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Aston Martin bringing Vantage GT12, Lagonda to Goodwood

Over the past 22 years, the Goodwood Festival of Speed has become one of the premier classic car events in the world. It's a place where incredibly rare vehicles are dusted off and are actually driven up the estate's famous hill. In addition to all of the wonderful things on display there this year, Aston Martin is giving the public a look at two of the brand's rarest current models – the Vantage GT12 (pictured above) and Lagonda Taraf. Goodwood is actually the first time the Vantage GT12 will be displayed on British soil, and all 100 units of it are already sold out. Aston originally debuted the stripped-out, 592-horsepower, V12 coupe at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show as the Vantage GT3, but a legal dispute with Porsche over the name forced the switch to the current moniker. Rather than just a static display, Aston CEO Andy Palmer has also decided to drive a GT12 up the hill. If race-inspired, limited-edition coupes somehow aren't your thing, Aston Martin is also putting the Lagonda Taraf on display. Once exclusively available in the Middle East, the 200 examples of the carbon-fiber sedan are now for sale only by invitation, and this outing at Goodwood actually marks its global, public debut, outside of a major auto show. Each one is assembled by hand at the same dedicated facility responsible for vehicles like the One-77. Beyond the company's latest and most limited production models, visitors to Goodwood also have the opportunity to watch the hillclimb by the #97 Vantage GTE racer from Le Mans with a mind-bending livery. Rarities like the CC100 are going to be making runs, as well. As usual, if you can make it the UK, this sounds like a must-see event. Related Video: ASTON MARTIN TO THRILL GOODWOOD WITH ITS BIGGEST-EVER PRESENCE 18 June, 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin arrives at the 22nd Goodwood Festival of Speed next week with a superb line-up of exclusive and exciting sports cars and super saloons which, together, represent its biggest presence yet at the world-renowned celebration of motoring and motorsport. The luxury British sports car maker will treat the Goodwood patrons to a feast of 'firsts', including the UK debut of the motorsport-inspired, and now sold-out, Vantage GT12 and the global dynamic debut of the strictly-limited luxurious new Lagonda Taraf super saloon.

Aston plans Tesla-fighting 800-hp electric Rapide

Aston Martin is taking direct aim at the top versions of the Tesla Model S with a plan to launch a battery electric Rapide sedan boasting 800 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and a 200-mile range within the next two years. Company CEO Andy Palmer confirmed the vehicle's development to Automotive News during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. A test mule to engineer the powertrain was already on the road, Palmer asserted. The electric Rapide would join the internal combustion version, rather than replace it, and the BEV would likely remain a niche product with just a few hundred per year carrying a price between $200,000 and $250,000. Palmer indicates the model would prioritize performance. "I think that the fact that you could drive a few laps of a decent race course or race it around the Nordschleife is much more interesting than doing 500 meters in Ludicrous mode," he said to Automotive News, taking a swipe at Tesla's latest upgrade. Palmer has referenced the electric Rapide before. Earlier this year, he said that power would be a major priority for it. Aston Martin has also received help on the project from an undisclosed Silicon Valley partner, but Palmer said the collaborator wasn't Tesla. "If you want to keep making V12 engines, then you've got to do something at the opposite end of the spectrum," Palmer said about the company's strategy to Automotive News. The Rapide is just the first step in the brand's electrification, and the DBX is also under development for the next decade in EV, plug-in hybrid, and internal combustion versions. The crossover concept debuted at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show as an EV.

Weekly Recap: Geneva's splendor reflects growing demand for ultra-luxury cars

Geneva is one of the most glittering auto shows in the world, but the list of high-powered and bespoke luxury cars was decadent this year even by the rich standards of the Swiss exhibition. It's great for enthusiasts to revel in the flame-throwing Aston Martin Vulcan, the racing-inspired elegance of the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept and the insane performance of the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce, but there's a reason for all of this opulence: the luxury market is big business. And it's growing. IHS Automotive forecasts that so-called ultra-premium sales will nearly triple this decade from 123,000 to 353,000 units around the world. The estimate includes brands like Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, but doesn't count BMW, Mercedes and Audi, which offer less expensive models in addition to their high-end flagships. Though IHS includes Porsche and its relatively large volume in the study, the ultra-premium segment is still set grow at about the same rate, even without the German automaker's figures. So what is propelling all of this growth in the most expensive segment of the auto industry? Put simply, there's more rich people. IHS Automotive principal analyst Tim Urquhart pointed to economic expansion in China, market recovery in the United States and a surge in the lucrative technology sector as contributing factors. This dovetails with a research report by UK-based Oxfam, an international relief organization, which found the world's richest one-percent owned 48 percent of global wealth in 2014, and it's expected to increase to more than 50 percent by 2016. View 17 Photos Carmakers are moving quickly to capitalize with new products, expanding their portfolios with low-volume speedsters like the 800-hp V12 Vulcan at Geneva, and plans to enter new segments, like Rolls-Royce's strategy to make an SUV. "Ultra-premium carmakers are looking to explore ways of growing their product offerings, and thus their bottom lines, in this most potentially profitable of segments," Urquhart wrote in a report on the Geneva show. In a nutshell, there are more choices for people with more money. It's a good time to have expensive taste. Other News & Notes 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata production launches It won't be long now. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata arrives later this year, and it's officially in production. Mazda announced this week that the roadster began rolling off the assembly line at its Ujina factory in Hiroshima, Japan.