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Listen to the Aston Martin Vulcan do what it was meant to

What happens when a world-class sports car manufacturer and racing team is permitted to design a vehicle from the ground up with no rules to follow? Something along the lines of the Aston Martin Vulcan, that's what. Built neither for the road nor for any racing series, the Vulcan is part of a new class of dedicated track cars. And as you can see from this latest video, it's all but completely unhinged. The Vulcan represents Gaydon's answer to the likes of the Ferrari FXX K and McLaren P1 GTR. It packs a 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V12 at the front of an aluminum chassis with carbon-fiber bodywork. It weighs less than 3,000 pounds, but packs 800 horsepower – without a hybrid system or turbo spool in sight. In short, it's takes the best from Aston's road cars and its race cars, amps them up to 11, and abides by none of the rules they need to. Apart from some preliminary teasers, a run up the hill at Goodwood, and a brief (but static) encounter with its Cold War, airborne namesake, this represents a rare opportunity to see – and most importantly hear – the Vulcan do what it's designed to do. With only 24 to be made and each priced at over $2 million, this may be the closest you'll ever get. So go full-screen and crank the speakers to enjoy the unbridled show.

Bond in Motion car exhibit coming to L.A.'s Petersen Automotive Museum

The Petersen Automotive Museum was already a must-see for any car enthusiast visiting Los Angeles, and it's about to get a little better should you also be a James Bond fan. Opening Sept. 25 in the museum's appropriately named Grand Salon gallery will be the "Bond in Motion" exhibit of more than 30 cars, motorcycles, boats, submarines, helicopters and scale models used during the creation of the 24 official James Bond films. The timing corresponds with the Oct. 8 release of "No Time to Die," the upcoming 60th anniversary of the first Bond movie ... and hey, the release of our "All 24 James Bond movies ranked only by their cars." Highlights include many of the most famous Bond cars, including a 1977 Lotus Esprit S1 in submarine guise from "The Spy Who Loved Me," an Aston Martin V8 from "The Living Daylights," a 1999 BMW Z8 from "The World is Not Enough," the Aston Martin DB10 specially made for "Spectre," the post-flipped Aston Martin DBS from "Casino Royale," and one of the 1964 Aston Martin DB5s from the recent movies. I visited an exhibit of the same name back in 2013 at England's sensational Beaulieu Motor Museum. Although the one in L.A. won't be as comprehensive as that, simply due to logistics, many of the same vehicles and props will be present. You can see some of the photos from that exhibit below, and should you be a James Bond fan, can appreciate that it went much further than the Aston-heavy headliners above. In fact, it was hard to see what was missing from the collection. Tickets are on sale for the opening reception Sept. 23 featuring "one-night-only photo opportunities, live entertainment, food and martinis, shaken not stirred." Considering this is Los Angeles we're talking about, it's perfectly plausible this means noteworthy cast members from past films. Prices are $60 for general admission and $199 for VIP access, which includes exclusive access to the exhibit, "007 lounge" and a curated talk, plus complimentary food and a hosted bar.  The exhibit runs until October 2022.  AMC Hornet and Mercury Cougar XR7 View 22 Photos  

Aston Martin reportedly cancels electric RapidE amid money troubles

Aston Martin's first production-bound electric car won't be based on the Rapide after all, according to a recent report. The British firm allegedly canceled the RapidE project after several costly delays. British magazine Autocar learned from a source close to Aston Martin that it has consigned the sedan to the automotive attic to focus on ramping up production of the DBX, its first SUV. It's a hugely important model that will make or break the company's 2020 balance sheet. Other seemingly random projects like the ACH130 helicopter co-developed with Airbus are much less distracting because there's little substance to them; it's essentially just a nice interior and an eye-catching paint job. The RapidE, however, was a new car under a familiar body. Presented as "a truly historic step" that would pelt Aston into the world of electrification, it snubbed the Rapide's 6.0-liter V12 and instead offered drivers an electric powertrain with 610 horsepower and a 65-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. The firm quoted a 200-mile driving range, which is on par with the Porsche Taycan's EPA rating, and a 4-second sprint to 60 mph, which is about as quick as a gasoline-burning Rapide. Development work began in 2015 with the help of LeEco, a Chinese tech giant-turned-electric car manufacturer founded by Jia Yueting, the man behind Faraday Future. Aston Martin chose to finish funding the project on its own after money trouble forced LeEco out. Williams Advanced Engineering provided its expertise, but Aston Martin had to foot the bill on its own, so the RapidE went from a low-volume model to a limited-edition sedan. Aston Martin planned to make 155 examples of the RapidE in a new facility located in St. Athan, Wales. Each one carried a price tag reading "on application," which is automaker-speak for "really expensive," and one was spoken for by James Bond. We reached out to the company to verify Autocar's report, but were told they couldn't comment on future product speculation. There's no word yet on what this means for the other electric cars Aston has in the pipeline, including two luxury sedans previewed by concepts and intended to revive the dormant Lagonda name in the early 2020s. Featured Gallery Aston Martin Rapide E:Auto Shanghai 2019 View 11 Photos Green Aston Martin Electric Sedan