a German car company, has approached us recently about doing exactly that, and we're super supportive of anyone who wants to do that." The question now becomes, "who will be the first to use the Tesla high-speed network?" With the specific mention of a European company, and the exclusion of German ones, our best guess is Aston Martin. Its CEO Andy Palmer is quite bullish on electric vehicles and the iconic British brand already has a test mule for an 800-hp electric Rapide on the road, not to mention its fabulous DBX under development.

Aston Martin and Daimler continue talks on SUV project, CEO required

The Aston Martin Lagonda SUV concept revealed at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show didn't earn the plaudits the company is used to when it reveals new models, and it has lived an uncertain life ever since. Thought to have been scrapped along with the entire revival of the Lagonda brand, then thought to have been resurrected due to Chinese, Middle Eastern and Russian demand, another year passed before we heard more definitive talk about an Aston Martin expansion when AutoCar reported that the Lagonda could be built on one of Mercedes-Benz's AMG SUV platforms.
A report in Automotive News Europe indicates plans have gotten serious, its unnamed sources saying that the English carmaker is talking to Daimler "to extend their cooperation to building an SUV." Neither Daimler, Aston Martin nor Investindustrial, the managing partner among Aston Martin's ownership consortium, would comment. But with Investindustrial having pledged to expand the range, competitors like Bentley, Maserati and Lamborghini getting into the SUV racket and clear demand from current and future customers, it's easy to believe Aston Martin is working hard to put the pieces together.
One further potential bump on the road to an Aston SUV is the company's search for a new CEO. Ulrich Bez relinquished to top spot at the company at the end of 2013, and Aston reportedly will not finalize its model strategy without a new CEO in place.

Last original Aston Martin DBS found in barn headed to auction

There's still big money in auctioning off barn finds. For example, the relatively tattered 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider from the Baillon Collection is now the highest priced 250 GT ever after its recent sale for $18.5 million. UK auction house Coys is hoping to hit a similar goldmine with its upcoming offer of the final, original Aston Martin DBS ever made. This dinged and rusty 1972 DBS in a shade called Dubonnet Rosso rolled off the assembly line as the last of its type in September 1972. These models were meant for the Aston driver looking for a slightly larger GT car, and they sported a 4.0-liter inline-six. This one also has an automatic transmission and 40,000 miles indicated on the odometer. Unfortunately, it has been sitting in a barn in Surrey, England, since 1980. As is plainly obvious, this Aston Martin is far from perfect with busted windows and missing trim pieces. Stuffing straw in the open portions of it is probably taking the ratty look a bit too far, though. Still, the auction house estimates the final DBS to sell for between 25,000 and 40,000 pounds ($38,000-$61,500) when it crosses the block at the Royal Horticultural Society on March 10. A practically perfect 1970 example once driven by Roger Moore fetched the equivalent of $900,000 in 2014. THE ULTIMATE BARN FIND 02/03/15 from COYS The last original Aston Martin DBS to come off the production line has been found in a barn in Surrey and will be auctioned by international auctioneers COYS in London on March 10th. The car was discovered by Chris Routledge, the Managing Partner of the auction house, and is one of the features of COYS 'Spring Classics' auction at the Royal Horticultural Society. Aston Martin Mayfair is hosting the barn find car for a week before the event takes place. Chris Routledge said: "This is the ultimate barn find and an important part of Aston Martin's history. It has been sitting in a barn since 1980 and now needs to be brought back to its former glory." He added: "The windows are broken, the interior trim is missing and its rusty, but it's all there and there has been huge interest from collectors around the world.