2009 Aston Martin Vantage Convertible $154k Msrp on 2040-cars

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Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll leads $240 million Aston Martin investment

After months of rumors and speculation, Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll confirmed he led the purchase of a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin for GBP182 million ($239 million). The investment is part of a GBP500 million ($656 million) round of emergency funding that will help the British automaker overcome serious financial challenges. Yew Tree Overseas Limited, a consortium of international investors led by Stroll, built its stake by buying 45.6 million new ordinary Aston Martin shares on the London Stock Exchange, according to Autocar. Aston Martin raised the remaining GBP318 million ($417 million) by giving existing investors the opportunity to buy more shares, the BBC learned. It's not a full bailout, but it's close. Aston Martin ended 2019 in dire financial straits. Stroll will replace Penny Hughes as Aston Martin's chairman; CEO Andy Palmer is expected to keep his job. Several sources confirmed the Racing Point Formula One team owned by Stroll will be rebranded Aston Martin after the 2020 season, and Autocar reported the company will quickly need to eliminate jobs and slash costs. "The difficult trading performance in 2019 resulted in severe pressure on liquidity, which has left the company with no alternative but to seek substantial additional equity financing. Without this, the balance sheet is not robust enough to support the operations of the group," Hughes admitted in an interview with the BBC. Stroll's' appointment to the Aston Martin board comes as the company prepares to overhaul its product plan. It notably confirmed the rumors claiming it put the battery-powered Rapide project on the back burner until further notice, and it delayed plans to revive the Lagonda nameplate on a series of extra-luxurious electric vehicles until after 2025. The first car was originally scheduled to reach the market in 2022, but the battery technology is expensive to develop, and Aston must save about 10 million pounds (around $13 million) annually. The firm will instead focus on mid-engined sports cars. Still according to Autocar, it will begin delivering the 1,160-horsepower Valkyrie hypercar this year, and it's on track to launch the Valhalla in 2022. The Vanquish will go mid-engined shortly after. Delaying electric cars doesn't mean abandoning electrification, and Aston Martin hopes to release "a fuel-efficient, modular V6 engine with hybrid capabilities" by the middle of the 2020s.

This Aston Martin aircraft should be James Bond's next ride

Aston Martin is claiming the sky as it shows off its VTOL hybrid-electric aircraft. The Volante Vision Concept is Aston Martin's solution to reducing congestion in cities and towns. The luxury VTOL aircraft seats 3 adults and includes a windshield HUD delivering vital flight information. Transcript: The future of commuting, Aston Martin's Volante Vision Concept is a luxury VTOL aircraft. Aston is preparing for a world where flight plays a bigger role in daily travel. It is the product of a joint venture with Cranfield University, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and Rolls-Royce. Aston says it's a "near-future study" that previews both urban and inter-city travel. Fitting up to three adults, this flying hybrid-electric vehicle aims to be autonomous. Inside, the surrounding windshield provides a HUD delivering vital flight information. Forgoing a traditional airplane design the Volante Vision Concept looks more like a Quadcopter. "With the population in urban areas continuing to grow, congestion in towns and cities will become increasingly demanding. We need to look at alternative solutions to reduce congestion, cut pollution and improve mobility," says Aston Martin President and CEO Dr. Andy Palmer. Now let's see James Bond fly this around.

Supercar parade entering highway is mesmerizing

In what must have looked and sounded to motorists on the M6 like an invasion of The Swarm, a parade of 50 enthusiast gems leaving a charity event were caught shooting down the on-ramp and merging into traffic. There were plenty of Porsches joining the 959 and Ducktail above, Aston Martins going back to the badboy V8 of the last millennium, a Ferrari Testarossa, a TVR and numerous other Easter eggs.
There were not, however, plenty of turn signals, with someone counting just five among the fifty engaging in proper use of the blinker. One reason put forth for that is the same reason we're posting this video, which is from last Summer, below: "because supercar." Enjoy.