2019 Aston Martin Vantage on 2040-cars

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You can't buy an Aston Martin GT8, but you can configure one

Aston Martin launched an online configurator for the Vantage GT8, a limited-edition sports car that will be sold in other markets. The GT8, revealed last month, is arguably the ultimate version of the Vantage to date: all the extreme aero from the previous GT12, but with less mass up front. Its atmospheric 4.7-liter V8 engine churns out 446 horsepower through a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic to the rear wheels. The overall package represents the most direct translation we've seen of Aston Martin Racing's victorious racers to the road. And with turbo power enveloping the factory at Gaydon (and the AMG engine workshop in Germany), it may be the last of the great naturally aspirated Astons ever. The company will make 150 copies. The configurator offers a choice of 35 exterior colors, along with eight "accent packs," four special racing-inspired liveries, a quartet of wheel choices, six colors of brake caliper, a whole mess of carbon-fiber exterior components, and an aggressive aero kit. On aesthetic grounds alone, we'd be inclined to leave off those oversized wings, spec most of the carbon trim pieces, go with a subdued shade of green, and just the right amount of red to make it pop. Waste a few minutes (or hours) with the web tool and see how you'd spec yours. Related Video:

2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S coming to US with manual

A few years back, the lovely Aston Martin V12 Vantage was available with an honest-to-goodness six-speed manual transmission. It was capable of instilling serious cognitive dissonance. "If I sell the cars, the furniture, and remortgage the house twice ..." That sort of thing. The package is back, in a sense. For the 2017 model year, Aston will produce the V12 Vantage S with a seven-speed manual transmission. And not the automated manual business supplied by Graziano, that has attracted my ire for being about as subtle as a kick in the pants. There's a human-operated clutch and a proper manual lever. It gets better, at least if you're a manual-transmission geek. Aston fitted a dogleg box to this car, meaning first gear is to the left and down, below reverse and where second gear would sit in a traditional H-pattern floor shifter. Less traditional is the throttle-blipping function, which will make downshifts smoother for those unable or unwilling to heel-toe. If AMSHIFT, which is Graydon's code-word for the system, is not your thing it can be disabled or used in any driving mode. More good news: there's no real penalty for choosing the manual over the Sportshift III transmission. The two cars are mechanically the same, offer the same performance metrics and top speed, and are offered at the same basic price. New for 2017 but not exclusive to the manual are many exterior and interior cosmetic options, like brightly-colored exterior accents, in line with Aston's recent styling trends. As the subtitle suggests, there is a serious catch for Americans. It's not that we won't get the V12-manual combination – we will! – it's just that there won't be very many of them. It'll be a no-cost option in the rest of the world. If you want one, let's hope you've stopped reading this article the first few lines and hopped on the phone with your local Aston dealer to get a place on what looks like a very short list. Related Video:

Aston Martin makes RapidE electric car a limited edition after LeEco pulls out

Aston Martin was forced to scale back production plans for its first electric model after cash-strapped investment partner LeEco pulled out of the project, Chief Executive Andy Palmer told Reuters on Monday. The result, though, may be an even more exclusive car, aimed at customers who consider Tesla's top of the range $130,000 Model S to be a little too run of the mill. Aston Martin will build only 155 of its RapidE, about a third of the initial plan, and lean more heavily on Formula One engineering specialist Williams after the withdrawal of Chinese TV and smartphone vendor LeEco, Palmer said. The setback and Aston's response underscore the challenges and risks niche carmakers face as they scramble to address future demand for electrification from consumers and regulators. While the privately held Aston Martin brand benefits from the endorsement of fictitious spy James Bond, it lacks the backing of a large automotive parent that many rivals enjoy. "We've decided to make this car rare, which will obviously tend to push the price higher," Palmer said. "Aston Martin now plans to proceed independently, funding further development of RapidE by ourselves." Palmer agreed to be interviewed after sources told Reuters Aston Martin's partnership with LeEco had unraveled. Unveiling the alliance in February last year, LeEco and Aston pledged to launch an all-electric version of the Rapide S sedan in 2018. But the Chinese conglomerate has since slashed its electric car investments, including its U.S. startup Faraday Future's planned $1.3 billion factory in Nevada. Some Faraday suppliers, including seat maker Futuris and media provider Mill Group, have sued the company for non-payment, according to court records. Spokesmen for LeEco and Faraday did not respond to requests for comment on the end of the Aston partnership. Aston Martin declined to discuss its partner's business. $250,000 PRICE TAG Aston returned to profit in the first quarter, a decade after it was sold by Ford. Now owned by private equity groups Investindustrial and Kuwait's Investment Dar, the company is rolling out a new model each year under a taut recovery plan drawn up by Palmer, who joined from Nissan in 2014. Without LeEco's backing, the sports carmaker, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire, is pushing ahead as sole investor in the electric car, after paring down production and pushing back the launch date to 2019. The plan won board approval on June 21.