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Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster in the metal in Monterey

Even surrounded by glamorous people and a plethora of extremely exotic vehicles on the lawn of the Quail, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster sticks out as something just a little bit more special. Under the Monterey sun all of the carbon fiber on the hood and in the air dam pops out from the shining ruby red paint. The aggressive looks are deserved though, because the latest roadster might be one of the most impressive droptop GTs ever to come out of Aston Martin. Under that louvered bonnet is a tuned version of Aston's long-lived 6.0-liter V12 – it's 44 pounds lighter, too. Plus, this engine is mated to the brand's latest Sportshift III seven-speed sequential gearbox to rocket it to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 201 miles per hour. Features like adaptive dampers, two-stage ABS and carbon-ceramic brakes, make the new V12 Vantage Roadster an even more intriguing and capable package. Of course, this Vantage is a head-turner even without those 12 cylinders ready to make a very sweet noise at the press of the throttle. Check it out from all angles in the gallery.

Mid-engine Aston Martin Project 003 supercar teased

Aston Martin has officially announced its next mid-engine supercar with a teaser and a working name: "Project 003." From the teaser image, it should be a stunner with a body that's all curves and wide athletic haunches. We also dig the exhaust outlets through the engine cover. Aston says the supercar will borrow some technology from the Valkyrie, with that car's lightweight construction, active aerodynamics and active suspension likely candidates. Still, Project 003 will be a very different vehicle. For one thing, it doesn't have an absurdly high-revving naturally aspirated V12. Instead, it's a gas-powered, turbocharged hybrid. Aston Martin hasn't said how many cylinders, but it seems safe to say it will have at least eight. Then there's the fact that this will be more practical for road use, with Aston specifically mentioning that this car will actually have luggage space. How novel! We expect that the car will be a bit more civilized in the ride and noise departments, too. Aston Martin says that the first of 500 total examples will reach owners starting in late 2021. While it hasn't said for sure, we expect to see the car unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Between the show and when it reaches customers, it will probably get a real name, just as the Valkyrie began life as Project 001, and the Valkyrie AMR Pro was Project 002. Related Video: Green Aston Martin Coupe Hybrid Luxury Supercars

Lotus and Aston Martin to hook up?

This has been a tumultuous year for Lotus - to say the least - from the company being sold off back in January to its CEO Dany Bahar being fired in June to its questionable financial status and rumors of the British automaker being sold off to another automaker. First, we heard that Volkswagen was interested in acquiring Lotus and parent company Proton, a rumor that was later dismissed. Now Automobile is reporting that fellow Brit Aston Martin could be in the market to work with or possibly even merge with Lotus.
While this is pure speculation at this point, such a venture could prove to be beneficial for both independent companies. That's because with Lotus focused on lightweight, relatively affordable sports cars and Aston Martin producing high-end performance cars, there is virtually no product overlap between the companies. The article suggests that a person or company wanting to merge these two automakers would have to raise between $1.1 billion and $1.6 billion in order to make a go of it, however.
We're not sure what to think of this latest rumor, but anything that can help get the struggling brand back to health at least has our interest.