Here’s a new promotional video for the Aston Martin Rapide that runs just a little longer than 3 minutes. Really not the best promo video released ever, but there are some nice shots and it helps that an Aston Martin is always a beautiful thing to look at. It starts off at the Mira Automotive Test Facility in Warwickshire, England and moves on to the notorious Nurburgring test track in Germany before heading to Stelvio Pass in Italy. Watch the video after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

What’s cooler than an Aston Martin? An iPhone. Probably no thanks to James Bond movies’ portrayal of the Aston Martin being the ultimate playboy spy’s car, the brand has sat at the top of the annual UK CoolBrands survey for three years consequetively, until this year where it has been displaced by the iPhone.

The survey polled 2,500 voters for a shortlist of cool brands and the final twenty were voted on by a panel of judges including DJ Edith Bowman and Adam & Eve founding partner James Murphy. No other carmaker made the seemingly very male-oriented top 10 list, but Ferrari managed to come in at 15th place.

Look after the jump for the top 20 list.

Source

1. iPhone
2. Aston Martin
3. Apple
4. iPod
5. Nintendo
6. YouTube
7. BlackBerry
8. Google
9. Bang & Olufsen
10. PlayStation 3
11. Xbox
12. Tate Modern
13. Dom Perignon
14. Virgin Atlantic
15. Ferrari
16. Sony
17. Mini
18. Vivienne Westwood
19. Rolex
20. BBC iPlayer

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Perhaps all those Myvis going around town sporting a faux E60 5-Series look had the right idea all along. The car above is not a joke – it’s the Aston Martin Cygnet, which is basically a Toyota iQ with Aston Martin design cues.

“Now is the right time for Aston Martin to take this first bold step to embark on this special project – made possible with the support of an organisation of Toyota’s stature and capability and the intelligent design and perfect city car package of the iQ. Much work is still required, but I am confident that this project could become reality in the not too distant future. This concept – akin to an exclusive tender to a luxury yacht – will allow us to apply Aston Martin design language, craftsmanship and brand values to a completely new segment of the market,” says Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez.

I think the whole idea is that for Aston Martin drivers to buy a Cygnet and use it for short commutes, perhaps keeping the Aston Martin for longer trips that call for a GT car, or weekend drives to the golf course, that sort of thing. Well, that’s the official story they’re feeding us anyway. An alternative would be that Aston Martin is trying to reduce its overall average CO2 emissions ratings in order to comply with CO2 laws for its fleet of cars on sale. A low emissions iQ would be able to reduce the overall higher score of its more powerful sports cars. Maybe we’ll all get used to it later but for now I think Aston Martin design cues on a Toyota iQ looks ridiculous.

“The offering of a ‘Cygnet’ with a DBS, DB9 or Vantage is a unique combination of opposites and a novel transport solution allowing intelligent and sensitive mobility on an exclusive and innovative level,” Dr Ulrich Bez added.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

This Aston Martin Rapide suspected to be very close to production was spotted in Belgium and snapped by kim of Autogespot. The car looks pretty much undisguised, and while it’s still as good-looking as all Aston Martin can be, I feel the concept car somehow looked longer and sleeker, and this production version has its proportions slightly out of whack because of those headlamps that look a little too large for the car and seem to have some kind of extra layer over it. Look after the jump for a trip back through time, revisiting the original concept Rapide through a photo gallery.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

The semi-mysterious Aston Martin One-77 has finally been unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza in Italy, where it won the Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes, which was decided by public voting among the attendees of the show. The One-77 garnered 30% of total votes.

“Embodying everything Aston Martin stands for; the One-77 has proven itself as the most desirable automotive art form at its premiere today. We have achieved a new level of design and craftsmanship which has been clearly recognised by the public here in the homeland of design at Villa d’Este,” said Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin’s CEO.

The One-77 is one of the most aggressive-looking Astons to date, and features a 7.3 liter normally aspirated V12 engine that puts out over 700 horses which is plenty for a car that is said to weigh only about 1,500kg – that’s just a couple of more tens of kgs more than the Proton Exora.

Look after the jump for a gallery of the One-77.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

The Aston Martin Rapide is still on schedule for a late 2009 debut and has now entered the final stages of its development process. It’s been a long time since the concept was shown in 2006 but it still looks as sexy as ever, a timeless design!

Under the hood will be a 470 horsepower 600Nm V12 engine with 6.0 liters of displacement, hand-built at Aston Martin’s Cologne factory. There will be no funky all-wheel drive system here, the engine puts its power through the rear wheels only through a Touchtronic transmission. The whole car will be built at Magna Steyr’s facilities in Austria.

The Rapide will feature “swan wing” doors, which rise upwards and outsides as they open to facilitate access to the individual rear seats. Yes, this baby will be a 4-seater, with individually crafted sports seats at the rear.

PHOTO GALLERY: 2006 Aston Martin Rapide Concept
Click thumbnails to view high resolution photo

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Aston Martin picked a peculiar spot to reveal its latest Aston Martin Lagonda concept car, this time in a sedan bodystyle. While the first Lagonda Concept SUV got a Geneva debut, this concept was unveiled at the Thai show last week. These pics were provided by Theophilus Chin who was at the show. Details are scarce but with Aston Martin’s V12 likely to be used, the sedan promises to be a fast rival to the likes of the Maserati Quattroporte and the Mercedes-Benz CLS.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Joining the One-77 super car, the Lagonda Concept and the DBS Volante at Aston Martin’s display booth at Geneva 2009 is the V12 Vantage. Powered by a 6.0 liter V12 that churns out 510HP and 570Nm of meters of pulling power, the V12 Vantage is able is able to hit the 100 km/h mark in just 4.2 seconds, and is able take the driver to a top speed of 305 km/h which is a huge margin over the base Vantage with a V8 power plant.

With design cues taken from the V12 Vantage RS Concept, the production version is treated to an aggressive front end with larger air intakes, a lower spoiler, improved side skirts, new wheels, a new diffuser with dual exhaust tail pipes, as well as clear headlights which I am really not a fan of.

The British sports car maker revealed that the V12 Vantage is based on a limited 1000-unit production run and potential owner can expect deliveries by the third quarter of this year. Please click here for detailed information regarding the new Vantage as well as to view an image gallery.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Joining the Aston Martin One-77 and Lagonda Concept at the Geneva Motor Show is the DBS Volante which is Aston’s 16th convertible. With a motorized retractable convertible top that is designed to copy the silhouette of the DBS Coupe, the Volante is powered by a 6.0 liter V12 that is able produce 510HP and 570Nm of torque which sprints the convertible to 100 km/h in just 4.3 seconds, all the way to a top speed of 307 km/h. Click here to learn more about the DBS Volante. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

British auto maker Aston Martin has revived the Lagonda luxury model designation by presenting the Lagonda Concept at the Geneva Motor Show. Positioned as a luxury four wheel drive 4-seater, the Lagonda is powered by a V12 power plant, although the auto maker did not reveal performance figures. However, if the engine is based on the 6.0 liter V12 that is also found in the DBS Volante, then it is safe to expect horse power and torque figures to hover over the 500 and 550 regions respectively.

The auto maker also revealed that the concept’s platform is built to support a number of power trains in the future including diesel and hybrid. It has been said that this is actually one of the first few collaborations between Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin – it apparently uses the GL-Class platform. Given the super luxury treatment all over the interior, the Lagonda Concept’s exterior design is inspired by a speed boat. Sitting pretty high with large 22-inch wheels, the Lagonda features a rather huge grille up front, with a very curvaceous rear end which seems to feature an almost sedan-like trunk lid. Continue reading to view more images.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

British sports car maker; Aston Martin has revealed the One-77 super car at the Geneva Motor Show. The One-77, which will only be produced on a limited 77-unit production run features a 7.3 liter dry sump V12 which is based on the 6.0 liter V12 block and developed with Cosworth. Horse power is figured at slightly more than 750HP.

The One-77 which features a lightweight and immensely rigid carbon fiber monocoque structural core comes with Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) technology, Carbon Ceramic Matrix brakes, Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires (255/35 ZR20 front, 335/30 ZR20 rear) and an improved version of the 6 speed robotized sequential manual.

The auto maker has yet to release confirmed information regarding the One-77, but has revealed that it is projecting weight figure to hover around the 1,500 kg region and that naught to 100 km/h sprint figure is expected to be 3.5 seconds while top speed is expected to be in excess of 320 km/h. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

British sports car maker; Aston Martin has revealed the open-top DBS Volante V12 ahead of its Geneva debut next week. With a fabric convertible top which is designed to copy the silhouette of the DBS coupe, the DBS Volante becomes the company’s 16th top-less vehicle. It takes 14 seconds to operate the convertible and the operation can be performed at speeds of up to 48 km/h.

Power is derived from Aston’s hand built all alloy 6.0 liter V12 (quad overhead camshaft, 48-valve) front-mid mounted engine that is able to kick out 510 HP and 570 Nm of chassis twisting torque. The Volante features a top speed of 307 km/h and a naught to 100 km/h figure of 4.3 seconds. The 2+2-seater convertible’s engine is coupled with a rear-mounted 6 speed manual gearbox, while a 6 speed ‘Touchtronic 2′ (with electronic shift-by-wire) option is also available for those you who prefer to leave gear changes to the tranny.

The DBS Volante with High Intensity Discharge (HID) head lights up front and LED tail light at the back features high performance carbon ceramic brakes as standard, with ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 398 mm diameter with six-piston calipers up front and ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 360 mm diameter with four-piston calipers at the back.

Suspension wise, the north end is set up with independent double wishbone incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube dampers while down south features independent double wishbones with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube dampers. The dampers feature Adaptive Damping technology.

The Volante which measures 4721 mm in length, 1905 mm in width and 1280 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2740 mm has its interior which is finished in full grain leather fitted with; heated sports seats with electric adjustment and memory settings, trip computer, LED map light, Hard Disk Drive (HDD) satellite navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity, Tire Pressure Monitor, Battery disconnect switch and much more.

With the roll-over protection system, the safety features of the convertible is made up of dual-stage driver and passenger front airbags as well as side airbags, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) as well as traction control.

To give a more defined spirited driving experience, the DBS Volante includes a “Sports” driving mode that engages; a more aggressive gear shift strategy as gear changes feel sharper and more forceful, engine speed matching on downshifts is more aggressive and in full automatic mode, up shifts occur at higher engine speeds. There is also a designated ‘Track’ mode which automatically sets all dampers to their firmest positions, making it ideal for circuit driving.

Drivers can select and press the button for two seconds to engage DSC ‘Track’ mode which raises the threshold at which the DSC system intervenes, to allow the car’s rear to step out further. Holding the button for four seconds disables DSC completely leaving everything to the driver’s skill.

As standard, the DBS Volante comes with a Bang & Olufsen’s BeoSound audio system that features 13 individual speakers and Bang & Olufsen’s unique Digital Signal Processing system for your ear-satisfying pleasure. Other optional accessories include; 20 inch wheel packages comprising of 20-spoke alloy wheels with graphite finish, 10-spoke diamond-turned alloy wheels and 10-spoke diamond-turned alloy wheels with graphite finish, Piano Black fascia trim and centre console surround for the interior as well as a tracking device.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Aston Martin has given us a preview of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, based on the successful V8 Vantage model. Under the hood is a 6.0 liter V12 putting out 510 horsepower and a massive 570Nm of torque, which can take the coupe up to 100km/h in just 4.2 seconds. A concept version of the car was unveiled in late 2007, and this production version will be revealed just over a year later at the Geneva motorshow in March 2009.

Externally, the V12 Vantage looks similiar to the V8 Vantage, but under the hood there have been some engineering changes especially at the front to fit the larger engine. The rear suspension gets a more compact dual-rate spring design to accommodate the wider rear wheels. The transaxle gearbox’s (tranxle = mounted at the rear, to help with weight distribution) final ratio has also been modified from 3.909:1 to 3.71:1, to allow a higher top speed and lower cruising engine speed as made available by the higher torque levels. It also has an LSD.

There are two driving modes – a regular normal mode and a Sport mode that can be activated at the touch of a button. This gives the driver sharper throttle response and a sportier exhaust note. A revised stability control system allows the driver to either leave it on, enter a more lenient “track mode”, or completely switch it off, much like BMW with its DSC, DTC and DSC off modes.

The V12 Vantage’s standard brakes are Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes, which are cooled by air ducts positioned within the front grille. These brakes are a massive 398mm in diameter with 6 pistons at the front and 360mm at the rear with 4 pistons. They are also 12.5kg lighter than regular brakes while being tougher and having better heat dissipation properties.

This is the Aston Martin equivalent of say, shoehorning the large 5.0 liter V10 engine from the M5 into the BMW M3. Given that even in Malaysia the difference in price between the M3 and the M3 is just a little over RM100k, why not just go out and buy an M5, or in this case an Aston Martin DBS?

Look after the jump for more photos and a full spec list.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage Specifications

Body:
Two door, two seat coupe body
Bonded aluminium structure
Aluminium, magnesium alloy, composite and steel body
Extruded aluminium door side impact beams
High Intensity Discharge Headlamps (dipped beam)
Halogen projector headlamps (main beam)
LED rear lamps

Engine:
All alloy quad overhead cam 48 valve 5935cc V12
Compression ratio 10.9:1
Front mid-mounted engine, rear wheel drive
Fully catalysed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves

Maximum Power
510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS) at 6500 rpm

Maximum Torque
570 Nm (420 lb.ft) at 5750 rpm

Acceleration
0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.2 seconds
0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds

Maximum Speed
190 mph (305 km/h)

Fuel Economy
Urban 11.64 mpg 24.26 l/100km
Extra Urban 24.05 mpg 11.74 l/100km
Combined 17.28 mpg 16.35 l/100km
CO2 388 g/km

Transmission:
Rear mid-mounted six speed manual gearbox. Alloy torque tube with carbon fibre propeller shaft
Limited slip differential
Final Drive Ratio 3.71:1

Steering:
Rack and pinion
Column tilt and reach adjustment

Suspension:
Front: Independent double wishbone incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube dampers
Rear: Independent double wishbones with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry, dual-rate coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube dampers

Wheels
Front: 9″ x 19″
Rear: 11″ x 19″

Tyres:
Front: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 255/35 ZR19
Rear: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 295/30 ZR19

Brakes:
Front: Ventilated Carbon Ceramic discs 398 mm diameter with six piston callipers
Rear: Ventilated Carbon Ceramic discs 360 mm diameter with four piston callipers
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Track mode
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)
Traction Control

Dimensions
Length: 4380 mm (172.5″)
Width: 1865 mm (73.5″) (excluding door mirrors)
2025 mm (80″) (including door mirrors)
Height: 1241 mm (49″)
Wheelbase: 2600 mm (107.9″)
Fuel tank capacity: 80 litres (17.6 Imp. Gal. / 21.1 US Gal)
Weight: 1680 kgs (3704 lb)

Interior:
Carbon fibre door pulls
Memory seats and exterior mirrors (3 positions)
Sports seats with 10 way electric adjustment, including height, tilt and lumbar
adjustment
Dual stage driver and passenger front airbags
Side airbags (Sports seats only)
Heated rear screen
Automatic temperature control
Organic Electroluminescent (OEL) displays
Trip computer
Cruise control
Hard Disk Drive (HDD) satellite navigation system*
Bluetooth telephone preparation*
Powerfold exterior mirrors
Rear parking sensors
Auto dimming interior rear view mirror
Tyre pressure monitoring*
Alarm and immobiliser
Remote-control central door locking and boot release
Battery disconnect switch
Tracking device (UK only)

In Car Entertainment
160W Aston Martin Audio System
MP3 player connectivity

Options
Lightweight seats with 6 way adjustment, including front and rear height adjust. (Does not include side airbags or Passenger Airbag Cut-Off Switch)
700W Aston Martin Premium Audio System with Dolby® Pro Logic II®
Piano Black facia trim
Graphite Alloy facia trim
Personalised sill plaques
Garage door opener (Europe only)
Tracking device**
First aid kit
Ashtray and cigar lighter
Boot mounted umbrella
Front parking sensors
Heated seats (Sports seats only)
ISOFIX and fixed-height passenger seat (Sports seat only)
Battery conditioner

*Not available in all markets
**Complies with UK Thatcham Category 5 requirements. Excludes subscription. Standard in UK

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

We are in the midst of a financial depression but apparently the rich are still thriving, perhaps enjoying the freed-up money that they have from laying off extra workers. Earlier this month we heard news of Maserati making a come-back to Malaysia. Next up is Aston Martin, another maker of sexy high-end sports cars.

There’s apparently an Aston Martin showroom being built on Jalan Genting Kelang near Berjaya’s Sri Pelangi condos. A quick check with Bursa Malaysia filings (page 160) shows that a unit of Berjaya Land Berhad had actually purchased a 49.9% share of Singaporean company Aston Martin Lagonda (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd for RM8.47 million back in 2006. AML SEA is the dealer for Aston Martin in Malaysia and Singapore.

Looks like Berjaya’s making a big re-entry into the automotive market. It now deals with Mazda, Skoda, Changan, Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles and soon Aston Martin. Berjaya has also secured rights to sell Changan cars in Vietnam. Pretty soon we’ll be able to see more of the DBS, DB9 and in the future the Rapide on the road, I hope!

PHOTO GALLERY: 2006 Aston Martin Rapide Concept
Click thumbnails to view high resolution photo

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

This is apparently a new rendering of the production version Aston Martin Rapide that has found its way onto the internet. The rendering shows that it’s pretty much very near to the concept car that was displayed at the 2006 Detroit show. A previously released rendering of the front end of the production car (you will find this image after the jump) shows the futuristic headlamps have been replaced with conventional projector headlamps.

Now seriously, this is how a sedan based on sports car design language should look now. An Aston Martin’s coupe-like form is much easier to transform into a sedan compared to a Porsche’s frog-hatch stance. Expect a price range of between US$160,000 to US$175,000 in markets with realistic prices, and add the necessary taxes and etcetra for the Malaysian price.

Look after the jump for a photo gallery of the concept from 2006.

PHOTO GALLERY: 2006 Aston Martin Rapide Concept
Click thumbnails to view high resolution photo

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage now comes with a 4.7 liter engine, but lucky drivers of the 4.3 liter V8 Vantage who may not feel as lucky as they should be because they feel left out thanks to their now “outdated” car can hop along for the ride tanks to a new power enhancement upgrade which boosts their engine power from 380hp to 400hp and torque from 410Nm to 420Nm. Of course, this is still lower than the new V8 Vantage’s 420hp and 470Nm figures of course, thanks to its larger engine.

This power upgrade uses a new induction system based on the technology used in the Aston Martin DBS. It uses a pair of switching airbox-valves that open at 5,500rpm to allow more air into the engine, resulting in more power produced in a controlled manner. The ECU has also been reprogrammed with new software with revised ignition timing, and the ability to recognise higher octane fuel to maximise performance.

Another upgrade available is the Sports Pack, which comprises of uprated springs and Bilstein dampers which improve the car’s handling. Also included in the Sports Pack are lightweight forced aluminium wheels in a 5-spoke design to reduce unsprung mass.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Instead, Bond goes on to drive a few SUVs from the Ford group of marques, though the makers did try to “balance” them out with a fuel efficient small car.

Let’s have a look at the cars of the Quantum Solace.

Aston Martin DBS

The Aston Martin DBS replaces the Vanquish V12 as the new flagship of the marque. The GT is powered by a 6.0 liter V12 engine producing 510 horsepower at 6,500rpm and 569Nm of torque at 5,750rpm. It also had carbon ceramic disc brakes, which is a first for a road-going Aston Martin.

Everyone probably looked forward to seeing this in action the most. It’s expected really, since the DBS is pure Aston Martin design language, which is possibly the sexiest of all with all the right curves and lines in all the right places. Plus the DBS was also first revealed to the public in Casino Royale (though they were actually reskinned DB9s), and only made a public physical appearance a year later at Pebble Beach 2007.

The vehicles in the Bond movie is probably a deal with Ford, so I suspect the Aston Martin DBS got KO-ed so early because Aston Martin is no longer part of the Ford group. The movie opens with a car chase scene with plenty of flying bullets, and Bond in the DBS is being chased by delicious-looking Alfa 159s. The 159s end up getting wrecked of course, that’s not even a spoiler as it’s so predictable.

Alfa Romeo 159

While we have to be content here with Sime Darby Auto Connexxion still flogging the 156 (though the 159 is promised soon), its successor has been on sale since 2005, long enough for the producers of Quantum of Solace to buy a few and destroy them in a heated car chase scene in Italy.

The 159 is available in both front wheel drive and Q4 all-wheel drive configuration, with the top of the line being the JTS Q4 powered by a 3.2 liter V6 engine putting out 260 PS at 6,200rpm and 322Nm of torque, though most Europeans may opt for the 2.4 JTDM turbodiesel with 210 PS and 400Nm of torque instead.

Jaguar Daimler Double-Six

Villain Dominic Greene (apparently inspired by Nicolas Sarkozy and Tony Blair) sometimes rides in a big Daimler Double-Six whenever he’s bored of his silent hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Greene Planet for a “Greener” planet, he says?

Range Rover Sport

This is one of the two SUVs featured in the movie, but this one’s powered by a regular combustion engine, and a powerful one at that. The Range Rover Sport isn’t just a Range Rover with a powerful engine, its actually a completely different and smaller vehicle based on the Discovery.

It’s powered by a 390 PS 4.2 liter Jaguar V8 supercharged engine, though a normally aspirated version was also previous available but since dropped due to lack of popularity. It’s also rather infamous – it seems that it was made a target of Greenpeace protests in 2005 because it was such an inefficient vehicle.

The Range Rover is piloted by a certain “Miss Fields” and later by Bond.

Ford Ka

The Ford Ka is the Bond Girl’s car. Olga Kurylenko plays Camille, the leading lady picks Bond up in her golden Ford Ka – who wants to bet a special edition will be sold by Ford in a similiar golden paint in a movie tie-up? A similiar scene is repeated later in a classic Volkswagen Beetle… I’m pretty sure Volkswagen didn’t pay for that!

The Ka is even smaller than the Ford Fiesta and in its original iteration it was truly low-cost in the sense that Ford even resorted to using a 1.3 liter Ford Kent pushrod engine under its hood. The new Ka has Italian origins – its based on Fiat Panda/500 underpinings and uses modern petrol and diesel engines.

Volvo S40

Bond drives a Volvo S40 rental car in Austria. The facelifted Volvo S40 was recently launched in Malaysia in locally assembled form and offers European premium motoring at a price of under RM200,000. Though it’s one size smaller, those considering Japanese 2.4 liter D-segment cars but don’t really need the space should consider it.

Ford Edge powered by Hydrogen

The Ford Edge is a crossover SUV but no real hydrogen-powered version of it currently exists, though Ford has announced a “HySeries Drive” version that combines electric drive powered by either an on-board hydrogen fuel cell or lithium ion batteries that have plug-in charging capabilities.

In the movie, the Edge is part of a fleet of green vehicles owned by the villain’s company Greene Planet. Bond ends up driving one of these, and this just so happens to take place in a desert where the fuel cell’s pure water exhaust would be most appreciated.

So what’s your favourite vehicle in the movie, and what did you think of the movie? My favourite is of course the Aston Martin DBS and I didn’t think any of the other cars had very much of a stage presence except for the Range Rover Sport.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

PHOTO GALLERY: Aston Martin DBS
Click thumbnails to view high resolution photo

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

While a select group of the world’s rich and famous are looking forward to delivery of their custom Aston Martin One-77, race teams can now look forward to purchasing the new Aston Martin Vantage GT4 racecar, based on the new 4.7 liter V8 Vantage. This model succeeds the previous 4.3L Vantage N24 car.

The new Aston Martin Vantage GT4 is built to FIA GT4 specs and can compete in the following races: the FIA GT4 European Cup; British GT4 Championship; Britcar Endurance Series; German GT4 Championship; Dutch Supercar Challenge; Dutch GT4 Championship; VLN Endurance Championship at the Nurburgring; Australian Endurance Championship; the American SCCA Championship; and the Aston Martin Owners Club Race Series.

Other than the obviously larger engine, the car also gets larger front brake discs with revised cooling design and modified front uprights to give increased camber. The larger 4.7 liter V8 engine has had its ECU tuned for race use, and gets a free-flow exhaust system to let the V8 breathe and exhale without restriction. As the standard engine already has a dry-sump lubrication system to prevent oil surge during sideways motions, that is retained. Either a 6-speed manual or a Sportshift transmission can be specified.

At 1,330kg, the GT4 car is about 300 kilos lighter than the standard car, thanks to a range of weight reduction procedures which include stripping the interior bare of trim except for the fascia mounting which is rewrapped with Alcantara. The door and console casings have been replaced with new lightweight mouldings. Further race preparation include a high-strength steel rollcage, a Sabelt 6-point safety harness with a push-button release, a Lifeline Zero 360 gas fire extinguisher, and Recaro competition seats.

Also, all active safety systems are carried over from the road car – dynamic stability control, traction control, ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution, so that should help to keep the car out of trouble though like the road car, you can switch some of them off.

More images of the car available after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

The leakage of unreleased photos of a car onto the internet way before the manufacturer does a public unveiling seems to be happening more and more these days, and this time we have the honour of drooling over badass-looking product shots of the ultra exclusive and expensive Aston Martin One-77 way before its launch.

From these photos we can see that the Aston Martin One-77 keeps the classic Aston Martin shape and most of its design cues as well – the gaping front grille and the sleek wrap-around tail lamp clusters. Unlike your classic sleek and understated Aston Martin, the car is littered all-over with aggressive design elements such as on the door and on the engine hood, which I’m not really sure I like. The headlamps look like they’ve been stopped abruptly before extending to the front of the recessed area where they sit by a gaping slit – presumably this is the air intake to cool the massive front brakes needed to stop the 700hp V12-powered car.

Only 77 units are available and after knocking on the doors of the rich and famous, Aston Martin managed to find over 100 people who were interested. Aston Martin is keeping to its promise of only making 77 though, and according to them, the customization list is so vast and detailed that its most likely no two Aston Martin One-77s will be alike.

Look after the jump for three more angles of the One-77.

Source

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Two more photos of the upcoming ultra expensive Aston Martin One-77 have been released, depicting the car in a front 3/4 and rear 3/4 view.

It looks like an Aston Martin alright, but alot more aggressive thanks to the nice bodywork they’ve done on the side of the car. Like its namesake, if you manage to be one of the lucky buyers, you will own one of 77 units of the limited edition Aston Martin One-77.

Word is that the car’s V12 engine will be front mid-mounted and will have 7.3 liters of displacement, putting out a targeted 700 horsepower. This will be mated to a twin clutch transmission mounted at the rear for optimum weight distribution.

Look after the jump for the rear 3/4 view and a previously released side view.

Related Posts:
Aston Martin One-77: more details revealed

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© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Those who have been eyeing the Aston Martin DBS but didn’t really want to bother with the fuss of the sole 6-speed manual transmission option it has can now rejoice as Aston Martin has just added a ZF 6-speed automatic transmission to the DBS, mating it to the hand-built 517 PS 6.0 liter V12 engine.

Aston Martin calls its slushbox the “Touchtronic 2″, and the version in the DBS is based on the transaxle unit in the DB9 but re-engineered to accommodate the power and other characteristics of the DBS. You can either leave it in auto mode or shift via the leather-trimmed magnesium alloy paddles mounted on the steering column.

The Touchtronic 2 is a £3,000 option over the 6-speed manual.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

More details have been unveiled of the upcoming Aston Martin One-77, though there are no new photos of the car. Aston Martin says the One-77 project started 15 months ago and is just a codename and is not the final name of the car. Each of the One-77 will be completely tailored to the individual who bought it.

Once you’ve booked one, you will have access to the company’s top engineers and designers in Aston Martin’s Gaydon plant, who will work with you to develop the car to your exact specifications. No further details have been unveiled as to how far your specifications can go. You’ll likely not be able to touch things like the shape of the car as well as the engine, but likely you will be able to customise things like the interior trim, exterior colour, seats, and wheel design.

Imagine, if Aston Martin decides to take the individuality (and 1.2 million pound price) even further you could be able to pick your own exhaust note and design cues, since the car’s aluminium body panels will be hand-knocked!

The 354km/h top speed and 3.5 second 0 to 100km/h acceleration time is thanks to a 7.0 liter V12 producing 650 horsepower and a lightweight carbon fiber chassis covered in aluminium panels.

Aston Martin has identified over 500 potential customers and will bring a demo car personally to their homes to gauge interest and pitch the sale.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Money can’t buy you happiness, or at least not for British businessman Gerald Mellin, who killed himself with the help of his Aston Martin DB7 roadster.

Mellin, who had been talking about suicide for sometime now, tied one end of a long rope to a tree in a parking lot and the other end of the rope around his neck. He then got into his open top DB7 and drove away. You can probably guess what happened next.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Aston Martin has jumped onto the ultra exclusive supercar bandwagon, and this Aston Martin One-77 you see above like its namesake is one of 77 that will be built. I trust that Aston Martin will have no problems making it look extremely sexy as with all of their existing products, so let’s have a look at its other features.

The One-77 will have a body hand-made with aluminium, and a carbon fiber chassis underneath it. This means it will likely be very light and nimble, and propelling it to 100km/h in roughly 3.5 seconds will be a monstrous 7.0 liter V12 engine.

Now if any premium car manufacturer wants to create a supercar I highly recommend they take this path instead of the overweight giant that is the Bugatti Veyron, no matter how many turbochargers that thing has. Something like the One-77 feels so much more special. Aston Martin’s press release did not state a price but with only 77 units available, some are quoting prices of about 1 million pounds.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Aston Martin has updated its Aston Martin V8 Vantage that was unveiled back in 2005 for the new model year. The facelifted V8 Vantage features numerous improvements, with the most noticable being the increased engine displacement up to 4.7 liters, while retaining the V8 cylinder configuration. Peak power is now at 420 horses at 7,000rpm, an 11% increase over the 4.3 liter unit, and peak torque is now 470Nm at 5,750rpm, up by 15% over the previous engine. 0 to 100km/h takes 4.7 seconds, and the car goes on to a top speed of 288km/h.

The increased displacement is achieved by an increase of bore from 89mm to 91mm, and stroke from 86mm to 91mm. The result is a “square” cylinder. The new longer stroke is achieved via a new forged steel crank with new holes in the counterweights for reduced rotating mass. Conrods are also forged steel, and pistons are cast aluminium. Intake valves are now larger – 35.9mm versus 34.9mm on the previous engine. The dry sump has also been improved with a new sump casting featuring oil pick-up points moved from the front and rear to the sides.

The car’s optional Sportshift 6-speed automated manual transmission with LSD differential has revised shifting intelligence, and mechanically it, together with the pure manual gearbox has a modified clutch and flywheel resulting in less effort required to operate the clutch. These improvements also save 0.5kg over the previous gearbox. Throttle inputs now have two modes – a Comfort mode with a more progressive and smooth operation and a Sport mode that is more snappy and aggressive.

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage gets an updated interior featuring a new center console design and a revised switchgear. The navigation system has been updated to use a Hard Disk Drive for faster map loading and route processing. More space also allows better graphics to be stored. The exterior remains largely unchanged except for new standard 20-spoke 19 inch wheels, finished in either silver or graphite. The Sports pack uses a lighter 5-spoke aluminium wheel.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Aston Martin has unveiled the first photos of its Aston Martin Vantage GT2 racer, which finally completes Aston Martin’s portfolio of GT race cars in each of the four GT categories – GT1, GT2, GT3 and GT4.

GT2 is the Series Grand Touring Cars category. GT2 cars are generally much closer to a production car than GT1 cars which typically use exotic materials in their construction, but GT2 cars are still generally significantly upgraded compared to a GT3 car.

Not much specifications have been revealed on the Vantage GT except that its engine can be run on both normal gasoline and E85.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

The British luxury carmaker is also in talks with LVMH’s Louis Vuitton and PPR’s Gucci on an overhaul of Aston Martin’s merchandise business. The company plans to increase merchandising revenue to US$300 million by 2009, from about US$100 million in 2006.

Source

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

We spotted this beautiful car at the recent Porsche Cayenne facelift launch at Bukit Kiara Equestrian Country Club. Aston Martins are generally not known for much of their technical specification. Not exactly a car for geeks to drool over the latest in technology, unlike cars like the Porsche 911 Turbo with turbines made of space age material and what not. Yet there’s just something special about Aston Martins and their design language that turns heads.

If I’m not mistaken, there are only two Aston Martin DB9s in KL. This is the second one, and I do not know who owns it. The first DB9 belongs to J.P. Chin, and has the number plate “DB9″. UPDATE: Reader Daniel Tin wrote in to inform that there is a third Aston Martin DB9 in the country with number plate MAY18.

Three lucky owners, are there any more?

Check out more photos after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

Aston Martin will be procuring Volvo’s help to develop the Aston Martin Rapide 4-door sedan’s safety system. Volvo’s safety engineering expertise was also used previously on the DB9 and V8 Vantage models. Volvo will develop a stiff aluminium structure for the Aston Martin Rapide. This includes designing the B-pillar and side-members to optimise occupant safety during side impact collisions.

Aston Martin hopes the new Rapide will add on about 1,000 to 2,000 units to the niche carmaker’s current production levels, helping with economies of scale as well as sales. It intends to launch the new Aston Martin Rapide in late 2008, hopefully before Porsche launches it’s competitors the Porsche Panamera.

Click here for more details on the Aston Martin Rapide concept.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.

In my updates on the Porsche Panamera, I will usually mention two competitors, the CLS and the Aston Martin Rapide. But then I realise I haven’t actually posted anything about the Rapide have I? Basically, the Aston Martin Rapide is a 4-door coupe concept that’s set to go into production, expected to account for between 1,000 to 2,000 units annually. This will bring Aston Martin’s yearly production up to 7,000 units.

Aston Martin is pretty much an independant automaker now, but Ford still retains a 8% stake. More photos after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 16:14:20 +0800.