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Aston Martin, Red Bull show off V12-powered hypercar

Not many companies are capable of developing true hypercars. Today, Aston Martin resoundingly declared it intends to be one of them, revealing a V12-powered mid-engine hypercar created in tandem with Formula One's Red Bull Racing. Codenamed the AM-RB 001, The two-seater will arrive in 2018 and will be built on a lightweight carbon-fiber structure. It will be assembled at Aston's Gaydon facility in the United Kingdom where the One-77 was built. Aston says between 99 and 150 road versions will be made, including the prototypes. Twenty five models will be created specifically for track use. Red Bull brags the customer list "reads like a who's who of F1 legends, moguls, and megastars." The AM-RB 001 is the fruit of a partnership between Aston and Red Bull that was announced in March. More details of the hypercar weren't immediately known, but the companies promise "unprecedented levels of downforce" created by aerodynamic elements underneath the car, which allows designers to execute the swoopy appearance shown in today's images. The V12 will be naturally aspirated, and the transmission and suspension are new designs developed by Red Bull. The power to weight ratio will be one horsepower to one kilogram, or 2.2 pounds. The projected will be marshaled by Aston chief creative officer, Marek Reichman, and David King, the carmaker's chief special operations officer who will oversee the build. Red Bull's side will be led by chief technical officer Adrian Newey. "The synergy between Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin is clear," Newey said in a statement. "I knew Red Bull Racing had the ability to handle the pure performance aspects, but Aston Martin's experience of making beautiful, fast, and comfortable GT cars is of great benefit to the project." Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Aston Martin Red Bull AM-RB 001 Design/Style Motorsports Aston Martin Coupe Performance Supercars F1 Red Bull Racing

Aston Martin Vantage AMR is road-going follow-up to AMR Pro

Two months ago, Aston Martin launched its new AMR line of vehicles with a pair of limited-edition cars. One was a slightly warmed-up Rapide sedan called the Rapide AMR, and the other was a track-only Vantage with a race-car-derived V8 called the Vantage AMR Pro. Now the company has released a third, or third and fourth depending on how you're counting, model that splits the difference. The new Vantage AMR, sans the Pro part, is available with either a V8 or a V12, and can be had as either a coupe or convertible. What make the Vantage AMR special are limited production and aesthetic upgrades. Only 300 examples will be made, 200 of which will have the V8, while the other 100 have the V12. The V8 doesn't make any more power than the standard model, but the V12 produces an extra 30 horsepower over the standard model for a total of 595. Aston Martin also offers an optional titanium exhaust to improve the sound of these engines and reduce weight, but it doesn't change output. Observers of these Astons will be able to spot them by their special paint schemes with a center stripe down the middle. The cars can be had in white with an orange stripe, black with a blue stripe, blue with a red stripe, or silver with a gray stripe. There's also a "Halo Pack" that includes a green paint scheme similar to Aston Martin's GT racing cars, complete with a lime green stripe. There's also a no-cost option to add an Aston Martin badge painted in the colors of the Union Jack. Every color combination comes with a color-coordinated interior, too. Just because this is a very rare Aston Martin doesn't mean there aren't any options. On the contrary, there are quite a few, mostly concerning appearances. On the outside, carbon fiber side skirts, headlight housings, and grille are all available. An aerodynamics kit is also available that adds a big rear wing, front splitter, and front canards for additional downforce. Lightweight forged wheels are also available. Inside, the carbon fiber decoration continues with available seats, instrument surround, window sills, and grab handles. Depending on whether you're converting Euros or British pounds, an Aston Martin Vantage AMR will start between about $125,000 or $143,000. That doesn't really matter, though, since the Vantage AMR won't be offered in the US. It will only be available in the UK, Europe, China, and the Asia Pacific region. Middle Eastern buyers can also pick one up, but only the V12 variant.

Aston Martin recalling majority of cars built since late 2007 over counterfeit Chinese parts

Back in June 2013, Aston Martin recalled just under 700 vehicles over faulty throttle arms that could break without warning. Bad news, for sure – and things just got a whole lot worse. According to Reuters, the British luxury brand now needs to recall 17,590 vehicles due to counterfeit plastic materials being used by a Chinese sub-supplier – that's roughly 75 percent of the company's output over the same period. Basically, here's how it boils down: with the exception of the Vanquish, Aston Martin will recall all left-hand-drive vehicles built since November 2007, and all right-hand-drive cars built since May 2012. Just as we told you in the recall notice from 2013, the accelerator arms in these cars may fracture, increasing the risk of a crash. Shenzhen Kexiang Mould Tool Co Limited, a Chinese company that molds the accelerator pedal arms in these affected models, was using counterfeit plastics, according to Reuters. These bad plastics were supplied by Synthetic Plastic Raw Material Co Ltd, of Dongguan. An Aston Martin spokesperson tells Reuters that there have been no reports of accidents or injuries in conjunction with this problem.