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Aston Martin to keep the faith with V12, manual transmission

Downsized engines and dual-clutch transmissions may be the way the industry is heading, but Aston Martin is more deeply rooted in the past than most. Which could explain – at least in part – why the British automaker is planning on sticking with V12 engines and manual transmissions for the foreseeable future. After speaking with Aston's new chief executive Andy Palmer at the Geneva Motor Show last week, Car and Driver reports that Gaydon is in no rush to get rid of the building blocks that have made it what it is today. And that means continuing to evolve its VH architecture, twelve-cylinder engine and six-speed manual gearbox. The company is working to develop a new platform and is collaborating on a new twin-turbo V8 with Mercedes-AMG. But those are still several years out, and Aston doesn't plan to wait that long before rolling out new models. Before the new AMG-powered Vantage is ready, C/D reports that Aston will introduce the replacement for the DB9 that will still be based on the VH platform and pack an evolution of the company's ubiquitous and long-serving 6.0-liter V12. "That platform was definitely far ahead of its time," Palmer told C/D. "It should have been described as a modular architecture, like [VW's] MQB or one of the other systems big manufacturers have adopted. We're always making excuses about it being an old platform, but if you were to compare the original VH platform to today's there's an enormous transformation. And it's a great way to build cars in the volumes that we do." The platform and the engine aren't the only old-school technologies Palmer is intent to keep. While Ferrari and Lamborghini do away with the manual altogether, and even Porsche goes PDK-only on the 911 GT3 and GT3 RS, Aston isn't giving up its clutch pedal any time soon. "I would love to be the last car manufacturer providing stick shifts in the U.S.," said Palmer. "That's my hope, we will keep the faith." Of course part of that could come down to Aston not having a dual-clutch transmission to offer, while its antiquated sequential gearbox lags behind the times. But it will likely gain access to Mercedes transmissions along with the engine deal.

How to lease an Aston Martin for $1,900 a month, but drive it for free

A sad fact of life is that we can't always get what we want, but that doesn't mean it hurts to dream. For many drivers that yearning is for an exotic sports car that rests well outside their financial grasp. Aston Martin seems to be taunting those folks now with a way that makes the company's luxury GTs seem just a little more attainable. Ally Financial is the brand's new lease partner, and one of the announced deals offers a new V12 Vantage S coupe for $1,900 a month. For that money, customers get a vehicle capable of reaching 60 miles per hour in a scant 3.7 seconds thanks to a 6.0-liter V12 making 565 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque with a seven-speed automated manual gearbox. Still, $1,900 a month is hardly a bargain for most people, especially for a leased vehicle that eventually needs to be turned in. In fact the deal works out to $22,800 a year or about $63 a day. Of course, getting the chance to drive a V12 Vantage S for a little while might make the money worth it. That got us thinking: how could we offset the cost of this lease? There's a company called RelayRides that's essentially Airbnb for cars. People list vehicles, set a price, and the company covers the insurance. The renter is even supposed to replace any used gas, which might be a lot with the V12 Vantage. After browsing the service, normal transportation seems to hover around $50 a day, but high-end rides can go for a lot more. We found examples like a 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class for $135, a 2013 Tesla Model S for $199, a 2006 Porsche 911 for $189, and a 2012 Cayman for $195. You can probably see where we are going with this: rent the Vantage to recoup some (or all) of the monthly payment. Hiring out the Aston Martin every day seems highly unlikely, and in that case you never get to drive. Instead, offer it at $190. Clearly, the coupe's not alone in this price range, and the Vantage only needs to be out of your hands for 10 days a month to repay itself. For the rest of the time, you're behind the wheel. Obviously this is not any kind of financial advice. Depending on the popularity of RelayRides in a given area, an owner might be forking over the whole month's $1,900 to Aston Martin. Explain in Comments, if you can think of any other legal ways to use the Vantage to pay back it's monthly lease.

Roger Moore's 1970 Aston Martin DBS sells for $900k [w/video]

Think of Roger Moore zipping around Europe in an Aston Martin thwarting evil plans, and you'll probably think James Bond, right? Wrong. Because though 007 has driven a variety of Astons in the various films over the years, none of those were in the Moore era. He drove a Chevy Impala in Live and Let Die, a Mercedes in The Man With The Golden Gun, a Lotus Esprit in both The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only, a Range Rover in Octopussy and a Ford LTD in A View to a Kill. But that wasn't the only jet-setting do-gooder Moore played. He drove a Volvo as Simon Templar in The Saint, but after that and before his Bond days, he got his turn behind the wheel of an Aston in a television series called The Persuaders! The show starred Moore as Lord Brett Sinclair and Tony Curtis as American playboy Danny Wilde in a TV series that ran on both ITV in the UK and ABC in the US. It sadly only ran for one 24-episode season, but remains a cult classic. The series was as much about the cars as it was the stars, with Curtis speeding around Europe in a Ferrari 246 GT Dino and Moore in this yellow 1970 Aston Martin DBS. And it just sold at auction. As Octane pointed out when it drove the car for its September 2013 issue, the car was loaned to the show's producers and, though it packs the 4.0-liter inline-six of the DBS, was fitted with the wheels and badges of the Aston Martin V8 that followed – just without the eight-cylinder engine. It was sold to a private owner after the show finished filming and then bounced around different owners before collector and enthusiast Mike Sanders bought it and subsequently sold it to one Ed Stratton. Ed brought it back to show spec, took it to Villa d'Este, had Moore and Curtis sign the inside of the trunk lid, and now put it up for auction. The star of Bonhams' 15th annual sale at the Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell this past weekend, the DBS sold for a record GBP533,500 – equivalent to almost $900k at today's rates – contributing to GBP8.7 million ($14.6m) in total sales that day. Find the press release below, along with a video of a pretty great scene from The Persuaders! with both Moore and Curtis. ROGER MOORE'S 'THE PERSUADERS!' ASTON MARTIN SETS WORLD RECORD FOR A DBS SOLD AT AUCTION 17 May 2014, The Aston Martin Works Sale In its 15th year Bonhams Aston Martin Works sale totals at GBP8.7 million Roger Moore's 'The Persuaders!' Aston Martin DBS sets world record for DBS sold at auction, selling for GBP533,500.