Beautiful Black On Black on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar F-Type squares off against Porsche 911, Aston V8 Vantage with Chris Harris

Chris Harris is back on the job, taking on really really difficult car questions like: Which enormously sexy and good-to-drive, high-performance convertible is the top of the heap? As one of the hottest cars in the luxury space right now, the Jaguar F-Type S is, of course, in on the action. Competition comes in the form of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster and the Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet. Sun-loving CEOs who despise test-driving need look no further.
Scroll on below for a fully featured (with a running time of more than 20 minutes) comparison video. Harris does his best to entertain - in a typically nitpicky and made-up-British-words fashion - and the moving pictures are lovely to look at. Kick back, pour a pint and get your weekend started off right.

Aston Martin Vulcan meets Avro Vulcan [w/video]

The Vulcan represents the very best that Aston Martin can do: a monstrous track car boiled down to its essence. But it's not the only Vulcan ever to roar out of the UK. Aviation enthusiasts will fondly recall the Avro Vulcan, an iconic jet bomber from the 1950s. There's only one such aircraft still capable of soaring through the skies, and now it's been brought together with its earthbound namesake. The Aston Martin Vulcan we already know, though not as well as we might like to. It's a track-bound supercar along the lines of the Ferrari FXX K or McLaren P1 GTR. But instead of a hybrid powertrain mounted amidships, it's got a naturally aspirated 7.0-liter V12 up front and kicking out over 800 horsepower. Unfortunately only 24 of them will be made, so even if you venture down to your local circuit for a track day, you're still not very likely to see one up close. Even rarer, though, is the Avro Vulcan. Part of the Royal Air Force armory from 1956 to 1984, the Vulcan was a giant delta-wing bomber that measured around 100 feet long (depending on the version) with a wingspan just as wide. Of the 136 that were made, only one – Vulcan XH558 – remains in operation, courtesy not of any national military but of the Vulcan To The Sky charitable trust. But it's about to be put to pasture as the centerpiece of the Vulcan Aviation Academy & Heritage Centre at Robin Hood Airport (seriously) near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Before Vulcan XH558 is retired, though, it's set to make one final flight. And in preparation for that historic event, it made a pass by Elvington Airfield for a brief – if distant – encounter with its namesake. The feat was pulled off purely for the photo op, so whether you're more into the car or the plane, you might as well check out the results in the gallery above and the brief video clip below. ASTON MARTIN VULCAN IN TRIBUTE TO ITS V BOMBER NAMESAKE 02 October 2015, Gaydon: As the last remaining airworthy Avro Vulcan prepares for its final flight later this month, the iconic 1950s British V bomber has been united with its modern namesake: the Aston Martin Vulcan. Vulcan XH558 – currently being operated by the charitable trust Vulcan To The Sky – is due to retire from 'active service' in October, going on to form the centrepiece of the educational Vulcan Aviation Academy & Heritage Centre at her home base, Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster.

Weekly Recap: Geneva's splendor reflects growing demand for ultra-luxury cars

Geneva is one of the most glittering auto shows in the world, but the list of high-powered and bespoke luxury cars was decadent this year even by the rich standards of the Swiss exhibition. It's great for enthusiasts to revel in the flame-throwing Aston Martin Vulcan, the racing-inspired elegance of the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept and the insane performance of the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce, but there's a reason for all of this opulence: the luxury market is big business. And it's growing. IHS Automotive forecasts that so-called ultra-premium sales will nearly triple this decade from 123,000 to 353,000 units around the world. The estimate includes brands like Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, but doesn't count BMW, Mercedes and Audi, which offer less expensive models in addition to their high-end flagships. Though IHS includes Porsche and its relatively large volume in the study, the ultra-premium segment is still set grow at about the same rate, even without the German automaker's figures. So what is propelling all of this growth in the most expensive segment of the auto industry? Put simply, there's more rich people. IHS Automotive principal analyst Tim Urquhart pointed to economic expansion in China, market recovery in the United States and a surge in the lucrative technology sector as contributing factors. This dovetails with a research report by UK-based Oxfam, an international relief organization, which found the world's richest one-percent owned 48 percent of global wealth in 2014, and it's expected to increase to more than 50 percent by 2016. View 17 Photos Carmakers are moving quickly to capitalize with new products, expanding their portfolios with low-volume speedsters like the 800-hp V12 Vulcan at Geneva, and plans to enter new segments, like Rolls-Royce's strategy to make an SUV. "Ultra-premium carmakers are looking to explore ways of growing their product offerings, and thus their bottom lines, in this most potentially profitable of segments," Urquhart wrote in a report on the Geneva show. In a nutshell, there are more choices for people with more money. It's a good time to have expensive taste. Other News & Notes 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata production launches It won't be long now. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata arrives later this year, and it's officially in production. Mazda announced this week that the roadster began rolling off the assembly line at its Ujina factory in Hiroshima, Japan.