2007 - Aston Martin Db9 on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin's upcoming hypercar officially named Valkyrie

For all of the awesome design and impressive promised performance of the upcoming hypercar from Aston Martin and Red Bull, it has had until now a terrible name. AM-RB 001 never really rolled off the tongue, nor did it evoke power and beauty like past Aston Martin names, such as Vanquish. But Aston has fixed that with the car's new name, Valkyrie. It's a solid name, one that comes from Norse mythology. Not only that, but it continues Aston's use of names starting with "V" (Vantage, Virage, Vulcan, et al). It's also way easier to say than the serial number that was the old name. We're looking forward to getting the full official specs, too. So far, we know it will have a V12, and the company is aiming for a one horsepower to one kilogram power-to-weight ratio, similar to that of the Koenigsegg One:1. We've also heard that Aston will sell just 175 cars, with each running about $3 million. Related Video:

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante

Recently, a fellow editor at AOL asked me to choose "the most beautiful car on the road" for a story he was preparing. I was allowed to choose any vehicle, at any price, as long as it was a model currently in production and offered for sale. The well-oiled gears in my head only needed to turn about half a revolution before I had an answer: The 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante. My decision was simple and my logic sound, because the two-seat Volante is jaw-droppingly gorgeous – whether in pictures or in person. Its long, slender chassis is covered in an artfully sculpted carbon-fiber skin that reeks of sexiness, power and exclusivity. In my mind, there's nothing on the road today with such exquisite lines. But a seductive appearance is meaningless if there's no substance beneath the skin. To allay my concerns, Aston Martin invited me to Palm Springs to spend a couple of days with the car. The region's desert topography promised nice weather and spectacular drive opportunities – that is, if I could stop staring and climb behind its wheel. The insulated triple-layer cloth on the Aston will expose the sky in about 14 seconds. Aston Martin launched its all-new 2014 Vanquish Volante at the last August's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Monterey as the successor to its DBS Volante. This two-seater is physically and mechanically identical to the Vanquish coupe, but the fixed carbon-fiber roof of the coupe has been replaced with a power-operated retractable soft top for open-air motoring. Before you question employing a soft folding roof on a $300,000 vehicle, let me remind you that such designs actually offer major advantages over today's folding hardtops. They are invariably lighter, far less complex, and their much more compact nature makes them easier to package without compromising a car's aesthetics. When engineered and executed properly, as is the case with the Volante, few will miss solid panels. The insulated triple-layer cloth on the Aston will expose the sky in about 14 seconds at the push of a switch, and it will rise or retreat at speeds up to 30 mph. Unlike its previous open-air executions, this is the first time that Aston Martin has built a convertible with a full-height windscreen, which means the front glass runs all the way up to the fabric roof for a much cleaner transition. The Volante, like all of its Aston Martin siblings, shares the automaker's Generation 4 VH platform, which is company-speak for an all-aluminum monocoque chassis.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage teased again

The newest Aston Martin V12 Vantage cometh. Although we don't know when it comes and we don't know how many, we know what its front kind-of looks like, we know what it sounds like, and thanks to another Twitter tease, we've got a glimpse of the rear end. Starting with that front aspect in the clouded image above, there will be an oversized grille like that on the Vantage F1 Edition with flanking intakes and a front lip spoiler. That lip will be aerodynamically entangled with some downforce-generating devices in back. The shaky-cam video tweet reveals a high wing with what look like serious endplates, and a double diffuser that would create additional ground-hugging suction over the standard car's diffuser. If the prototypes spotted at the Nurburgring can be trusted, a central exhaust will replace the tips normally existing under the diffuser wings. Do not go gentle into that good night.#AstonMartin #V12Vantage #NeverLeaveQuietly — Aston Martin (@astonmartin) December 21, 2021 The two previous V12 Vantages, parked behind the coming model in the photo above, have all been hardcore. This one, clearly, will go several leaps deeper into brutal territory. Considering CEO Tobias Moers' time heading AMG, this feels like the company skipping a predictable V12 Vantage and going straight to a V12 Vantage Black Series. This being the third teaser this month for what will become the flagship Vantage in the range, we get the feeling a reveal won't be more than a few weeks away. Rumors and whispers say we can expect the 5.5-liter twin-turbo V12 to produce somewhere around 670 horsepower, which would be 20 ponies down on the same engine in the Vantage-based Aston Martin Speedster unveiled last year, 40 ponies above the DB11 with the V12. The Supercar Blog heard that all the body panels will be carbon fiber, and that there will be just 299 examples built, all using an eight-speed automatic transmission. Moers has said he plans 10 derivatives of existing models by 2023, the V12 Vantage's tagline "Never Leave Quietly" leading us to believe this car will start the crescendo that announces the V12's exit. The next Vantage and DB11 will go all-electric, the automaker pledging all its road cars will be battery-electric by 2030, with ICE builds reserved for track purposes.