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Aston Martin may soon follow Ferrari with a London IPO

Aston Martin may soon be following Ferrari's lead, as Automotive News reports that people within the British automaker say it may soon consider an initial public offering. If it happens Aston Martin will likely list in London, not New York like Ferrari. While some in the industry were initially wary of Ferrari's move, the company is doing better than ever, with shares rising 62 percent since its IPO in 2015. An IPO could be a huge plus for Aston Martin. The company is looking to boost both sales and profit. Ferrari and Aston Martin sell similar vehicles at similar price points, but Ferrari has a much wider audience, even if most of those fans will never even sit inside one of its cars. That would likely be a big sticking point in estimating Aston Martin's value. It also moves half as many units as Ferrari per year. Aston Martin does have a new crossover on the horizon. Like Porsche, a crossover has the potential to more than double the automaker's sales. Even without it, fourth quarter profits in 2016 notably increased, fueled by solid sales of the new DB11. The IPO won't happen until sometime next year. The company wants to wait on a full 2017 earnings report. Related Video: News Source: Aston Martin Earnings/Financials Rumormill Aston Martin Ferrari stock

Aston Martin DB11 stuns in leaked official images

The Geneva Motor Show officially kicks off when the world's press descends on the Palexpo this Tuesday and Wednesday, but we'd entertain an argument for a Monday kickoff. That's when Volkswagen will host its enormous Group Night event (so check back tomorrow afternoon for all the latest). But lazy Sunday evenings? No, that's for watching The Walking Dead. And, you know, looking at leaked images of cars meant to debut on Tuesday or Wednesday. So if, like us, you're taking a break from walkers, check out the new Aston Martin DB11. In news that isn't really news, it's gorgeous. The images, published by Carscoops, show a car heavily inspired by the DB10 concept car from the latest James Bond movie, Spectre, but it's designed for the real world. Things like crash zones, headlight regulations, cargo space, and even an opening hood all take their toll on the style of 007's latest ride, but the resulting coupe is still a beauty. We can see elements of the One-77 hypercar, especially in the rear window, quarter window, and haunches. But the roof and its silver arches, are all DBX Concept. Up front, there's much more in common with the DB10. The grille and headlights are unsurprisingly larger, with the former likely dictated by the need to cool the 5.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V12 and the later due to your basic headlight size requirements. And the wheels? Those are more or less plucked right from the Bond car. Look for the entire array of official images and details, including live shots from Geneva, later this week. Until then, have a look at the leaked shots from Carscoops. Related Video:

All 25 James Bond movies ranked only by their cars

There is no shortage of lists ranking the best James Bond movies. Ditto lists about the best or worst James Bond cars. I know, I've written some of them. As such, why not combine the two ideas into one new list that ranks all 25 official James Bond movies based exclusively on their cars, or more accurately their car content. I would then pull from my 25 years of James Bond nerddom plus the excellent "Bond Cars: The Definitive History" and our interview with long-time Bond special effects supervisor Chris Corbould to provide tidbits and factoids about the cars and their roles in the movies. And yes(!), this list now includes "No Time to Die," which impresses by adding plenty of car content to the series. It's now available on Blu-ray and download. To determine the list, I considered the inherent coolness of the cars as well as their importance to Bond, film and car history. I considered their importance to the story as well as the quality/excitement of the chases and scenes they participated in. Finally, I tried my best to divorce the car content from my opinions about the movies in general. That my personal list of best James movies looks nothing like this shows I was at least partially successful.     25. 'Moonraker' There are virtually no cars in "Moonraker." None. Oh, there's a gondola on wheels that makes a pigeon do a double-take, but that's not the same thing as a car. Neither is a golf cart. Or an ambulance. Or a space shuttle.   24. 'From Russia With Love' The literary James Bond mostly drove an ancient Bentley, and "From Russia with Love" is the only film in which it appears. It stays parked and the coolest thing that happens (by 1962 standards) is 007 answers its car phone. Thereafter, we get some old cars (even by 1962 standards) driving around Istanbul and a yellow truck. So yeah. Classic Bond film, a must-watch, just not for its car content.   23. 'Dr. No' History records that the first "Bond car" is the Sunbeam Alpine in "Dr. No." The car itself was literally borrowed from a Miss Jennifer Jackson of 53 Lady Musgrave Road in Jamaica for 10 pounds per day for two days during filming. Also, the stunt where it drove under an excavator blocking the road was entirely conceived because the filmmakers showed up to the road they intended to film on and discovered an excavator blocking the thing. Sadly, those are really the only two things interesting about the Alpine, which is a pretty small and dainty thing by Bond car standards.