Aston Martin N420 Special Edition: No 119 Of 420 Built on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin Vanquish S gets harder, better, faster

Now in its second generation, the Aston Martin Vanquish has finally earned a red "S" badge. That means a subtle revamp of the Vanquish's shape, speed, suspension, and interior specification to separate the new coupe from both the previous model and the new hotness, the incoming DB11. A meaner front fascia and a racy rear diffuser, both in exposed carbon fiber, reduce frontal lift. The new black quad exhaust pipes tucked into triangular cutouts just look mean. For those who want to go further, the already considerable option sheet gets new elements like carbon-fiber engine louvers and a new diamond-turned wheel design. Aston Martin also talks up an array of "striking painted graphics packs," which likely lean toward the subtle sky blue accents in the car pictured above as opposed to a purple and yellow Indy Pace Car package. The 6.0-liter V12 adds 12 horsepower for a total of 580. Larger inlet manifolds and a freer-breathing intake bestow finer throttle response for an anxious right foot. The eight-speed Touchtronic III gearbox adds refinement at the same time as it swaps cogs more quickly than before. Changes made throughout the suspension, from spring rates to damper internals, should do the trick when driving calls for more hammer than velvet. Not that you need to drive anywhere in the Vanquish S to enjoy it fully, since the cockpit is a reward unto itself. Chopped carbon fiber drenched in a satin sheen comprises the waterfall center console, in high-tech brutalist contrast to the new "Filograph" quilted seats in Bridge of Weir leather. One unsubtle aspect of the Vanquish S: the $294,950 price for the coupe, and a cool $312,950 for the Volante. Deliveries commence in December. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Aston Martin Vanquish S View 16 Photos LA Auto Show Aston Martin Convertible Coupe Luxury Performance aston martin vanquish 2016 LA Auto Show aston martin vanquish s

Everybody's doing flying cars, so why aren't we soaring over traffic already?

"Where's my flying car?" has been the meme for impending technology that never materializes since before there were memes. And the trough of disillusionment for vehicles that can take to sky continues to nosedive, despite a nonstop fascination with flying cars and a recent rash of announcements about the technology, particularly from traditional automakers. Earlier this month, Toyota applied for an eye-popping patent for a flying car that has wheels with spring-loaded pop-out helicopter rotors. The patent filing says the wheels/rotors would be electrically powered, while in on-land mode the vehicle would have differential steering like tracked vehicles such as tanks and bulldozers. At an airshow in July, Aston Martin unveiled its Volante Vision Concept, an autonomous hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle it developed with Rolls-Royce. Aston says the Volante can fly at top speeds of around 200 mph and bills it as a luxury car for the skies. Audi used the Geneva Motor Show in March to unveil a flying car concept called the Pop.Up Next it developed with Airbus and Italdesign. If the Pop.Up Next, an electric and autonomous quadcopter/city car combo, gets stuck in traffic, an app can be used to summon an Airbus-developed drone to pick up the passenger compartment pod, leaving the chassis behind. Audi said that the Pop.Up Next is a "flexible on-demand concept that could open up mobility in the third dimension to people in cities." But Audi also acknowledged that at this point it has no plans to develop it. The cash-stoked, skies-the-limit Silicon Valley tech crowd is also bullish on flying cars. The startup Kitty Hawk that's backed by Google co-founder Larry Page announced in June that it's taking pre-orders for its single-seat electric Flyer that's powered by 10 propellers and is capable of vertical takeoffs and landings. The current version can only fly up to 20 mph and 10 feet in the air and has a flight time of just 12 to 20 minutes on a full charge. The Flyer is considered a recreational vehicle, so doesn't require a pilot's license. Uber says it plans to launch its more ambitious Elevate program and UberAIR service in 2023. "Uber customers will be able to push a button and get a flight on-demand with uberAIR in Dallas, Los Angeles and a third international market," Uber Elevate promises on its website.

Aston Martin expanding Lagonda Taraf availability outside of Middle East

Aston Martin has been working at reviving the Lagonda marque for several years now. But when it finally did with the Taraf sedan, it was initially prepared to offer it only in the Middle East. That apparently ruffled some feathers with prospective buyers in other parts of the world, which has prompted Aston to expand the super-sedan's availability to additional markets. Moving forward, the Lagona Taraf will now be available in EU-compliant markets, including the UK, Europe and South Africa, and will be offered in both left- and right-hand-drive configurations. Those will still need to be spread out, however, among the strictly limited run of 200 examples, to be built along the same small-batch assembly line responsible for other exclusive offerings like the V12 Zagato, the One-77 and the new Vulcan. The Taraf was launched a few months ago in Dubai, based on Aston's long-serving VH architecture and ubiquitous 6.0-liter V12. With styling inspired by the iconically wedge-shaped Aston Martin Lagonda sedan of the 1970s, it stretches longer than the Rapide for more interior space, and retails for an undisclosed price. Unfortunately, no announcement was made regarding potential availability in North America, so despite the expanded scope of the Taraf's market, it looks like we'll still be left out of the action. Reached for comment, Aston Martin told Autoblog that there's no update yet on US availability, but that the prospect remains unlikely. We'll sure to keep you posted if we hear otherwise, but given the confirmation of European availability, we wouldn't be surprised to see the Taraf on Aston's show stand in Geneva this week. ASTON MARTIN EXPANDS LAGONDA TARAF LUXURY SALOON AVAILABILITY - New Lagonda Taraf will be offered to customers outside the Middle East - Series production remains limited to 200 bespoke limousines - Super saloon will be available in left or right-hand drive 28 February 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin is today announcing that the luxurious new Lagonda super saloon will be made available, in strictly limited numbers, to more customers around the world. Aston Martin will now accept orders for the Lagonda Taraf – the latest in a proud line of saloons revered worldwide as 'the finest of fast cars' – from prospective owners in more major markets.