Supercar Sightings: Aston Martin Rapide

As a bonafide “automotive journalist”, I often find myself dreaming about luxury cars I would love to have parked up in my garage. From 2011 models only, these currently include the Fezza 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and the 2011 Ariel Atom for a nifty track day.
But for an outing with the lads or a nice cruise through the English countryside, there is no vehicle I would like to drive more than the Aston Martin Rapide. So I was naturally excited to see my first Rapide in the flesh on a busy day in Central London.

Make no mistake, this thing is a piece of art. With a hand-crafted engine from Gaydon, this AM comes equipped with an all alloy quad overhead cam 48 valve 5935cc V12 engine. That’s certainly a mouthful to say to any car novice but needless to say the setup produces 470 horsepower at a lofty 6000 rpm with a noise that is sure to excite any passer-by. So there is literally no need to get messy, the Rapide has as standard a “Touchtronic 2″ six-speed gearbox with an electronic shift-by-wire control system. Again, that’s too much information, but all you need to know is that flicking the magnesium paddle shifters will help you achieve the ridiculous speeds this 4-door car shouldn’t be capable of.

According to Chief Executive Ulrich Bez, there now exists an Aston Martin for every different segment of the (extremely wealthy) market and this Rapide fills the gap for the typical 2+2 modern family. Except from what we’ve heard, the rear seats really are reserved for the plus 2′s as headroom and leg space is limited. But no worry, with side angle looks like the image above (which is a little blurry I apologise) you will always be riding in style and ready to turn heads no matter where you are.

What I did find quite amazing was the fact that when I first strolled up to the car from the front, I knew it was a different AM from those seen earlier in my life, but it still seemed to have the normal Martin dimensions. At an extremely quick glance I might have mistaken it for a DBS with the menacing grille and air intakes on top of the hood. Walking round the car you do notice the two extra doors, but you also realise how beautifully they have been added to the overall design – this car truly is something and I can’t wait to see my next one. Maybe I’ll even be able to get inside.

Aston Martin Cygnet – the intro begins

There's a promo video for the AM Cygnet featuring the sport of Parkour - Free-RunningAston Martin has released a teaser video for the AM Cygnet featuring the French Sport of Parkour through the Aston Martin factoryWhen we first reported that Aston Martin were buying in the Toyota iQ to turn it in to a ‘Mini-Me’ Aston Martin – the Aston Martin Cygnet - we were pretty sure that AM were for real, even though they did call it a Concept.

That feeling was more than affirmed a couple of weeks ago when Aston Martin released a few official pictures of the Cygnet and gave us some production targets – 2000 a year in Europe. But only sold to existing AM customers. And only to a wider market place if the Cygnet really caught a wave of popularity.

Which all made sense. The Cygnet is about giving AM a sheen of an Eco-Halo to keep the Envir-mentalists off their backs and give them a helping hand with the ridiculous CO2 targets being imposed on car makers - a couple of thousand little AM Cygnets a year would do wonders for their CO2 average. And of course they really would make great city runarounds for owners of big AMs and as AM courtesy cars.

But we have to wonder if Aston Martin are reaching much further afield for their customer base for the Cygnet straight out of the gate. They’ve released a ‘Teaser’video for the Cygnet featuring a bunch of ‘Parkour’ players – the mad French sport of ‘Free-Running where the participants bound up and over obstacles instead of around them – which is a million miles away from the normal AM video.

It suits the car. But does it give the lie to the claim that the Cygnet is aimed only at current Aston Martin owners?

Aston Martin Rapide Review – Valencia

The Aston Martin Rapide in Valencia - possiblyAston Martin are having a press launch of the Rapide this month in Valencia, giving the first opportunities to road test the new AM and offer up an Aston Martin Rapide Review.This month Aston Martin are partying in Spain. Valencia, to be exact. They’ve moved a whole platoon of Aston Martin employees to Spain for the duration of the press launch of the newest AM – the Aston Martin Rapide – and are flying in journalists and guests from the four corners of the globe to see, drive and party with the Rapide.

Sadly, Cars UK didn’t get an invite. We’re not on Aston Martin’s ‘Party’ list. But no worries. As soon as there are any cars on the road in the UK we’ll get to play. And you know what? We’ll be able to judge it much better than a relatively brief blat in Spanish winter sunshine. Which sounds like sour grapes, but it really isn’t.

Would we have gone if invited? Maybe. If we could spare anyone. It’s a good freebie for whoever goes and you get to play with a beautiful new toy ahead of the pack. And we’d have told you how the Aston Martin Rapide is still beautiful, despite being a foot longer. We’d have said the Rapide drives as well as the DB9, just slightly less responsive in the bends – but you’d have to be pushing really hard to notice.

We’d have gone on to tell you that the space in the back isn’t as commodious as an S Class or a 7 Series. But we’d have told you that doesn’t matter. You can get passengers in the back – and proper-sized ones at that – they just can’t get up and party. But we’d say that doesn’t matter, because anyone buying a Rapide wants it for an occasional need for passenger room when he/she wants to drive. The Rapide isn’t a chauffeur car; it’s a car for two couples to enjoy a drive; for a wealthy family with children; a car to be driven, not driven in.

“The Rapide isn’t a chauffeur car; it’s a car for two couples to enjoy a drive; for a wealthy family with children; a car to be driven, not driven in.”

And we’d have gone on to say we didn’t care a jot about any of what we’ve said before anyway, because the Rapide is still beautiful. And that’s enough. Certainly enough to make us question the eyesight of anyone considering a Panamera.

And how do we manage to say all this without going to the Spanish jolly? It’s our job. We know what AM set out to achieve. We’ve seen the car. And because we all have preconceptions before we drive anything a short drive – particularly in attractive surroundings – tends to reinforce preconceptions. So we’d be surprised if any of the reviews coming out of the Valencia jolly are any different to our brief – and completely concocted – Aston Martin Rapide Review here.

And just to set the record straight, we do get offers to jet off and test cars from other car makers. Do we go? Not really. As we said, it takes up lots of time and what we really want from a car maker is to bring us their new toy and leave it for a week – preferably longer. Otherwise all you get is our preconceptions – unless there is something unexpectedly outstanding or awful. You need to live with a car to know what it’s like.

Of course, if Aston Martin want to give us a Rapide for a week or two in Spain we would probably take them up on it. Especially if they want to throw in a nice villa in Javea (we know one or two that would suit) – just down the coast from Valencia. We wouldn’t even mind cattle-class Ryanair from Stansted – if we have to. June would be nice. For two.

Aston Martin One-77 – Ten cars sold to one buyer

The new Aston Martin One-77 - ten go to one customerCars UK has discovered that one Middle East customer has bought ten Aston Martin One-77s in a deal worth £15,000,000The Aston Martin One-77 is a wonderful creation (being built for Aston Martin by CPP) which is getting very close to finding its way in to customer’s hands. Aston Martin have been doing final shakedowns on the One-77 and customer cars are underway. And although we don’t yet know how many One-77s have been sold so far (did JK buy one after Salon Prive last year?) what we have discovered is that one customer has bought ten One-77s. Yes, you read that right. Ten Aston Martin One-77s.

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the buyer is from the Middle East. ‘Bulk’ buying of motoring exotica is not all that uncommon by buyers in the Middle East, who don’t buy just for themselves but for ‘The Family’. But this is one of the biggest single buys we’ve come across.

Apparently, the buyer in question told the boys at Gaydon that he wanted ten One-77s, but they had to be delivered by September. He was told they couldn’t guarantee that as the schedule for production was set. It would seem an immediate transfer of £15 million changed their minds. As it would.

But it’s not just this guy who’s bought more than one. We know of one buyer who has ordered two: one to drive and one to be dismantled and displayed on his walls as a work of art. Which it is.

Aston Martin Rapide – the Configurator

Aston Martin has launched an online configurator for the new RapideAston Martin has launched an online configurator for the new Aston Martin Rapide where you can build your very own Rapide.Now that the Aston Martin Rapide is finally hitting the roads – and Rapide Reviews are being published - Aston Martin are moving from ‘It’s coming’ promotions to ‘It’s here – come and buy one’ marketing. So it’s no surprise that they’ve now launched and Aston Martin Rapide Configurator online where potential buyers – or in reality ‘wannabe’ Rapide owners – can go and play with the options list and build their own Rapide.

You get the usual choice of options from which to choose and can configure everything from interior and exterior colours to specifying the options you want fitted. It’s a good time-waster if you’re bored for half an hour, and if you’re anything like us you’ll be trying your best to come up with a set of options that make the Rapide hideous – just for the hell of it. But we didn’t manage that. Whatever we did the Rapide still looked beautiful.

But be warned. Aston Martin seem to have built their configurator to be used just on Internet Explorer 6 or greater. Which when you consider that IE is about the worst of the internet browsers available – although undeniably the most ubiquitous – it seems a big clanger. Why not support for Firefox or Chrome, or even Safari? Much better browsers and much more likely to render your dream Aston Martin Rapide without screwing up.

But never mind. Even if you do have to crank-up IE for the first time in months to play with the Rapide configurator it’s still worthwhile.

Bridgestone Potenza S001 – standard on 458 Italia & Rapide

The Bridgestone Potenza S001 - as fitted to the Ferrari 458 ItaliaA bit of VT of the latest tyre from Bridgestone – the Bridgestone Potenza S001 – as fitted to the Aston Martin Rapide and the Ferrari 458 Italia.I think it must be a petrol-head thing, but we love tyres. Anything from a cross-ply to the latest high-performance job is a source of fascination. Our tyre fixation this last few months has been winter tryes, and we’ve told anyone who’d listen not to rush out and buy a 4×4 when the snow hit but to invest in a decent set of winter tyres. We’re a blast at dinner parties – no question.

So when those nice guys over at Newsmarket (thanks, Dan) sent us a video of the latest Bridgestone – the Bridgestone Potenza S001 – it definitely got our attention. And when we discovered that the new Bridgestone is standard fit on the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Audi RS5 and the Aston Martin Rapide they’d definitely got us hooked.

So on the off-chance that we’re not the only tyre-fetishists on the planet we thought we’d bring you a video of the new tyre in action on the 458 Italia. The first half of the VT is Vicky B-H – which is far from unpleasant – but the second half is the tyres.

Aston Martin DBS UB 2010 – the ‘Bez’ Special

The Aston Martin DBS UB-2010 - perfect if you want a Bez-MobileAston Martin has created a special edition DBS – the Aston Martin DBS UB 2010 – to commemorate 10 years of Dr Ulrich Bez’s leadership.Special edition cars are used by car makers as a way to shift some extra metal by seemingly offering either something not normally available, or at a discount from list price if you’d specified the extras you get on the Special Edition on a standard car.

Aston Martin has played this game lately with the Limited Edition DBS Carbon Black and V12 Vantage Carbon Black, offering something extra and a bit different for more money. And now they’re offering a new Limited Edition DBS which uses the other reason for a Limited Edition Car – the anniversary. Only they’ve managed to tie in the less-used Limited Edition tool – the ‘Celeb Name’ Limited Edition.

The Aston Martin DBS UB 2010 is a DBS to commemorate 10 years of Dr. Ulrich Bez’s leadership at Aston Martin. Which is nice for Ulrich and nice for the buyers who want a car specified to his tastes, for that is what you get with the DBS UB. And it’s an honour too; particularly for a ‘Suit’. It tends to be the ‘Glory Boys’ who get honoured (the SLR Sterling Moss or the Lamborghini LP550-2 Balboni) or ‘Family’ (Ferrari Dino, Mercedes Benz).

The Limited Edition – 20 Coupes and 20 Volantes – all get finished in Azurite Black with metallic bronze leather which has woven seat inserts and a ‘Cryptic Titan’ finish on the facia. You’ll get a UB-2010 sill plaque with the good doctor’s moniker on and a plaque also signed by Ulrich.

Who knows, the ’Cult of the Suit’ could catch on at AM. Maybe Aston Martin will go the whole hog and drop the DB prefix for its models (after former owner David Brown) and go the full ‘UB’ route.

Aston Martin One-77 on London streets

The Aston Martin One-77 in LondonAston Martin’s £1.2 million Hypercar – the Aston Martin One-77 – has been on a supercar run from London to Silverstone.We’re getting really close to the first production Aston Martin One-77 getting in to the hands of a customer (and in all probability in to the hands of the guy who’s bought 10 AM One-77s), and for the first time we’ve actually seen the One-77 out in the wild.

This One-77 was taking part in a supercar run from London to Silverstone on Friday to promote the FIA GT1 World Championship which takes place this weekend at the new Silverstone track, and was the first chance to see the One-77 both on the move and away from a static display at an event.

We’ve seen the One-77 in the flesh a couple of times, but each time it’s been the same car (the AM One-77 from Salon Prive last year) but this is a different car. It’s being reported as the first production car, but in truth it’s not – it’s best described as the “…final prototype that would be more accurately described as the First Production-Intent One-77.” And that’s from the horse’s mouth. Much to our surprise it looks great in white – a colour we would never have considered for the One-77.

We’ve also seen video of the One-77 before, but that was the video of the One-77 final testing. This time we get a road-ready One-77 doing the ‘London Shuffle’.

Not the most exciting video. But if you’ve ever wondered what £1.2 million on four wheels in London looks like, now you know

New Aston Martin Rapide to run in Nurburgring 24 hour

The Aston Martin Rapide which will take part in the Nurburgring 24 Hours in MayAston Martin are to run a Rapide in the Nürburgring 24-hour race in May together with a V12 Vantage. The Rapide will be driven by Aston boss Dr Ulrich Bez.It may be a four door saloon car. It may designed to ferry privileged families in supercar style. It may – on the face of it – be the least sporting car Aston Martin has produced in a generation. But as far as Aston Martin are concerned the new Aston Martin Rapide is a thoroughbred sporting Aston, and as such is perfectly suited to run the Nordschleife circuit for the Nürburgring 24-hour race in May. So that’s what they’re doing.

Aston Martin has run cars in the Nurburgring 24 hours for the last five years, but they were Vantages – both V8 and V12 versions – not even Db9s. So this is unchartered territory for Aston Martin. But so confident are they that the Rapide is almost a stock production car.

The only changes AM have made are small mandatory changes required to compete in the race plus a bit of weight saving and a suspension tweak or two. The team will be headed up by Aston boss Dr Ulrich Bez with the rest of the team made up from engineers from Gaydon. Dr Bez said:

“This race represents the ultimate final engineering durability test for any sports car – it subjects the car to the toughest possible assessment under public scrutiny.

The Rapide has the capability to carry four people in comfort but first and foremost it is a sports car and we will subject it to the same tests we would our other sports cars. We already have a proven track record at the Nürburgring racing our road cars with limited modification and in recent years we have enjoyed success in winning the SP8 class both in 2008 and 2009.”

Aston Martin are also running their most powerful car – the V12 Vantage – in the race. Last year was the first time the V12 Vantage had competed and it won its class and

Aston Martin Rapide – First customer car

The first Aston Martin Rapide leaves the factoryThe first Aston Martin Rapide leaves the Magna Steyr plant in Austria headed for a customer.It may not seem the biggest news in the world – Aston Martin Rapide leaves factory for customer’. After all, that is rather the point. But the gestation of the AM Rapide seems to have been so long it’s quite hard to remember who owned Aston Martin when the Rapide first poked its very elegant nose above the parapet, so it seems a big deal that complete cars are now heading out to customers.

In fact it was Ford who were at the helm when the Rapide first made a public appearance at the NAIAS in 2006 and revealed a glorious 4-door interpretation of the DB9. We all drooled. And Aston seemed keen to make the Rapide a reality not a concept. If four years is keen…

It’s also worth noting that the Aston Martin Rapide isn’t built at Gaydon, but in Austria at Magna Steyr’s facilities. Why, you may ask yourself? Well, when AM had to decide how to get the Rapide from concept to production it was selling more cars than it ever had. It simply didn’t have the room at Gaydon to bolt the Rapdide together as well as all those Vantages and DB9s. Times change, but that’s why this Aston is Austrian.

But it’s here. It’s beautiful. It’s an Aston Martin. And we want one. And the first lucky customers are about to get one.

New Aston Martin DB9 Facelift spied

The 2011 Aston Martin DB9 FaceliftAston Martin are on a roll at the moment and are planning a facelift for the DB9 in time for the Paris Motor Show.There’s a fair bit going on at Aston Martin at the moment, a big change from just a year ago when the recession was causing huge pain. We’ve had the launch of the car the V8 Vantage always threatened to be with the initially limited edition Aston Martin V12 Vantage, and the news that the V12 Vantage is US bound and no longer a limited edition.

The big news for AM this year has been the launch (finally) of the most beautiful 4 door car in the world – the Aston Martin Rapide – which frankly could handle like a dog and take 20 seconds to get to 60 mph and we’d still want one, so achingly gorgeous is it by any measure of saloon car gorgeousness.

With all this newness going on at Aston martin it’s easy to take for granted the car responsible for the modern renaissance of AM – the Aston Martin DB9. The Ian Callum designed DB9 is now six years old and, althopugh it has aged incredibly well, AM are ready for a mild tweak for 2011.

The car in the picture at the top – courtesy of Motor Authority – was snapped out and about sporting a slightly more aggressive look for the AM DB9 for 2011. It’s definitely a DB9, but it seems to have borrowed a bit of DBS bling to update its lines.

New sills, a tweak or two to the lighting and bumpers, some new fairy dust on the inside and maybe a small power hike and improvement in emissions and economy are on the cards. Nothing too major and nothing that will mess too much with the lines.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage – No longer a Limited Edition + V12 Vantage Video

The Aston Martin V12 Vantage - now a regular AM modelAston Martin have admitted that the V12 Vantage is no longer a Limited Edition model but part of the Aston Martin Model Range.We love the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, even though we’ve only actually driven the V8 Vantage (4.3 & 4.7 versions). But we know from the difference the 4.7 made to the V8 what a great car the V12 must be to drive. And we’ll get our hands on one at some point soon.

And that has just become a little easier now Cars UK has discovered that the Aston Martin V12 Vantage is no longer a ‘Limited Edition’ Aston but is – to all intents and purposes – part of the model range.

We’ve had our suspicions that Aston Martin had decided to un-limit the limited bit when Aston announced the V12 Vantage Carbon Black – to all intents and purposes a limited edition, limited edition – back in December. And now they’ve announced the V12 Vantage will be sold in the US (and South America) from later this year we just couldn’t see how – despite the price tag – there would ultimately be enough cars to go around.

So we asked asked Aston if the cap on the number of V12 Vantages had been lifted. They said that ‘we respond to customers’ demands… giving our customers what they want.’ In other words, the V12 Vantage is a winner and we’ll make as many as buyers order. Which is very good news for Aston Martin. And for Aston Martin lovers.

And for Cars UK. The more there are the more chance we have of blagging one for a few days

Edo turn Aston Martin DB9 in to Aston Martin DBS. Why?

The Edo Competition Aston Martin DBSGerman Tuners Edo Competition have turned a 5 year old Aston Martin DB9 in to a DBS for a Russian customer. But why?When your business is to play games customising exotic cars you must get used to strange requests from clients with more cash than class. We’ve all seem abominations that should have been still-born, but business is business and tuners aren’t going to turn down business if it brings in the readies.

So when Edo competition got a Russian client asking them to turn his five year old Aston Martin DB9 in to a DBS they were happy to oblige. In spades.

Steel body panels were replaced by carbon fibre; the V12 engine got a tweak from 470bhp to 550bhp; a carbon fibre front spoiler and rear diffuser were added. The interior didm’t escape attention with Alcantara/leather with carbon fiber inserts and metal accents.

The customer wanted the highest of high-end sound systems installed – which Edo were happy to do – but he also wanted a new exhaust with butterfly valves so he could turn the exhaust on or off depending on whether he wanted to listen to the car or the music.

Think that’s enough? Not yet. Edo also fitted a competition suspension setup offering adjustable ride height and stiffness as well as compression and rebound damping. The brakes got fettled too with 405 mm rotors and 6 piston monobloc calipers act on the front wheels, while the rear axle is fitted with 380 mm rotors and 4 piston monobloc calipers. High-performance brake pads and braided stainless steel brake lines are used on all four corners.

And hence an Aston Martin DBS – and then some – was created from a five year old Aston Martin DB9. How much did it cost? Edo aren’t saying.

But you can bet it would have been cheaper to buy a new DBS and keep the DB9 for rainy days.

Aston Martin DB5 James Bond movie car up for auction

You can play James Bond with an opriginal Aston martin DB5 Bond car - if you have a spare $5 million.One of the original James Bond Aston Martin DB5 cars – FMP 7B – is being auctioned by R.M. Auctions at their ‘Automobiles of London’ sale in October. Expected to fetch over $5 million.Maybe it’s my age – maybe it’s just a boy thing – but if ever I think of a ‘James Bond’ car it’s the Aston Martin DB5, complete with machine guns, bullet-proof shield, revolving number plates, tracking device, removable roof panel, oil slick sprayer, nail spreader and smoke screen.

Sadly, the closest I’ve ever come to owning a James Bond DB5 was the toy car I had as a child. But that got played with, so even if I still had it – which I don’t – it would be worth nothing. Unlike one of just two original DB5s used in Goldfinger and Thunderball – and the only Bond DB5 still remaining – which carries an estimate of $5 million as it heads for R.M. Auctions ‘Automobiles of London’ sale in October.

This particular DB5 – reg no. FMP 7B – was loaned to EON productions for filming and then went back to Aston Martin where it was subsequently sold to Jerry Lee – an American radio guy from Philadelphia – who paid the princely sum of $12,000 – and has owned it ever since.

Having been a static display at Jerry’s home for forty years the DB5 needed some TLC – which it’s had – and is in terrific condition (certainly compared to my toy DB5s). Prior to the sale the car will make an appearance at the Stoke Park Club, where Bond fans will remember Goldfinger’s game of golf with Bond and Oddjob’s bowler hat slicing the head off a statue.

A piece about an R.M. Auctions wouldn’t be complete without a quote from its European boss, Max Girardo. Max said:

Aston Martin DB9 Facelift revealed

The subtly facelifted Aston Martin DB9Aston Martin has given the DB9 a facelift for 2010 / 2011. But don’t worry. It’s very subtle. The DB9 is still gorgeous.Remarkably, the Aston Martin DB9 has been with us since 2003. Yet it still conspires to look as fresh and appealing – and let’s face it, just downright beautiful – as it did when it launched. But standing still for too long is a dangerous game in business, so Aston Martin has decided the time has come to give the Aston Martin DB9 a facelift - as we reported in May.

But don’t worry, Aston Martin’s most successful DB ever isn’t going to morph in to a nipped, tweaked and tucked Floridian parody of its former self. In fact the cosmetic changes are very subtle, really amounting to little more than new makeup rather than a facelift.

There’s a new front bumper and the grill gets a bit of sparkle. The lower intake gets a re-shape and a bit of bright hexagonal mesh and there’s new headlight bexels. The sills get a re-shape, there’s new alloys, silver brake callipers and clear light lenses. And that’s it. As we said – new makeup, not a stretched and manic looking Florida facelift.

Under the skin the changes are still minor, but more significant, The current passive damping gets replaced by an Acrtive Damping System (ADS) which is said to give better ride comfort but dial in an extra degree of sharpness when Sport mode is selected. There’s also a new tyre pressure monitoring system and some tweaks to the Bluetooth. Throw in some new trim finishes and a B&O hi-fi option and you’re about there.

There, that wasn’t too painful. And the Aston Martin DB9 is as beautiful as ever. Even after minor surgery.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 launches

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 hits the roads next monthAston Martin has launched the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420, a special edition to celebrate Aston Martin’s Nürburgring 24-hour race success’s.The only surprise about the new Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 is that Aston Martin has chosen to reveal it today rather than this last weekend at Goodwood. But at least it gives us some supercar news even though Goodwood is over for another year.

If you remember the last stripped down, lightened and ‘Superleggera-fied’ Aston Martin Vantage – the V8 Vantage N400 – you’re not going to be struggling too much to work out what’s on offer with the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420. Except this time there’s no tweak to the power to give more go, you have to make do with the 4.7 V8′s 420bhp.

The lack of a power increase is not too terrible as the 2010 V8 Vantage now enjoys a decent level of get up and go thanks to the move to the 4.7 litre lump. But this feels a lot more of a cosmetic job than the old N400, which did feel quite a bit different to the regular Vantage. And with a weight saving of about a sack of spuds the Vantage N420 seems more of a semi-skimmed Superleggera than a full fat option.

The N420 gets a new set of gloss black alloys, a rear diffuser, a set of side strakes, a carbon fibre front splitter and some black mesh vents to butch-up the exterior. On the interior it has carbon fibre seats and graphite instruments and the ‘Race Track’ stitching from the V12 Vantage. You’ll also get the normally optional Sports Pack – which gives you revised springs and dampers – and a louder exhaust as standard.

The N420 is available as Coupe or Roadster, and with a six-speed manual or optional Sportshift automated manual transmission. Prices start at £96,995 and deliveries start in August. This is a lot more a ‘V8 Vantage S’ than proper Superleggera, but it looks good, it’ll go well enough and it’s better than having no radio, no carpets and plastic windows.

Aston Martin One-77: 750bhp

The Aston Martin One-77 will deliver 750bhpAston Martin has revealed that the naturally aspirated, 7.3 liter V12 engine in the Aston Martin One-77 will develop 750bhp & 553lb/ft of torque.You expect a lot when a car costs £1,150,000 plus tax. So the Aston Martin One-77 needs to be special. After all, at that price, you can have your pick of any current car. The best that Pagani has to offer is there on your shopping list and, although your £1.15 million may not quite stretch to a Bugatti Veyron Supersport, it’s damn close.

But when it comes to winning hearts, Aston Martin has a head start on this in the looks department. It is the most glorious of the crop of Hypercars the world’s car makers produce.

Yes, there is an elemental lust for the technical marvel that is the Veyron. You can feel the heart and soul of Horacio Pagani in every Zonda that hits the road, and the stealth fighter visage of the Lamborghini Reventon certainly stirred a few souls. But none look as good as the Aston Martin One-77.

Thankfully, the naturally aspirated 7.3 litre V12 engine in the One-77 also looks as if it will be not just be a beautiful creation, but a powerful one too. Aston Martin has revealed that the One-77 will develop 750bhp and 750Nm of torque (that’s 553lb/ft in old money), making it the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in production.

Aston are saying that deliveries of the One-77 aren’t going to start until the New Year, but our contacts tell us there will be cars reaching lucky customers before then.

Aston Martin Cygnet. It’s a real Aston Martin. Honest.

The Aston Martin Cygnet - the 'Vision' video belowAston Martin has released a video extolling their vision for a small, energy-efficient Aston Martin. The Aston Martin Cygnet.Let’s get this out of the way, just in case you don’t read here very often and don’t know. We’re big Aston Martin fans. We think that Aston Martin produce works of art that just happen to be hugely enjoyable to drive (with a few caveats – but that’s for another time).

Right, so now we’re clear that just about everything Aston Martin touches is brilliant, gorgeous and hugely desirable, we feel justified in asking the question – What on earth is going on with the Aston Martin Cygnet?

Yes, we all know that Aston Martin is a small company, struggling to meet ludicrous CO2 emissions levels set by ignorant and misguided governments looking for revenue. We know that without reducing their average emissions and upping their economy across the range Aston Martin are going to get hit with big penalties.

So why not just admit that the reason for taking the perfectly good city car that is the Toyota iQ, Aston Martin-ising it to within an inch of its life – and tripling the price of the donor car in the process – is all about satisfying ridiculous legislation?

Please, Aston, don’t pretend you’ve had this brilliant idea about helping urban-living Aston owners to get out and about in the city without breaking out the DBS. It’s a cute idea and might even have washed until we realised that – despite initial statements to the contrary - you were going to sell an Aston Martin Cygnet to anyone gullible enough to pay three times the price of an iQ for a posh badge, and not just as a ‘Tender’ for existing AM owners.

We thought Aston Martin realised that the world knew that the Cygnet was a reaction to penalties and legislation, not a Brave New World for AM. So why have they got the great and the good at Aston Martin to go on film extolling their ‘Vision’ for an ‘Urban Aston Martin’?

Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 Roadster arrives

Aston Martin Vantage N420 RoadsterAston Martin has released photos of the Aston Martin Vantage N420 Roadster which will show at the Paris Motor Show.It was back in June that Aston Martin announced the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420, which is the 4.7 Vantage version of the N400, but this time – as the 4.7 Vantage is quite brisk without fiddling – the Vantage N420 has to make do with the regular model’s 420bhp.

When we got the original detail on the Vantage N420 we only got photos of the N420 Coupe, even though Aston Martin made it clear that there would be a roadster too. And here it is in all its glorious Aston Martin Convertible carporn-ness. No, we’re not at all biased towards the aesthetics of Aston Martin. Perish the thought.

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 Roadster gets put on a diet and weighs in at 27kg less than the regular Vantage Roadster thanks to liberal use of carbon fibre. It also gets a set of side strakes, a new rear diffuser, front splitter, wide sills and a set of 10-spoke alloys.

The suspension also gets a tweak, getting the Sports Pack as standard which includes revised dampers and anti-roll bars and a new exhaust. So fitted the N420 Roadster hustles to 60mph in 4.5 seconds, a couple of tenths quicker than the regular Roadster.

Inside the N420 Roadster gets contrast stitch upholstery, a choice of steering wheels and graphite instruments. And the Iridium package.

Looks like the N420 Roadster is ready to hit the roads any day soon at £96,995. But for now I think the pick is the N420 Coupe.

James Bond Aston Martin DB5 fetches £2.9 million

James Bond Aston martin DB5 - Sold for £2.9 millionThe James Bond Aston Martin DB5 – one of two DB5s supplied to EON – has fetched £2.9 million at R.M. Auctions London sale.Back in June we reported that R.M. Auctions were to sell the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 in London this month, the first time the Goldfinger and Thunderball car had been for sale since it was bought from Aston Martin in the 1960s by Jerry Lee, an American DJ/Presenter, who paid the princely sum of just $12,000 for the iconic car.

And so iconic is the car that RM expected the DB5 to fetch in the region of $5 million when it went under the hammer last night, but it ended up fetching just short of estimates at £2,912,000 ($4,608,500), which included a 12% buyers premium.

The new owner is American businessman Harry Yeaggy who said “This is a car that I’ve always wanted, after all it is the most famous car in the world. My plan is to display it in my private car museum in Ohio just as it is.” Just what we’d all do.

Former owner Jerry Lee plans to use the not inconsiderable proceeds from the sale of the Jerry Lee DB5 to fund the Jerry Lee Foundation and in particular the Jerry Lee Center of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania and the Jerry Lee Centre of Experimental Criminology at the University of Cambridge. All very noble. All very eponymous.

RM has had a summer of fun with the DB5 and managed to eke out every ounce of publicity possible. As a result of the commercial tie-ups they conjured up to give the DB5 sale some column inches, the new owner gets to have a suit made by Gieves & Hawkes (bespoke tailors to Bond, don’t you know) with material woven with solid gold thread, and a seven night stay for ten guests at The Golden Eye Resort in Jamaica, Ian Fleming’s former home and where he wrote the Bond books.

As far as we know – and we may well be wrong – this car was in fact the car that EON used for publicity, rather than the car in the film. That hasn’t been heard of for more than forty years.

Wonder if it will now come out of the woodwork?