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Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante is the belle of the Pebble Beach ball

While Aston Martin is showing off the Vanquish Zagato Coupe for the first time in North America, it's also using the Monterey Car Week to confirm a convertible version of the stunning supercar. Limited to just 99 cars – many of which will be spoken for this week by those visiting Aston's Carmel, California pop-up shop – the Volante will share the coupe's enhanced V12, cranking out 592 horsepower. The 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds is almost as quick as the 3.5 touted by the new DB11. And, of course, the topless models will distinguish themselves in several ways aesthetically. The Vanquish Zagato Volante gets the same rounded taillight reflectors and "bladed LED technology" of the Vulcan supercar. Lower carbon fiber sills that run the length of the car add a pronounced, sporty emphasis. Zagato's trademark twin cowls blend into the rear deck, concealing the folded top used in the Vanquish Volante. Design director Marek Reichman says the Zagato version is more muscular and flowing that the coupe. The interior gets the Zagato "Z" quilt pattern stitch on the seats and doors, and an embossed "Z" on the headrests and doors add additional flourish. The Vanquish Zagato Volante is the latest result of Aston's partnership with the Italian design house dating back to the 1960 DB4 GT Zagato race car. Aston says this latest Zagato model is aimed especially for the North American market, much like the 2003 DB AR1, an open-topped Zagato-bodied DB7 that was also limited to 99 units and is now considered a collectible. Aston's pop-up shop this week attracted enthusiasts and owners alike, and featured the cream of the DB lineup, the iconic DB5, DB10 from the latest Spectre Bond film, and, of course, Aston's newest series-production GT car, the DB11. Check out the new Vanquish Zagato Volante in the gallery up top, and the brand's pop-up shop below. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante View 9 Photos Related Gallery Aston Martin's pop-up shop at Pebble Beach View 9 Photos Design/Style Misc. Auto Shows Aston Martin Convertible Luxury Performance Pebble Beach zagato

2012 Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn offers a tutorial in cars to come

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is a showcase for some of the world's most exquisite vintage vehicles, but if newer metal is more your speed, the Concept Car Lawn is the place to be.
This year saw models from Bugatti, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren and Bentley as well as SRT, Hennessey, Infiniti and Lexus among others. The ultimate sampler platter of exotic and concept vehicles saw the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse mingle with the Lamborghini Urus Concept and the mighty Hennessey Venom GT, though we found ourselves particularly smitten with the BMW Zagato Roadster and the Aston Martin Vanquish.
Not that we could go wrong anywhere we looked. The 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed seemed perfectly content parked on the manicured putting green, as did the McLaren MP4-12C Spider. Get cozy with the full gallery below to see the smattering of metal on the lawn.

UK electric motor maker YASA expands production 50-fold for EVs

LONDON — British electric motor manufacturer YASA said on Thursday it was increasing its production capacity from 2,000 to 100,000 units with a new factory to tap into growing demand from carmakers for greener technologies. Automakers are racing to build greener vehicles and improve charge times in a bid to meet rising customer demand and air quality targets but Britain lacks sufficient manufacturing capacity, an area the government is building up. Last year, the government picked a site in central England to house a new automotive battery development facility, which will develop the processes required to manufacture the latest battery advancements. On Thursday, YASA, based near the English city of Oxford, said it had raised another 15 million pounds ($21 million) as part of its expansion. "Our customers are looking to adopt innovative new technologies such as YASA's axial-flux electric motors and controllers in order to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding hybrid and pure electric automotive market," said Chief Executive Chris Harris. The firm exports 80 percent of production and has worked with companies including Britain's two biggest carmakers Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan as well as Aston Martin. JLR will decide this year whether to build electric cars in its home market, previously citing factors such as pilot testing and support from science and government as pre-requisites. Reporting by Costas PitasRelated Video: