2dr Conv Spo Convertible 4.7l Nav Cd Convertible (power) Leather Seats Homelink on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Aston Martin to race with solar power

Aston Martin may be more about luxury GTs than performance-obsessed supercars, but when it comes to racing, it's no holds barred. Aston Martin Racing has developed competition-spec versions of the Vantage and DB9, and even done a few LMP1 prototypes. But while some have been powered by V8s and others by V12s, the one underlying commonality is that they have all – in contrast with championship-winning diesel and hybrid prototypes – been powered exclusively by internal-combustion engines burning gasoline. That's what makes this announcement noteworthy. At Le Mans last weekend, the factory team announced a partnership with the Hanergy Global Solar Power & Applications Group that will see solar panels installed on the roof of the Vantage GTE it fields in the World Endurance Championship. Only the thin panels won't be powering the wheels, boosting the engine somehow or powering the batteries for a hybrid assist. They'll be used to power the air conditioning system. Which may seem inconsequential, but when you consider that the AC typically saps power from the engine – and it can sap quite a lot on a hot race day – that could amount to a serious performance advantage while keeping the drivers comfortable. While the system wasn't ready to use at Le Mans last weekend, temperatures at the French track don't get too high, so the air-con wouldn't likely be a big factor. The team (operated on Aston's behalf by Prodrive) does expect, however, to have the system up and running in time for next round at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where it can get insufferably hot. Aston and Hanergy also hope to install the system on the V12 Vantage GT3 and V8 Vantage GT4 it supplies to customer teams, and install solar panels on the roof of the new facility Prodrive is building in Banbury, UK. Aston Martin Racing Joins Hanergy in Solar-Powered Project Le Mans, 13 June 2014 - Banbury, 13 June 2014 - Aston Martin Racing has signed a partnership agreement with solar technologies experts Hanergy Global Solar Power & Applications Group, in a project exploring how the sun's energy can be used to improve race car performance at the pinnacle of sportscar racing, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), starting with the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend (14-15 June).

Episode 2 of The Grand Tour will feature knives, explosions, guns, and also cars

Following an immensely successful debut, The Grand Tour will follow up its first episode with exciting, dangerous things. Based on the trailer above, the episode will start peacefully enough with the trio driving up to the tent in South Africa with a convoy of off-road trucks. However, it seems each segment will be much more exciting. Right at the start of the trailer, there are clips of the Aston Martin Vulcan, a 7.0-liter, 820-horsepower V12 supercar, which will likely be the car tested at the "Ebola-drome" this week. Of course the car is communist because it doesn't have a V8. Then things get steadily more dangerous through the trailer. James May is shown as a somewhat unwilling participant at some sort of drifting exhibition. He apparently doesn't like tire smoke in the evenings. We also see that the trio went to Jordan for another segment. This is when we get a glimpse of Richard Hammond playing with large knives. Immediately following are clips of some sort of car chase challenge with large SUVs and luxury sedans, during which James May shoots an assault rifle out the back of an Audi S8. The shooting results in big explosions. It's worth a look yourself, to get in the mood for the next episode which hits Amazon on Friday. Related Video:

So we think the Aston Martin DB11 Volante is coming in Spring 2018

Most automakers go out of their way to disguise new cars. There's camouflage and body cladding and if a spy photographer does get close enough to get a snap, engineers usually greet them with certain hand gestures. Aston Martin is not most automakers – instead of hiding the new DB11 Volante, it headed to the Arctic Circle in an undisguised car with a "DB11 – Opening Spring 2018" sign on each door. Subtle, guys. The new images of the droptop DB11 should assuage the emotions of critics of the hardtop model's odd roofline. The addition of a fabric softtop improves the car's look immeasurably, giving it a much more conventional profile. Where the sloping, floating roof on the DB11 coupe fights for visual attention with the rear haunches, the convertible top is innocuous, blending in favorably with the strong line over the rear wheels. We can't wait to see this car with its roof down, because it will look stunning. But as is the case with most convertibles, the roofline is the only place where changes happen. Below the beltline, the Volante shares its fascia and, rather unfortunately its weird side vent, with the hardtop model. And of course, the droptop is also sharing its engine with the coupe. We expect the same 5.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V12 and eight-speed automatic when the DB11 Volante debuts. Normally, this is the point in a spy photo story where we'd speculate about when and where a new car will debut. But since Aston Martin helpfully scrawled part of that info on the side of the car, it's not really necessary. The Aston Martin DB11 Volante will debut in spring of 2018, a period that lines up neatly with the Geneva Motor Show. Related Video: