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Aston Martin working on an inline-six to replace Mercedes-sourced V8?

There's no straight line to figuring out whether Aston Martin plans a straight-six motor for future products. In March, comments by the automaker's chief engineer for vehicle attributes, Matt Becker, led many to believe the British firm could use the Mercedes-AMG 3.0-liter hybridized inline-six from the new CLS53. A week later, Becker said his comments had been misconstrued, that he "was speaking in more general terms that we might have to one day look at downsizing engines." Autocar just threw a new curve, citing "a source close to the firm" to report that Aston Martin's working on its own straight-six. The English outlet says the deal Aston Martin signed with Mercedes-AMG was a stopgap deal while Aston Martin worked on proprietary engines. The report says the inline-six developed in Gaydon would eventually replace the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 currently powering the DB11 and Vantage. If this purported inline-six were augmented with electrification, perhaps developed with help from the electric Rapid E program, it could make more sense of Becker's first, misconstrued comments. At the time, Becker said the Mercedes hybridized engine "could fit with the brand in the future." Taken generally, he could have meant an Aston Martin version of the German engine. The certainty is that there's a six-cylinder coming for larger-volume series production models, yet the reports and denials put competing rumors and powerplants in play. Aston Martin installs a 5.2-liter V12 in the DBS Superleggera, and Autocar suspects an inline-six could be derived from that engine. The automaker already has a six-cylinder in development, though, that being the turbocharged hybrid V6 said to be headed to the Ferrari- and McLaren-fighting Valhalla. Creating two new six-cylinder engines in different formats seems an odd choice for a tiny manufacturer. What about the rumors that say the DBX crossover could get a six-cylinder? In July, when Motoring asked chief creative officer Marek Reichman about it, he said the DBX "could [use a Mercedes-sourced six-cylinder], because that would be a pretty good engine and combination. Potentially." Autocar suggests, however, that the DBX will be first in line for the in-house inline engine. Aston Martin has a storied history with the inline-six, all of them with links to other automakers. The legendary inline-six in the original DB cars of the mid-20th century were originally drawn up by Walter Owen Bentley - yes, that W.O.

How chasing Ferrari improved Aston Martin, with help from Mercedes-Benz

GAYDON, England — After decades of ups and downs, British carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda is charting a more efficient and profitable way forward, leaning on technology from shareholder Mercedes-Benz to make the costly leap to electric vehicles (EVs). Less than two years after billionaire Lawrence Stroll drove to the rescue of James Bond's car brand of choice, Aston Martin has undergone a manufacturing makeover to lift margins and help it become more like rival Ferrari. Stroll, Aston Martin's largest shareholder and executive chairman, who is also an avid fan of Ferrari, says after vehicle sales jumped 82% in 2021 the carmaker's transformation to long-term profitability is well under way, with new cars coming and funding secured through 2025. But analysts say Aston Martin, which has gone bust seven times since it was founded in 1913 and has flirted with death as often as Agent 007, is still burning through piles of cash. Some question its ability to generate Ferrari-like sales to fund the vast cost of electrification. "It's precarious and it is possible for this company to go bust," said Redburn equity research analyst Charles Coldicott. "I don't think it's a controversial thing to say even though Aston wouldn't like to hear it." Asked to comment on perceptions of a shaky future, an Aston Martin spokesman reiterated Stroll's view that the carmaker is well on the way to long-term profitability and that it has adequate access to cash. On a tour of the carmaker's Gaydon factory, Tobias Moers, formerly head of Mercedes' high-performance AMG brand and Aston Martin chief executive since August 2020, rattles off a list of moves including cutting one of two assembly lines and bringing more bespoke items like seats in-house. Perhaps the biggest shift has been to focus on higher-value customer-driven and customized orders — a big part of Ferrari's success — rather than over-producing and churning out sports cars wholesale, which then had to be discounted. "When I came in, the company was manufacturing-dominated instead of engineering-led, which for an auto luxury business is insane," Moers said. "In a company this size, you need maximum flexibility and agility." Moers has cut Aston Martin's inventory to 600 sports cars from 2,000 — its cars sell for an average of around 150,000 pounds ($195,750) — and customized orders now account for 50% of sales versus 6% when he joined the firm. At that point, the carmaker was in trouble after a disastrous 2018 public listing.

Zagato receives a pair of 600-hp Aston Martin V12s for its private collection

Enthusiasts who missed their chance to buy the limited-edition Aston Martin V12 Zagato released in 2012 are in luck. British manufacturer R-Reforged received permission from both brands to build 38 more cars, split evenly between coupes and convertibles, and it has just completed the first prototypes in its Warwick, England, facility. Fittingly, the first pair was ordered by Andrea and Marella Zagato, and it's headed for the coachbuilder's private collection. The roadster is finished in a darker shade of gold, while the coupe is painted silver, and each color shows up again on the center console. Both cars ride on the same center-locking 19-inch wheels, and they receive a plaque in the engine bay that certifies they were built specifically for Mr. and Mrs. Zagato.  R-Reforged didn't settle for copying and pasting the original blueprints. It made small but significant changes to the cars, including giving the front end a new-look splitter and redesigned fenders. Zagato's signature double-bubble roof remains, but the rear end gains active aerodynamic components that keep the car planted on the ground at autobahn speeds without altering its lines. Carbon fiber body panels help offset the system's weight. Power still comes from a 5.9-liter V12, but it has been tuned to develop 600 horsepower, an 80-horse increase over the original V12 Zagato. Suspension and chassis modifications make the car lower and wider, too. Just 19 pairs will be built in the coming months, and pricing for the duo starts at $2.2 million. Twelve workers make each car by hand, so building one takes up to 16 weeks. R-Reforged told Autoblog there are still some build slots left, but the catch is that the coupe and the convertible are exclusively sold as a pair, which is good news for people who buy supercars like they buy flip-flops. From there, anything is possible. Buyers can request that both cars be built to the exact same specifications, or they can work with the design team to personalize each one.