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Aston Martin reveals new AMB 001 motorcycle, its first

Aston Martin has taken the wraps off a limited-edition lightweight racing bike called the AMB 001, its first-ever motorcycle, at EICMA in Milan, revealing a sculpted, vaguely retrofuturistic melding of form and function that is the first offering from a new partnership with English bike maker Brough Superior Motorcycles. Featuring a double wishbone front fork, the track-only bike represents a marriage of Aston’s design and Brough SuperiorÂ’s engineering. ItÂ’s inspired by AstonÂ’s current crop of mid-engine sports cars, presented in the brandÂ’s racing colors of Stirling green and lime essence with matte black wheels, forks and brake assemblies mixed in with unadorned carbon fiber. The latter material features on the signature fin, which derives its design from the side strake on Aston cars and which runs atop the bike along the length of the gas tank, under the saddle and out back. Another carryover is the same stainless-steel ultra-light wings that feature on the Valkyrie sitting under the lacquer of the bodywork on the nose and tank. There are also aerodynamic wings attached to the cowl on the front of the bike that harken to the S-curve on the front of an Aston Martin to apply downforce. Carbon fiber figures in the body structure, and titanium and billet aluminum feature elsewhere. The hand-stritched saddle is made of Oxford tan leather. The bike is powered by a V-twin turbocharged engine that makes its first appearance on a Brough Superior bike. It makes 180 horsepower, although thereÂ’s no information offered on top speed. The bikeÂ’s dry weight is just under 397 pounds. Just 100 examples will be built at the Brough Superior plant in Toulouse, France. Starting price is 108,000 euros (about $119,809 at current exchange rates), including a 20% VAT, with first deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Aston Martin losses shrink, still amount to nearly $10k per car

Aston Martin's current lineup may be the best it's ever been, but that doesn't mean the automaker is making money off its Vantage, DB9, Vanquish and Rapide dream machines. In fact, the company lost $41 million in 2013, but that pretax figure is actually a third lower than in 2012. Revenue was up a promising 12.6 percent, according to Reuters. The Kuwaiti-owned British manufacturer blames its losses on the still troubled global economy, acknowledging that it's seen a small recovery in the ultra-high-end segment of the market. Global sales were up from 3,800 to 4,200 in 2013. To put it all in perspective, $41 million in losses on 4,200 units works out to around $9,700 lost per vehicle sold. That's no way to run a railroad. While the company's CFO, Hanno Kirner, told Reuters the company is hoping for a big bounceback by 2016, Aston's fortunes in the United States remain uncertain due to a new federal side-impact standards. The company has filed for exemption, although the jury is still out on the success of that petition.

Bond does a machine-gunning Aston Martin donut in first 'No Time to Die' trailer

James Bond doesn't just drive an Aston Martin. He doesn't just do donuts, and he doesn't just shoot machine guns. Double-oh-seven does donuts in an Aston Martin DB5 while Gatling guns pop out of its headlights and snipe his enemies. The stunt is one of the most eye-popping visuals in the first official trailer for the newest film in the Bond franchise, "No Time to Die." For the last time, a Bond trailer debuts with Daniel Craig as the lead man, and it puts all of the information we've been collecting throughout the past few months into an action-packed 2 1/2 -minute clip. The trailer starts exactly how we'd hoped, with a car chase between the DB5, Jaguars, and some motorcycles. Even before the new footage, Aston Martin detailed exactly which cars we'll see in the new flick. To some degree, the Valhalla, the DBS Superlegerra, the V8 Vantage, and the DB5 will all make appearances. While the DB5 seems to be Bond's vehicle of choice, the trailer shows newcomer Nomi (played by Lashana Lynch) driving the DBS. In addition to the Range Rover seen flipping in the clip, we also expect to see the new Land Rover Defender in the film.  As is typical of any Bond story, 007 seems to get caught in a trap, as he navigates his relationship with Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann and chasing Rami Malek, the new villain Safin. Here's the synopsis straight from YouTube:  In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. We also see appearances from Ralph Fiennes as M, Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, and Jeffrey Wright as Leiter. "No Time to Die" releases April 8, 2020. Celebrities TV/Movies Aston Martin Videos James Bond trailer Daniel Craig db5 No Time to Die