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Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato set to dazzle Villa d'Este

Aston Martin and iconic Italian design house Zagato teamed up to create a striking carbon-fiber-bodied concept set to debut at a glitzy concours on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, this weekend. The Vanquish Zagato will be on display at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, marking the fifth time that Aston and Zagato have collaborated on a car over five decades, beginning with the DB4 GT Zagato in 1960. The Vanquish Zagato concept has taillights that use traditional Zagato styling, but also use the bladed LED technology from the Vulcan supercar. The rear styling evokes the DB11 and features a quad-exhaust system and retractable rear spoiler. A carbon-fiber sill runs around the body. The roof has a double-bubble profile that's a hallmark of Zagato design that dates to the 1950s. The cabin is loaded with more carbon fiber and leathers, and the seats have a Z quilted stitch pattern with more Zs in the headrests and the center console. Power comes from a naturally aspirated V12 uprated to 592 horsepower. "We pride ourselves on our strong partnership, and the creation of the Vanquish Zagato concept was a true shared experience," Zagato CEO Andrea Zagato said in a statement. "It represents the essence of an important design relationship that dates back over 50 years." Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato View 10 Photos Design/Style Aston Martin Coupe Performance Supercars aston martin vanquish concorso deleganza villa deste aston martin vanquish zagato

Mercedes increases stake in Aston Martin

As part of an increasingly close partnership, Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler is reportedly preparing to increase its stake in Aston Martin by another one percent, bringing the German automaker's shares in the British company up to five percent.
The rapprochement between the two has been in the works for years now, and is finally beginning to take form. Mercedes-AMG is in the midst of developing a new engine with and for Aston Martin in an apparently similar arrangement to that which it has with Pagani. But that's not the extent of it.
Daimler will also furnish Aston Martin with electrical systems and other components, said to lead up to the eventual sharing of platforms: one to underpin future GTs and another to serve as the basis for a long-mooted Aston Martin crossover, now said to be back on the table and slated to launch in 2017. The prospect of using the partnership to reinvigorate both the Lagonda and Maybach luxury brands, however, has since been taken off the table, with both parties continuing those projects independently.

The 11 best scenes from the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed

Over the last three days, the Goodwood Estate has played home to the eponymous Festival of Speed. Thrown by the biggest gearhead in the British aristocracy – Charles Gordon-Lennox, the Earl of March and Kinrara – the Festival of Speed is essentially a tremendous, gasoline-fuelled party, complete with a very large lawn sculpture, that features the world's hottest, weirdest, fastest, and loudest race, production, and historic models. While there are quite literally dozens and dozens of videos from the event – not to mention the full-day replays (of which only day one is available, at present) – we've sifted through them to pluck away the very best. There's stuff from the official Goodwood YouTube channel, as well as several videos from automakers and other third-party channels, and it's all available below. 2015 Ford Mustang GT350R Looks Barely Controllable If you thought the highest-performance Ford Mustang would somehow get more tractable or civilized once it moved to an independent rear suspension, this video shows you have nothing to worry about. Watch as an unnamed driver wrestles the new Shelby GT350R and its flat-plane, 5.2-liter V8 up the hillclimb circuit. Even with the new suspension and sticky tires, this Mustang wants to go any direction but straight, especially following its launch. 2016 Ford Focus RS, Is Very Loud, Blue Ken Block makes his first appearance on our list. Before he steps into his Hoonicorn Mustang, though, the Gymkhana expert tackled the hill in the all-new Focus RS. The vicious bellow of the 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder is the star of this commentary-free video, although the gorgeous Nitrous Blue paint job is a nice accompaniment, as well. 1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn Runs Hill, Nearly Kills Lord March Mr. Block's two runs behind the wheel of the Hoonicorn were, unsurprisingly, very eventful. While one attempt goes off without a hitch, seeing the American rally driver slip and slide his way to the top of the hill while taking a short break for a donut, the other is slightly more dramatic. Block, along with Lord March in the passenger seat, carries a bit too aggressive an angle into a turn and nearly puts the NASCAR-powered Mustang into the hay bales. Check out the first video above, and the second one below. Kimi Raikkonen Makes Us Miss F1's V8 Era The latest Formula One cars have been maligned for the lackluster noise produced by the new 1.6-liter, turbocharged V6.