Frist Impression: Aston Martin Vanquish/Vanquish S

The Aston Martin is one of the best cars to ever be seen in a movie. With its incredible styling and high performance, it is easy to see why it earns that distinction. The Vanquish is another one of a long line of stylish, high performing grand tourers wearing the Aston Martin badge. Production for the Vanquish started in 2001 and ended in 2007, when it was replaced by the DBS. The Vanquish was upgraded to the Vanquish S in 2004 when Aston Martin released the DB9.

I recently saw an Aston Martin Vanquish at the June 2011 edition of Houston Cars and Coffee. It is a shame that the Vanquish did not get much attention because it is a beautiful grand tourer. The Vanquish S has improved suspension and aerodynamics.

Both the Vanquish and Vanquish S are powered by a 6.0L V12 paired with a six-speed electrohydraulic manual transmission. The Vanquish V12 generates 450 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. The 0-60 mph time is 4.3 seconds and the top speed is 189.5 mph for the Vanquish. The Vanquish S V12 generates 514 hp and 425 lb-ft of torque. The 0-60 mph time is 4.0 mph and the top speed is 204 mph. Prices for new Vanquish started around $234,000. Prices for the Vanquish S started at $255,000. These are fair prices for cars that are highly stylish and have great performance.

The Aston Martin Vanquish was the car driven by James Bond, played by Pierce Brosnan, in Die Another Day. It was also the car used for Hot Shot's vehicle mode in Transformers: Energon. Top Gear featured the Vanquish during Series 1, Episode 4, when  Jeremy Clarkson and Steve Coogan were comparing the car to a Ferrari 575M Maranello. The Vanquish S was featured on Top Gear Series 5, Episode 4, when again Clarkson and Coogan compared the car to a Ferrari 575M. The Aston Martin Vanquish is playable in Project Gotham Racing 1, 2, 3, and 4; Taxi 3: Extreme Rush; Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2; Midnight Club 2; Crashed; London Racer II; Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights; Test Drive Unlimited; Split/Second; Asphalt: Urban GT; Taxi Raser; Gran Turismo 3 A-spec; Forza Motorsport 2 and 3; The Italian Job; Gran Turismo 4 and 5; and many other games.

Final Thought: It is a shame that this car did not have a crowd around it at Cars and Coffee. It is a beautiful car. It should have been the main car in other movies besides Die Another Day. Normally when a car is being replaced, the replacement should outperform its predecessor. However, the Aston Martin Vanquish S was quicker and faster than its replacement. the Aston Martin DBS. There was one problem with the Vanquish. It used paddle shifters to change gears. The car did upshift properly. But it did not downshift properly. This flaw was stated by Jeremy Clarkson when he reviewed the car. Other than the gear changing problem, the Vanquish and Vanquish S were great cars.

CarJunkie
Photo taken from a camera phone

Aston Martin Cuts Back Production of Rapide Due to Poor Sales

Seems like the recession isn�t hitting just common people, but is also affecting the market for $200,000-plus supercars. One such example is the Rapide, Aston Martin�s sports sedan, whose sales are falling way off initial expectations.
According to media reports, the British carmaker is cutting back production of the Rapide to 25 cars per week, which translates to 1,250 per year, or 750 less than initial estimates.

Silverstone Organisers Ask: What is the Best British Sports Car of All Time?

The fifteen finalists in the Silverstone Classic�s, �Best British Sports Car of All Time� vote-in have been announced, and boy is there some choice picks. Before we get to that though, can I just point out a misnomer in using the, �of All Time� qualifier?
This assumes (prophetically?) that Britain will not be making any more sports cars in the future, whereas, �Best British Sports Car So Far� would be a far more accurate description. But enough with semantics: who are our lucky finalists?

Mercedes-Benz�s Parent Company Nearing a Decision on the Fate of Maybach

It�s no secret that for quite some time now, Mercedes-Benz�s parent company Daimler has just about had it with Maybach and is looking to either shut down the �ber luxury car brand and call it a day or partner up with British sports carmaker Aston Martin on the development of a new model.
According to a report from Autoweek, the time has come for the German carmaker to make a final decision with the fate of Maybach to be decided by July 1. At a recent press event in Stuttgart, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche told journalist that "there is a higher likelihood to come to a positive decision" for Maybach if the company can find a partner. Up until now, the only automaker that has showed interest in working with Daimler on Maybach is Aston Martin.

First Impression: Aston Martin DB9

Aston Martin is known for style, performance, and luxury. In 2004, Aston Martin released the DB9, a 2+2 seat, two door grand tourer. The DB9 succeeded the DB7. The DB9 was one of the last Aston Martin cars built when Ford owned Aston Martin. The DB9 Volante is the convertible version.

The DB9 is a frequent guest of Houston Cars and Coffee. This is one of the best looking cars on the road. Not many cars can match the style of Aston Martins. The DB9 is a gentleman's car.

The DB9 is powered by a 6.0L V12, paired with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, that produces 469 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. The DB9 goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 190 mph. It weighs 3,880 lb. Prices start at $189,915 for the coupe and $203,015 for the Volante.
It is quick, fast, and a tad bit heavy. It is a little pricey though.

Jeremy Clarkson raced Richard Hammond and James May from London to Monte Carlo in a DB9 during Top Gear Series 4, Episode 1. Top Gear featured the DB9 Volante during Series 6, Episode 3. Top Gear considered the DB9 so cool that it was too cool to be placed in sub-zero, the DB9 had to have its own category dubbed the "DB9 sub-zero fridge." The DB9 is drivable in Test Drive Unlimited, Test Drive Unlimited 2, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Highway Madness, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights, RayCity, Driver: Parallel Lines, Driver: Renegade, Forza Motorsport, Forza Motorsport 2, Forza Motorsport 3, Project Gotham Racing 3, Gran Turismo 4, Gran Turismo 5, Asphalt: Urban GT, ToCA Race Driver 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Crash Time IV: The Syndicate, Shift 2: Unleashed, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, Need For Speed: Carbon, Need For Speed: Pro Street, Need For Speed: Undercover, Need For Speed: Carbon Own the City, and Full Auto 2: Battlelines.

Final Thoughts: What A Car! It is stylish, quick, fast, cool, and just plain gorgeous. Its the total package. Its heavy and expensive though. It continues the Aston Martin tradition of style and performance. This is a car that is meant to be driven.

CarJunkie
Photo taken from a camera phone

Aston Martin to Move Production of Rapide from Austria to the UK

For the past two years, Aston Martin has been manufacturing the Rapide at Magna Steyr�s facilities in Austria, but that�s about to change soon as today, the British automaker announced that it will move production of the four-door sports saloon to the company�s Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire, UK. The company said the necessary upgrades at its Gaydon headquarters for Rapide will begin immediately with a view to begin production of the Rapide in the second half of 2012.

Investigators Uncover Multi-Million Pound Tax Scam in India; European Exotics, Foreign Diplomats and Bollywood Actors Involved

In what sounds more like the plot of a The Fast and the Furious movie than real life, investigators at India�s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence office (a.k.a. India�s IRS) have uncovered a massive exotic car smuggling operation in the nation�s capital of New Dehli. It all has to do with India�s notorious 100% import tax on new luxury vehicles.
It began with one New Dehli luxury car dealer, Sumit Walia, importing brand new luxury cars on forged invoices. These invoices listed the cars as second-hand, which saved Walia � and his customers � some 40% on import tax. Some of the cars � which included Porsches, Bentleys and Aston Martins � were found to have been stolen from the streets of Britain, France, Singapore and Japan.

Real Life Cars 2 Characters Dock at London�s Motorexpo

The imposing fleet of 50 Jaguar E-Type models isn�t the only attraction to arrive today at London�s Canary Wharf for the free-to-visit Motorexpo as Disney and its Pixar studio sent two real life characters from the upcoming Cars 2 movie, which is set to hit UK theaters in 3D on July 22. The full-size film-star cars are the Lightning McQueen racer and the Finn McMissile Aston Martin, voiced in the movie by actors Owen Wilson and Michael Caine respectively.

Video: Bloomberg�s Adam Haynes on the Aston Martin Cygnet

You can�t spell, �Cygnet� without, �cynical marketing ploy�. The Toyota iQ-derived stocking stuffer iPhone accessory subcompact has prompted a neat little op-ed piece by Bloomberg correspondent (an ex-pat Aussie) Adam Haynes that includes some fascinating dialogue from Aston Martin insiders.
Most of our readers will know by now that the Cygnet exists purely to counteract the 120 grams of CO2 per kilogram EU carbon restrictions to be introduced in 2012. With a combined CO2 g/km rating of 400, Aston Martin�s current fleet of high performance vehicles could never match this.

Disney and Pixar to Bring CarsFestival

Continuing the assault of promotional material for the second installment of the Cars animated movie franchise, Disney and its Pixar unit announced today that two characters from the film will jump into life at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed, which will be held at the Goodwood House from 30 June until 3 July.

First Impression: Aston Martin DBS

Aston Martin is known for a few things: style, performance, and James Bond. The Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger is one of the most iconic film cars. The most recent Bond films feature the Aston Martin DBS, a super grand tourer introduced in 2007 to replace the Vanquish. The DBS is one of the best all-around grand tourers on the market.

I first saw the Aston Martin DBS at the 2011 Houston Auto Show. Star Motor Cars in Houston showed off several Aston Martin and Lotus cars. It is a sight to behold. It is nice to see a James Bond car up close. The cars were roped off, so I could not touch or get into the DBS.

The DBS is powered by a 6.0L V12 connected to a six-speed manual. The engine produces 510 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and reaches a top speed of 191 mph. It is fast, but there are faster and quicker grand tourers out there. Prices start at $273,104. It is a little expensive.

It was reviewed by Top Gear on Series 10, Episode 7, where it set a power lap time of 1:23.9. The Volante version of the DBS was driven by Jeremy Clarkson in Romania on Series 14, Episode 1. It was also featured on www.jaylenosgarage.com. It was in both Casino Royale and Quatum of Solace. It is playable in Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, Test Drive Unlimited 2, 2 Days to Vegas, Project Gotham Racing 4, Forza Motorsport 3, James Bond: Quantum of Solace and James Bond: Blood Stone.

Final Thoughts: It is a beautiful car. This is one of the most stylish cars on the market. It is fast, but there are faster cars out there. This is a car for cruising, not for racing. It combines style with performance. I love the styling on the modern Aston Martins. Aston Martin was once in financial trouble, but now they are flourishing in a tough economy.

CarJunkie
Photo taken from a camera phone

Video: Sights and Sounds of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Having brought you a first look at the winner of the design award for Concept Cars and Prototypes at this year�s edition of the Concorso d�Eleganza Villa d�Este in Italy, it is now time to show you the Aston Martin V12 Zagato in the flesh and on film. The concept study is a V12 Vantage draped in an aluminum Italian suite, and it will spawn a racing model that will compete in the 24-hour Nurburgring endurance race in late June as well as a limited run production version, scheduled for launch within the next year.
Follow the jump to get a look of the supercar�s lines and a taste of the brutal sounds produced by Aston Martin�s 517-horsepower 6.0-liter V12 engine in our collection of videos.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato is the Winner of this Year�s Concorso d�Eleganza Design Award

The world premiere of the new Aston Martin V12 Zagato, which took place at the Concorso d�Eleganza Villa d�Este 2011 this past weekend on the shores of Lake Como in Italy, was marked by the design award for Concept Cars and Prototypes. The conceptual model, which was created to celebrate the Aston Martin and Zagato partnership in the 50th anniversary year of the famous DB4GT Zagato, won the approval of the visitors to the Concorso D�Eleganza event.
The competition in the Concept Cars and Prototypes category included BMW�s new 328 Homage Roadster, the Ferrari Superamerica 45, Audi Quattro, Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake, Infiniti Etherea, Italdesign VW GO!, Rinspeed Bamboo, Renault DeZir and the Scuderia P4/5.

2011 Aston Martin revealed new 2011 Aston Martin Vantage Cars pictures gallery

2011 Aston Martin revealed new 2011 Aston Martin Vantage Cars pictures gallery
kia cars wallpapers gallery and preview: http://car-wheelx.blogspot.com/2011/05/2009-kia-sportage-wallpapers-and.html

2011 Aston Martin revealed Aston Martin Rapide cars wallpapers and prices

2011 Aston Martin revealed Aston Martin Rapide cars wallpapers and prices
Upcoming BMW cars Review and interior review: http://car-wheelx.blogspot.com/2011/05/bmw-328-kamm-coupe-1940-mille-miglia.html

Aston Martin�s One-77 Supercar Filmed on the Streets of London

There are very few cars in this world that can stir our imagination just by looking at them parked on the road, and this is one of them. We�re talking about the top dog in Aston Martin�s current lineup, the One-77 supercar, which was filmed here on the streets of London as it was being started up and ready to launch, by a Youtube user. It�s always great to see a rare supercar being used on the road instead of spending its life in a garage as a centerpiece.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato: Italian Elegance Meets British Brute Force

Some companies really know how to celebrate. Take AstonMartin and Zagato, for example. The iconic British sports car maker and the legendary Italian coachbuilder will mark the 50th anniversary of their first collaboration with a brand new study.
To honor their first joint project, the 1961 DB4GT Zagato, the two companies developed the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, a race car study that will be unveiled on May 21 at the Villa D'Este Concorsod'Eleganza in Italy, where it will compete against the Ferrari Superamerica 45. But this elegant and dramatic coupe was not built for classy Concours d'Elegance events alone, as it will actually race at the Nurburgring 24 Hour event on June 25-26.

First Aston Martin Rapide rolls pictures gallery and features reviews

First Aston Martin Rapide rolls pictures gallery and features reviews
Aston Martin is celebrating a new era after its first four-door Rapide sports cars rolled off the production line, headed for 125 showrooms in 34 countries.

2011 Aston Martin Sports car features and performance reviews

2011 Aston Martin Sports car features and performance reviews
http://bmwtopcars.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-opel-meriva-car-prices-and.html

2011 Aston Martin DB9 cars wallpapers and features reviews

2011 Aston Martin DB9 cars wallpapers and features reviews
http://bmwtopcars.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-porsche-cayenne-car-prices-and.html