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Aston Martin DBS 59 limited edition celebrates 1959 Le Mans victory

David Brown — the "DB" in Aston Martin model names — first tried to put his company on the top step of Le Mans in 1949 with the DB2. It took 10 years, the DBR1 winning the world's most prestigious 24-hour race in 1959 with Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori behind the wheel. The second DBR1 came in right after, driven by Paul Frere and Maurice Trintignant. To celebrate the 60-year-old victory, Aston Martin Cambridge commissioned Q by Aston Martin to build a special-edition DBS Superleggera called the DBS 59. Finished in Aston Martin Racing Green, bronze detailing recalls the classic race car, while carbon fiber calls out to modern ones. The Aston Martin and Superleggera badging, front grille surround, and brake calipers are finished in a burnished yellow hue, the 21-inch forged wheels splashed with a contrasting bronze. A yellow arrow adorns the tire wall, a painted 5 inside a roundel adorns the fender underneath a Q by Aston Martin badge. Behind the rear aeroblade, bronze foil inlay lists the chassis and engine numbers of the DBR1. The roof gets gloss black carbon fiber. In the Chestnut Tan and Obsidian Black cabin, Q by Aston Martin re-created the original weave on the DBR1 seats to trim the seatbacks and door cards. The shift paddles and 59 Edition embroidery are finished in bronze, the speaker grilles embroidered with a circuit outline. A stitched note on the sun visor lays out the race details. Buyers who wish to go further can purchase a replica open-face racing helmet and goggles, facsimiles of Carroll Shelby's racing gloves, and a period-correct blue race suit. Only 24 examples will be created, one to honor each hour of the race. They'll be available exclusively through Aston Martin Cambridge.

Aston Martin Vulcan meets Avro Vulcan [w/video]

The Vulcan represents the very best that Aston Martin can do: a monstrous track car boiled down to its essence. But it's not the only Vulcan ever to roar out of the UK. Aviation enthusiasts will fondly recall the Avro Vulcan, an iconic jet bomber from the 1950s. There's only one such aircraft still capable of soaring through the skies, and now it's been brought together with its earthbound namesake. The Aston Martin Vulcan we already know, though not as well as we might like to. It's a track-bound supercar along the lines of the Ferrari FXX K or McLaren P1 GTR. But instead of a hybrid powertrain mounted amidships, it's got a naturally aspirated 7.0-liter V12 up front and kicking out over 800 horsepower. Unfortunately only 24 of them will be made, so even if you venture down to your local circuit for a track day, you're still not very likely to see one up close. Even rarer, though, is the Avro Vulcan. Part of the Royal Air Force armory from 1956 to 1984, the Vulcan was a giant delta-wing bomber that measured around 100 feet long (depending on the version) with a wingspan just as wide. Of the 136 that were made, only one – Vulcan XH558 – remains in operation, courtesy not of any national military but of the Vulcan To The Sky charitable trust. But it's about to be put to pasture as the centerpiece of the Vulcan Aviation Academy & Heritage Centre at Robin Hood Airport (seriously) near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Before Vulcan XH558 is retired, though, it's set to make one final flight. And in preparation for that historic event, it made a pass by Elvington Airfield for a brief – if distant – encounter with its namesake. The feat was pulled off purely for the photo op, so whether you're more into the car or the plane, you might as well check out the results in the gallery above and the brief video clip below. ASTON MARTIN VULCAN IN TRIBUTE TO ITS V BOMBER NAMESAKE 02 October 2015, Gaydon: As the last remaining airworthy Avro Vulcan prepares for its final flight later this month, the iconic 1950s British V bomber has been united with its modern namesake: the Aston Martin Vulcan. Vulcan XH558 – currently being operated by the charitable trust Vulcan To The Sky – is due to retire from 'active service' in October, going on to form the centrepiece of the educational Vulcan Aviation Academy & Heritage Centre at her home base, Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster.

Aston Martin developing TT hybrid V6 to replace AMG-sourced V8

We knew that Aston Martin is working on a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 hybrid that will fit into the forthcoming mid-engined Valhalla (pictured) and Vanquish sports cars. Car and Driver spoke to Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer, who explained that the engine will effectively replace the Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-liter V8. Palmer explained the rationale by saying, ""Mercedes have made no secret of where their engine technology is moving to, and obviously we don't foresee four-cylinder engines in our Astons, so we’ve got to make our own journey." Autocar reported recently that the next AMG C 63 will be powered by a plug-in hybrid four-cylinder. Aston Martin's V6-for-V8 substitution means the Vantage, DB11, and DBX will eventually get V6 power, too, although it's not clear when that will happen. Production of the Valhalla, the model that first brought news of the coming V6, is slated to begin in late 2021. Palmer all but said the six-cylinder will be more powerful than the eight-cylinder it replaces because "there's no way our customers are going to expect to step backward" as far as output's concerned. Regarding the Valhalla, last year when C/D "suggested to an Aston spokesman that the car would need to produce at least as much as the 789-hp McLaren Senna to be regarded as a worthy opponent, he agreed that was a fair assessment." At the other end, the V8-powered Vantage makes 496 horsepower, leaving plenty of room for graduated tunes among the sports cars. Engineers will need to focus on getting the sound right, Palmer adding, "As long as it feels like a V-8 and sounds majestic, I think it's a perfectly sensible way to go, and a lot more sensible than an [inline] four would be for us." Electric help will take a less revolutionary form than we're seeing in a number of modern super sports cars. The V6 won't go plug-in, Palmer wary of the necessary weight gain; Lamborghini's spoken at length about its trouble finding suitable concepts for the next-gen hybrid powertrains for the Huracan and Aventador that provide an acceptable weight/performance balance. Aston Martin's plan is apparently to stick with the Valkyrie template, putting an electric motor between the engine and a traditional transmission, instead of using a transmission with an integrated e-motor as seen on coupes like the Acura NSX and Ferrari SF90 Stradale. Aston Martin intends to go against the current in another way, too, at least for now.