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Xcar tackles winter in an Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster

The Aston Martin Vantage has an unusually long history, characterized by constant improvement. It was introduced ten years ago with a V8. Two years later Aston shoehorned in its ubiquitous V12, and more than five years after that, it upped the output. All the while it's offered Roadster versions of each iteration until we ended up with the fastest convertible the company had ever made. The resulting Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster will reach a highway gallop by the time you've finished pronouncing its full name, but exciting as it is, the prospect of driving a soft-top convertible channeling 565 horsepower through the rear wheels in the snow is, well... let's just say that, while such a car would be near the top of our list in most situations, it wouldn't be our first choice for winter transportation. That hasn't deterred the team at Xcar from taking on a British winter in this ludicrous drop-top. What they found was a roadster that's anything but perfect, but one they're glad exists – even if there are better choices for snowy climes.

Aston Martin DB11 already has over 1,400 pre-orders

It's barely been a month since Aston Martin revealed the new DB11 at the Geneva Motor Show. The company hasn't even announced all the details yet, but it reportedly has already topped 1,400 pre-orders for the new model. "I think we're at more than 1,400 orders now," Aston chief Andy Palmer told the Motor Report, "which is great for a car that we've not really released the whole details about, and isn't available to be purchased until September." That's impressive considering that the company only sells around 4,000 vehicles each year. View 42 Photos Aston plans to ramp up production to 7,000 units annually, and the arrival of the new DB11 represents a major step forward for the niche automaker. It replaces the DB9 that's been on the market since 2004 and has – alongside the Vantage that's nearly as old – served as the basis for most of the vehicles the company has made over the past decade. However, the DB9 is built on a new platform and uses a new engine and transmission (among other components) supplied by Mercedes-AMG. Its 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 drives 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic. Aston's latest is slated to reach US dealers in the fall, with a price tag starting at $211,995. That represents only a small increase over the base price for the DB9 GT, which starts at just under $200,000. Rival Bentley's Continental GT tops out in Speed spec just a bit higher at $227,600. Related Video:

Carfection gets an inside look at Aston's 800-hp Vulcan

Most of us will never get close to a beast like the Aston Martin Vulcan. After all, the British automaker will only build 24 of them, and each is priced at over $2 million. Fortunately our friends at Carfection (previously known as Xcar) have done it for us with this latest video. The Vulcan, for those unfamiliar, is Aston Martin's take on the same formula that brought us the likes of the McLaren P1 GTR and Ferrari FXX K (not to mention the 599XX and FXX that came before). Only by "us," we mean billionaire playboys with the funds and the will to play racing driver in track toys designed purely for their amusement. And where the McLaren and Ferrari are both mid-engined hybrids derived from road-going supercars – the former with a pair of turbochargers – the Vulcan is purpose-built for the task and packs an oversized, naturally aspirated 7.0-liter V12 mounted up front said to be good for 800 horsepower. It's more extreme than anything else Aston Martin has ever made for the street or racing. Check it out for yourself in the two-minute clip above to see how it's put together by the company's most skilled craftsmen. And don't forget to turn up the speakers. Related Video: News Source: Carfection via YouTube Aston Martin Coupe Supercars Videos viral video aston martin vulcan carfection