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2015 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster

Aston Martin previewed its most powerful, quickest-accelerating and fastest production roadster ever at this year's Pebble Beach Concours. The 2015 V12 Vantage S Roadster is essentially a convertible version of the V12 Vantage S Coupe, which we reviewed last year, a model that drops the automaker's most potent powertrain into its smallest chassis. Unlike the outgoing V12 Vantage Roadster, this new S model boasts a more powerful engine, a new transmission, new adaptive suspension and more luxurious appointments along with freshened styling. While last year's beloved six-speed manual gearbox is gone – a thought that continues to bring tears to our eyes – everything else about the updated roadster piques our interest. We recently spent a full day in the mountains and deserts surrounding Palm Springs with a China Grey (with red carbon fiber accents) version of the British automaker's latest. Driving Notes Mirroring its coupe sibling, the Vantage S Roadster features an all-aluminum monocoque platform with lightweight aluminum body panels. To replace stiffness lost when the roof was removed, a rigid cross member has been added to the open platform. The Roadster's power-operated soft top is fully automatic in operation, opening and closing in about 20 seconds at speeds upwards of 30 miles per hour with the touch of a switch. When tucked away, the entire assembly is hidden cleanly beneath an integrated hard tonneau cover. So as not to be mistaken for its predecessor, Aston Martin has upgraded the model's signature grille from aluminum to carbon fiber with black or titanium silver mesh, with or without body-color accents. The lightweight, forged aluminum, 10-spoke alloys are also new, as is the obvious scripted red "S" on the trunklid. Inside, occupants will find additional grippy Alcantara on the seats and new patterns in the stitching. There are also a slew of upscale options and access to Aston Martin's bespoke Q treatment available. Aston's famed, naturally aspirated, 6.0-liter V12 has been upgraded with a larger throttle body, dual variable valve timing, a revised intake manifold, an improved fuel pump and fully machined combustion chambers. Combined, the improvements are enough to warrant a new AM28 engine designation. On a dyno, the engine cranks out 565 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque.

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:

Lotus and Aston Martin to hook up?

This has been a tumultuous year for Lotus - to say the least - from the company being sold off back in January to its CEO Dany Bahar being fired in June to its questionable financial status and rumors of the British automaker being sold off to another automaker. First, we heard that Volkswagen was interested in acquiring Lotus and parent company Proton, a rumor that was later dismissed. Now Automobile is reporting that fellow Brit Aston Martin could be in the market to work with or possibly even merge with Lotus.
While this is pure speculation at this point, such a venture could prove to be beneficial for both independent companies. That's because with Lotus focused on lightweight, relatively affordable sports cars and Aston Martin producing high-end performance cars, there is virtually no product overlap between the companies. The article suggests that a person or company wanting to merge these two automakers would have to raise between $1.1 billion and $1.6 billion in order to make a go of it, however.
We're not sure what to think of this latest rumor, but anything that can help get the struggling brand back to health at least has our interest.