2005 Aston Martin Db9 Base Coupe 2-door 6.0l on 2040-cars

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249 reasons you want to go to Goodwood Revival

At its most basic, Goodwood Revival is a long weekend worth of car races featuring cars made before 1970. There are lots of those, though, including some pretty great ones all over the world. But nothing is like Goodwood Revival because it's so much more than "just" vintage car racing.  First, you have to look the part. Attendees are strongly encouraged to dress in period clothing from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, with a strict dress code enforced should you want to enter the paddock. The goal is to create a more authentic atmosphere to match the cars and the meticulously restored and recreated paddocks, grandstands and other facilities of the reborn Goodwood circuit. Now, the dress code was relaxed this year since the Saturday was literally the hottest Sept. 9 on record in that part of England, and the organizers didn't want people dropping dead because they needed to wear an ascot. Some people definitely took the "relaxed" bit too far, but there was still plenty of atmosphere maintained. It really does make a big difference, as those "relaxed" individuals were often akin to seeing a Starbucks cup in a scene from "Game of Thrones."  You can see what I came up with below along with former Autoblog editor Reese Counts and various other Goodwood attendees. Second, there's the parking lot. But I'll let this entire separate post detail that. Third, there's the enormous carnival-like area featuring vintage-looking rides and various boutiques. Both of those are on the outside portion of the track, and honestly, you could easily just spend your entire day in the parking lot and carnival/shopping area without even crossing over into the circuit area. There you'll find more shops, food and drink opportunities, plus obviously, race car paddocks and the track itself.  Fourth, there are airplanes! I heard there are fewer than in the past, but they're there and they're cool. The Goodwood circuit started out life as the perimeter road around the World War II airfield RAF Westhampnett.  Fifth, with all of the above, Goodwood Revival really is fun for the whole family. It isn't just a bunch of old guys sitting around in lawn chairs. There are plenty of women and adorably dressed children, including babies in vintage prams. It's also not an event that's exclusively for the uber rich, even if they are certainly in full force given who has the sort of money needed to go vintage racing.

A high-performance Aston Martin DB11 is on the way

It was only a matter of time before Aston Martin prepped a hotter version of its DB11. The British Automaker did the same for the DB9 with the DBS, as well as the Vanquish, Rapide, and Vantage so a performance model Aston is as predictable as an AMG anything from Mercedes-Benz. And from the looks of it, this extra-potent DB11, which we'll call DB11 S, will follow the same formula of more power, and aggressive exterior upgrades. Most noticeable is the mega-sized maw at the front. There's a bit of white-painted mesh to break up the front grille, but it's still clear that the opening has expanded all the way down to the front spoiler. That spoiler has been changed as well, featuring points on each side instead of one big arch. Moving around to the side, the slender vent that extends from the wheel arch on the standard DB11 has been exchanged for something larger. It's shaped very differently as well, looking a bit like a shark's tooth or a Star Fleet badge from Star Trek. At the back is another significant change. The rear bumper now features a clearly functional diffuser for improved aerodynamics. Vents appear around the exhaust tips, too. However, the ducktail spoiler appears unchanged, as does the rest of the rear. There are a couple of interesting details inside as well. This prototype is fitted with Recaro race seats, which are pretty neat, but will likely be replaced with cushier, leather-wrapped seats developed by Aston. Just behind the seats is something even more fascinating. This DB11S has a roll cage. It's hard to say if this is just a one-off for the prototype, or if it will make it to production. Certainly other companies, such as Porsche, have offered roll cages in production cars. But in the case of Porsche, they've only been included on the most hardcore sports cars. However, we're not sure this Aston is the same type of track-focused car that Porsche's caged examples are. View 11 Photos As a bonus, we also have more photos of the upcoming DB11 Volante, due spring of next year. It's still sporting the '80s-grade shoulder pads to hide its haunches, but the rest of the car is pretty well exposed. Naturally, the little air scoop behind the rear quarter windows was lost with the switch to a soft top, but we expect everything under the fake steel panels will be very similar to the coupe, just like the rest of the car. Related Video:

Listen to the Aston Martin Vulcan do what it was meant to

What happens when a world-class sports car manufacturer and racing team is permitted to design a vehicle from the ground up with no rules to follow? Something along the lines of the Aston Martin Vulcan, that's what. Built neither for the road nor for any racing series, the Vulcan is part of a new class of dedicated track cars. And as you can see from this latest video, it's all but completely unhinged. The Vulcan represents Gaydon's answer to the likes of the Ferrari FXX K and McLaren P1 GTR. It packs a 7.0-liter naturally aspirated V12 at the front of an aluminum chassis with carbon-fiber bodywork. It weighs less than 3,000 pounds, but packs 800 horsepower – without a hybrid system or turbo spool in sight. In short, it's takes the best from Aston's road cars and its race cars, amps them up to 11, and abides by none of the rules they need to. Apart from some preliminary teasers, a run up the hill at Goodwood, and a brief (but static) encounter with its Cold War, airborne namesake, this represents a rare opportunity to see – and most importantly hear – the Vulcan do what it's designed to do. With only 24 to be made and each priced at over $2 million, this may be the closest you'll ever get. So go full-screen and crank the speakers to enjoy the unbridled show.