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Overnight action from the 24 Hours of Le Mans

We won't go into a recap here, but there are still leading positions being fought for in all classes - it's so close that leads are changing when a car goes into the pits. We'll let the recap wait until the end of the race, so for now enjoy some shots from last night's action at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Aston Martin DB11 V8 loses four cylinders but none of its grace

We love the Aston Martin DB11. Few vehicles combine speed, luxury, and comfort as well as that beautiful British coupe. That said, it's not the most efficient or affordable GT in the world, but Aston Martin is planning to change that. Starting this year, the company will offer the DB11 a twin-turbocharged V8 sourced from the mad Germans at Mercedes-AMG. We've known about the engine partnership for a while now, though we assumed the first Aston Martin to use a Mercedes-AMG V8 would be the next-generation V8 Vantage. At first, sticking a V8 under the hood might seem like an odd choice, but the DB series only recently started using V12s. Historically, the car has packed powerful inline-six engines. Offering two engines will allow the company to sell a lower-cost model and presumably boost sales. That means changes are strictly mechanical in nature. The engine is the now-common 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged Mercedes-AMG V8. Output is 503 horsepower and 498 pound-feet of torque. That's down 97 horsepower and 18 pound-feet of torque from the 5.2-liter V12. In the Mercedes-AMG C63 S, the 4.0-liter V8 makes equal horsepower and 18 more pound-feet of torque. Aston Martin says that the partnership with Mercedes-AMG allows the company to tailor the engine for Aston Martins. This means a new ECU with new engine and throttle mapping. Losing four cylinders changes the character of the car a bit. The DB11 V8 is a not-insubstantial 254 pounds lighter than the V12. Since most of the weight savings comes from behind the front wheels, Aston Martin says the V8 model is more agile than the V12 model. Engineers have adjusted the suspension bushing, geometry, anti-roll bars, springs, dampers, and stability control to account for the weight savings. The DB11 V8's diet helps offset the lower power output. As such, the 4.0-second 0-62 sprint is just 0.1 seconds off the V12. Top speed is down 13 mph to a still extralegal speed of 187 mph. We don't have fuel economy ratings for the US, but expect an improvement from the V12's current rating. The V8 will be available with all of the same equipment and trims as the V12, with just a few visual changes to distinguish the two models. The V8 gets unique wheels, darker headlight surroundings, and just two vents on the hood, available in either black or titanium. The DB11 V8 goes on sale in the US later this year. At $198,995, it undercuts the V12 model by $17,500.

Aston Martin-Red Bull 001 details: 175 units, $3M, 0-200-0 in 15 seconds

The Aston Martin AM-RB 001 is starting to sound like it will be the most extreme hypercar ever made. We're basing that on a series of new comments made by Red Bull Racing's resident aerodynamic genius and chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal's Dan Neil. Newey shared many interesting nuggets, so we'll try to provide a simple summary of how frighteningly potent the AM-RB 001 is. The new hypercar should hit 200 miles per hour in around 10 seconds, while a massive set of brakes will cut that speed to zero in half the time – in other words, zero to 200 to zero in just 15 seconds. That kind of stopping power sounds physically painful. Certain versions of the 001 will make up to 4,400 pounds of downforce, and if that's not enough to keep the car pasted to the pavement through 4G bends, Newey hinted that the active suspension will rely on the ground effect more than any other car. "I studied aero at the University of Southampton," Newey told Neil. "My final-year project in 1979 and '80 was on ground-effects aerodynamics applied to road cars and sports cars." Beyond the performance stats, Newey verified some of the broader questions about the 001's availability. For one, Aston Martin and Red Bull will build 175 examples of the potentially record-breaking hypercar, with 150 designated for road use and another 25 limited to the track – they're the ones that will enjoy the 4,400 pounds of downforce and full-on 4G cornering ability – so the chances you'll ever encounter a 001 in the wild are almost nil. And buying one? Plan on spending at least $3 million. Newey, along with Aston Martin Chief Designer Marek Reichman and Project Engineer David King, reveal more about the 001 in the piece, including some of the philosophical and design principles behind a $3M hypercar. It's very much worth a read, if you can get around the WSJ's pay wall. Related Video: