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The Aston Martin Vantage Red Bull Racing Edition doesn't have an F1 engine but still looks sweet

The Aston Martin Vantage could rival the Jeep Wrangler when it comes to the number of variants and special editions it has spawned. The latest version of Aston's smaller sports car is the Red Bull Racing Edition, inspired by Aston Martin's partnership with the Formula 1 team of the same name. The appearance package is fitted by Aston Martin's Q division and is available on both the V8 Vantage and V12 Vantage S models starting this spring, just after the 2017 F1 season gets underway. Aside from the cylinder count, a customer's only option is deciding which one of three colors (gloss or matte Mariana Blue or gloss Tungsten Silver) with either red or yellow lipstick, brake calipers, and side strake accents. In addition, the unpainted portions of the grille, splitter, diffuser, and side strakes are all bare carbon fiber. Inside, the black seats come with contrasting red stitching and the Red Bull Racing logo embroidered on the headrests. The door sill and inspection plaques can be signed by either Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Ricciardo or Max Verstappen. Tough choice. While there are no mechanical upgrades like a hybrid turbocharged V6 or a movable rear wing to really tie the car in with its F1 counterpart, it is one of the better special editions available. The car will be powered by either a 430-horsepower 4.7-liter V8 or a 565-horsepower 5.9-liter V12. Aston hasn't announced pricing or US availability, but based on the popularity of Formula 1 in the States, don't expect to see too many of these on the road. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin V8 and V12 Vantage S Red Bull Racing View 21 Photos News Source: Aston Martin Design/Style Marketing/Advertising Aston Martin Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance Red Bull Racing aston martin v8 vantage aston martin v12 vantage aston martin vantage aston martin v12 vantage s

Buy Sir Stirling Moss's '54 Aston Martin DB3S for just $10m

Bonhams estimates this rare 1954 Aston Martin DB3S will fetch as much as $10 million when it hits the auction block late next month. The fifth of 31 examples (and only 11 works racers) built, this particular DB3S was originally built for the private use of the company's owner David Brown. But after three other examples were destroyed at Le Mans in 1954, Brown handed his car over to the racing department, which replaced the fiberglass bodywork with aluminum and put it to work. Drivers like Sir Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, and Roy Salvadori drove it at Spa, the Nurburgring, and the Mille Miglia. As if that provenance weren't enough, the roadster then went on to appear in the '60s comedy School for Scoundrels alongside Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, and Janette Scott – plus an Austin-Healey 100-Six and a 1928 Bentley 4 1/2 -Litre Open Tourer dubbed the "Swiftmobile." Bonhams has chassis number DBS3S/5 consigned for its upcoming sale at the old Aston Martin Works factory in Newport Pagnell. With all that history, the auction house anticipates it will sell for GBP6,000,000-7,000,000 – equivalent to $8.5-10 million at current exchange rates. That would, according to the records at Sports Car Market, make it one of the most valuable Astons ever sold at auction, besting the DB3S that Gooding & Company sold in 2014 for $5.5 million. Related Video: THE 1954 ASTON MARTIN DB3S: CAR OF THE SILVER SCREEN RACED BY THE GREAT STIRLING MOSS, NOW OFFERED AT BONHAMS A rare Aston Martin Works team car – chassis number DB3S/5 – which was campaigned in period by such legendary racing drivers as Sir Stirling Moss, Peter Collins and Roy Salvadori, and latterly went on to co-star with Terry-Thomas in 1960s movie classic 'School for Scoundrels', will be offered at Bonhams Aston Martin Works Sale on 21 May 2016. It is estimated at GBP6,000,000-7,000,000. This historic Aston Martin began life as the personal road car of David Brown, the multi-millionaire industrialist owner of the Aston Martin marque. Under Brown's reign the legendary post-World War 2 'DB' series of Aston Martin cars were built, including the Atom, the DB2, DB3, DB4, DB5, DB6, DB7, DB9 and the DBS, all named using Brown's initials. Aston Martin also built a number of DB3S models for the Works racing team.

Aston Martin find unique way to recycle scraps of leather

Ever wonder what happens to the scraps of leather left over after skilled craftsmen are done upholstering the interior of a luxury automobile? There's a lot of hide left over, as we've seen first-hand from visiting the upholstery workshops at various factories, but much of the waste is made up of tiny cutoffs. Some of those pieces might be used for repair kits, some scraps for smaller pieces of merchandise, while others might be sold to nearby craftsmen. Aston Martin found a different use for some of its leftovers. The British automaker put down a canvas in the VIP atrium at its headquarters in Gaydon, UK, and equipped a team of artisans with a whole pile of leather samples. What they did with it is perhaps the most compelling example of recycling we've seen to date. The end result, as you can see from this latest video, is an artistic representation of the Vanquish, made entirely out of leather – as if the interior of the luxurious sports car isn't already clad in enough of the stuff. Of course, it doesn't have the Vanquish's 6.0-liter V12 and its 568 horsepower, so unlike most Astons, it won't be going anywhere in a hurry. Perhaps it could be hung in the upholstery workshop for future workers to admire. Related Video: