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California Aston Martin dealer adds pastel colors to model range

In certain areas of Southern California, daily sightings of late-model Aston Martins and Lamborghinis are nothing out of the ordinary. So, what do you do if you desperately want everyone to notice your sweet ride? The answer, one prominent Aston Martin dealer believes, is pastel paint. Aston Martin of Newport Beach is located in the heart of one of California's most car-rich (and actually rich) areas. The cool car-per-capita ratio is high enough to have spawned the original Cars & Coffee in the area's Crystal Cove shopping center in 2006, so you can imagine what an Aston owner must do to stand out. As such, the dealer has painted five models in five different hues of bright color, each a unique one of one example. For the paupers, there's the Vantage Coupe finished in a metallic light purple called Ultra Violet for $195,680. Next comes a Vantage droptop in an even lighter purple called Cardamum [sic] Violet for $203,880. Seemingly created specifically for a social media influencer or D-list celebrity is the $239,836 DBX crossover in an Easter egg pink called Vibrant Coral. For our money-no-object choice, it has to be the DB11 V8 Coupe in Butterfly Teal ($271,059). Topping the range is a baby blue DB11 Volante in Clear Water ($290,192). Each comes in an Obsidian and Ivory leather interior, with custom-painted trim to match the exterior. Of course, these come with a price, and the cost of these inlays ranges from $3,649 for the DB11 Coupe's to $8,300 for the DBX's. Most of them are between $5,000 and $6,000, which is a ridiculous amount for a handful of interior trim. On the other hand, the exterior paint is a $10,600 on all models except for the DBX, where it stickers at $12,000, which isn't bad for a high-end custom paint job. Each of the colors was inspired by the California coast, according to Aston Martin Newport Beach general manager Jeff West. "The pair of teal and blue DB11s are inspired by the clear Southern California skies and cool pacific waters of Crystal Cove; the purple and violet shades on the Vantages reflect the hillside wildflower blooms, and the vibrant coral DBX draws from the warm tones present in the cliffs above the ocean during our one-of-a-kind sunsets." While the colors may seem extreme, they do have a more subdued and tasteful quality than some of the custom purple or lime green wraps "designed" by social media influencers cruising around in L.A.

Aston Martin values electric propulsion over downsizing

Not even small-volume manufacturers are being exempt from the automotive industry's pursuit of higher efficiency and lower emissions. At present, that means either electric propulsion (whether in part or in whole) or downsizing conventional engines, and for Aston Martin, the future apparently lines in the former. "I see in our future obviously V12s, V8s and probably battery-electric cars," Aston's CEO Palmer revealed to Autocar. "As time evolves, there's probably an inevitability to hybridisation, simply because, car by car, you can only downsize so much. I'd rather put a hybrid in there than an in-line four-cylinder." So just how does the company envision implementing electric or hybrid propulsion? "Imagine something like a 4x4, 1,000-bhp silent Rapide. I think 'Power, Beauty, Soul' doesn't say it has to be a gasoline engine. It just needs to be really powerful, really beautiful and set your heart on fire," Palmer explained. "I'd argue that 1,000 bhp on the ground would probably do that for you. So that's the route we could go." The British automaker demonstrated the DBX concept with an all-wheel-drive electric powertrain at the Geneva Motor Show a few months ago, and is currently in the process of revitalizing and expanding its current product range. Of course Aston isn't the only high-end niche automaker faced with the decision to either downsize or add hybrid propulsion. Ferrari is taking both approaches, using smaller turbocharged engines in its V8 models and moving towards hybrids with its V12s. Porsche offers an array of plug-in hybrids and is in the process of downsizing and turbocharging its naturally aspirated engines. Pagani switched from a big V12 in the Zonda to a smaller turbo V8 in the Huayra. Bugatti is expected to use electric turbochargers in its Veyron successor. And Lamborghini was recently reported to be considering a turbo five for the Huracan.

2019 Aston Martin designed by Daniel Craig is this year's Neiman Marcus car

The Neiman Marcus holdiay gift catalog is known for its extravagant offerings that sometimes involve cars. One year there were gold-painted Infiniti Q60 coupes, and another year there weren't high-powered Mustang convertibles, which ended up at a Michigan Ford dealer. This year, Neiman Marcus is offering some special James Bond-themed 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera supercars. Only seven will be built, and they're all done to the specifications set by current 007 actor Daniel Craig. They're quite attractive and subtle, with a gray-blue paint and matching leather interior. Nothing changes on the performance front, but we doubt anyone will be disappointed by the 715 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque produced by the standard twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12. With each car, Neiman Marcus will include a special Omega Seamaster Diver 300M watch, with dials that have the trademark 007 gun barrel rifling design. And of course, only seven of these watches are being made. Buyers of the Aston and its watch will also get tickets to the world premiere of the latest Bond film, "No Time to Die." Also, 12% of the purchase price will go to Opportunity Network, a charitable organization that helps minority and low-income students get into and through college. All of this can be yours for the also-Bond-themed price of $700,007. That's more than twice the $304,995 base price of a normal Superleggera. Such is the cost of exclusivity.