2007 Aston Martin Vantage 6-speed Power Pack on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Dany Bahar plans Aston Martin shooting brake at Modena-based tuner

You can't keep a good man down, or so the saying goes. The jury may still be out on whether Dany Bahar was a good thing for the automotive industry – with some portraying him as an overambitious opportunist and others pitting him as a genuine car guy against the bean-counters – but he's not about to stay down for long. Bahar, for those unfamiliar, was a top executive at Red Bull, serving as right-hand man to Dietrich Mateschitz right around the time that the energy drink company was getting into Formula One and NASCAR. He was then poached by Ferrari to serve as its commercial chief and brand director before taking up the reins as CEO of Lotus. Things didn't go quite so well for him there after new owners fired him, accused him of misappropriating company funds and canceling just about every one of his ambitious (or perhaps overambitious) projects to take Lotus into the modern age. But now he's back on his feet. According to Car and Driver, Bahar's new project is a tuning house and coachbuilder called Ares. Similar to an outfit like Mansory (with which Bahar, incidentally, fostered close ties while at Lotus), Ares is out to make high-end vehicles like the Range Rover Sport, Rolls-Royce Wraith and Lamborghini Huracan that much more unique. But the biggest project Ares is planning to undertake is to turn the Aston Martin Rapide S and Bentley Continental GT into shooting brakes for wealthy customers. Ares wouldn't be the first outfit to do so, Bertone having made a wagon version of the Rapide and Touring having offered an extended-roof Continental. But to show he's not messing around, Bahar has assembled a top team at Ares. Wolf Zimmermann, who worked for Mercedes-AMG before becoming Bahar's R&D chief at Lotus, is handling the technical aspects. 24-year-old Romanian designer Mihai Panaitescu, who is said to have worked on those aborted Lotus projects, is handling the style aspect. And the whole outfit is being based in Modena, Italy – the city that is home to outfits like Pagani, Maserati and nearby Ferrari. Predictably enough, Ares will launch initially in China, Russia and the Middle East, but reportedly plans to make it to the US sometime early next year. Featured Gallery 2014 Aston Martin Rapide S: First Drive View 32 Photos News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL Aftermarket Aston Martin dany bahar aston martin rapide s

Aston and Jag from James Bond Spectre have at it

Daniel Craig hasn't made a bad James Bond film yet. Spectre is his next step into the iconic role that's due to hit theaters on November 6, and it doesn't look likely to ruin his streak. Still, that's a long wait for such an exciting movie. If you're willing to possibly spoil just a little for yourself, a new featurette shows part of one of the big car chases right now. From what we've seen so far, the chase through Rome in Spectre has earned a good amount of screen time. While the reason for it in the plot is a mystery, that doesn't really matter anyway. What's important is that the scene stars Bond in the Aston Martin DB10 and a villain played by Dave Bautista in the now supercharged V8-powered version of the Jaguar C-X75 racing around the Italian capital's tight streets at night. This clip gives a glimpse at some of the work necessary to get the difficult filming completed. We've seen some of that effort before, though, when footage of the preparation for one shot leaked out. Craig reportedly sustained a pretty bad bump on the head during the shooting, and an earlier rumor also suggested that Bond might get behind the wheel of a Fiat 500 at some point in the scene.

Henrik Fisker presents 'Thunderbolt,' a take on the Aston V12 Vanquish

Henrik Fisker's name no longer even appears on the vehicles from his former brand, but since leaving the company, the man is slowly transitioning back into what made him famous in the first place: design. Fisker has already put pen to paper for a concept motorcycle and a carbon-fiber-bodied Ford Mustang. For his latest project, Fisker has made his unofficial return to Aston Martin to create a one-take on the Vanquish called the Thunderbolt. Debuting its carbon fiber skin at the 2015 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, Fisker keeps his transformation of the Vanquish far more subdued than his recent work on the Mustang. He enlarges the grille to take up the entire front end but retains Aston Martin's traditional shape, and the hood receives a power dome with triangular air intakes on each side. In profile, this is still clearly an Aston just sharper and leaner. It's also lowered 0.6 inches and rides on 21-inch wheels. A big change comes at the back where Fisker adds wraparound rear glass and transforms the taillights into thin strips of LEDs. The interior offers a mix of high-end leather and more carbon fiber, plus an 11.6-inch Curved Control Screen from Panasonic. Unfortunately, even if you have the means and want to buy this Thunderbolt, it's not for sale. However, Galpin Aston Martin is taking limited orders for a tweaked version with a revised front end that includes different intakes on either side of the grille and without the Panasonic infotainment screen. As designer for the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage, the Thunderbolt can be thought of as Fisker's return to the British brand, albeit in an unofficial and extremely limited way. Still, it's fascinating to get a glimpse at what the marque's models might look like, if he were still there. Related Video: HENRIK FISKER UNVEILS HIS LATEST DESIGN STUDY, A TIMELESS GT COUPE, AT 2015 AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE One-Off V12 Vanquish-Based Coupe Features Carbon Fiber Coach-Work and World's First Panasonic Curved Screen Infotainment System Amelia Island, Florida (March 14, 2015) – Henrik Fisker today took the wraps off of his latest design study, the "Thunderbolt," at the 2015 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. Designed by Henrik Fisker as a powerful GT coupe; this is his personal interpretation of how his Aston Martin V12 Vanquish coupe could look like.