Aston Martin has released more realistic renderings of the new DBS GT Zagato, a limited-run reworking of the DBS Superleggera created to celebrate Italian styling house Zagato’s centenary. Although still digital images, the new shots remove some of the exaggerated proportions of the previous renders, showing what we can expect for the final version to be revealed in the coming months. The new machine is limited to 19 models, and is being sold exclusively as a pair with a DB4 GT Zagato Continuation model. The DBZ Centenary Collection will cost £6 million, plus taxes. The DBS GT Zagato is an extensively reworked version of a DBS Superleggera, and takes styling cues from the original DB4 GT Zagato. The car’s styling was conducted by Zagato and Aston Martin’s design team. It features a ‘double-bubble’ roof styled after the original, which runs from the front windscreen to the tail of the car, replacing the rear windscreen. The front of the car has also been restyled, with a similar bubble theme, new headlights and a reworked Zagato front grille. The car gains a unique wheel design too. The mechanical underpinnings of the DBS GT Zagato will be unchanged from the Superleggera, including the 715bhp turbocharged 5.2-litre V12. The previously announced DB4 GT Zatago Continuation will be offered as a track-only car, because the specifications will exactly match the 58-year-old original design. That will include an updated version of the original’s straight-six, 380bhp engine. Customer deliveries of the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation will begin at the end of this year, with deliveries of the DBS GT Zagato following in late
Origin: Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato: ultra-rare special previewed
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Aston Martin will withhold DBX production just to keep it exclusive
Despite the fact it’s getting into the SUV game so it can simply sell more vehicles, Aston Martin will reportedly limit production of the upcoming DBX in an effort to retain the brand’s exclusive reputation. As the brand’s first SUV, it’s likely that the DBX will sell more than any other Aston — and that’s kind of the problem. Andy Palmer, the British luxury automaker’s CEO, told Australian website Carsales that DBX production will be capped for the first year unlike other luxury brands, which continue to chase larger numbers. “I purposefully restrained production to 5,000 units — for exactly that reason,” Palmer told the publication, speaking to the brand’s rep as a maker of premium automobiles. “There’s always a tendency when you’ve got an order book to turn everything up. And when you do that, you start making mistakes, in my experience.”Despite the self-imposed limits, Aston Martin is still aiming to double its output by 2025. Palmer explains how the overall production numbers will be increased over time. “When the Lagonda comes in 2023, we’ll turn it up to 7,000 but we’ll leave it at that, with around 4,000 DBXs rolling off the line and another 3,000 Lagondas,” he said.The brand anticipates many of the initial DBX sales will go to Aston Martin owners who already own an SUV. The DBX is already in the works at Aston’s Wales plant and is slated for a public debut sometime later this year.
Origin: Aston Martin will withhold DBX production just to keep it exclusive
Aston Martin Valhalla to star in new Bond film, alongside V8 and DB5
The Aston Martin ValhallaAston Martin Aston Martins new hypercar the twin-turbo-V6 hybrid we’ve just come to know will be called “Valhalla” will have a role in the upcoming James Bond film, alongside two iconic Bond vehicles, the Aston Martin DB5 and the V8 Vantage.The British automaker confirmed the trios placement in the yet-untitled Bond 25 movie via Facebook late June.From the sounds of it, the film will be a veritable smorgasbord for more automotive-ly inclined Bond fans: outside of these three Astons, there were rumours star Daniel Craig would pilot the marque’s electric Rapide E sedan on-screen, too.More concrete are suggestions a vintage Land Rover Series III will be put to use by the well-known secret agent, since a blue example was photographed on set earlier this year.The film will be the 25th James Bond movie, and both the fifth and last for Daniel Craig. The title is rumored to be Shatterhand, an allusion to villain Ernst Blofeld, and the release date is April 8,
Origin: Aston Martin Valhalla to star in new Bond film, alongside V8 and DB5
Official: Aston Martin Valhalla confirmed as next Bond car
It’s not the only Aston to feature in the film, however. Also confirmed to appear in some capacity will be the DB5, returning after its explosive featuring in the 2012 Bond film, Skyfall. There will also be an Aston Martin V8, first seen in The Living Daylights back in 1987. Aston confirmed its hypercar, sitting underneath the faster and pricier Valkyrie, would take the Valhalla name earlier this week. Taking its name from the warriors’ paradise referred to in Norse mythology, it’s powered by a V6 hybrid powertrain expected to make over 1000bhp. It’ll enter production in late 2021. The first Aston Martin to appear in a Bond film was the DB5, which featured in Goldfinger in 1964. It boosted sales dramatically and started a relationship between the franchise and the brand that has spanned over five
Origin: Official: Aston Martin Valhalla confirmed as next Bond car
Aston Martin gives its new AM-RB 003 hypercar a name: Valhalla
When the Norse god Odin selected honored warriors for the afterlife, he sent them to a majestic paradise called Valhalla.Stern stuff, then, and the perfect name for Aston Martins new hypercar.Formerly identified by its code name AM-RB 003, which made it sound like the worlds fastest fax machine Aston Martins latest mid-engined hypercar is a collaboration with Red Bull Advanced Technologies and technical whiz Adrian Newey.Deploying lightweight construction methods and aerodynamics pioneered in the big-brother Valkyrie, the Valhalla will be powered by a hybrid system comprised of a high-output turbo V6 and battery-electric power team. Just 500 examples of the all-carbon-fibre hypercar will be built.Just like that family back in high school who called all their kids names which began with the letter J, Aston Martin has a long history of titling their cars with a V. Vantage, Vulcan, Vanquish, Valkyrietake yer pick of high-performance coupes that exude more than just a dash of swagger.Speaking of the Valkyrie, this car borrows some of its design, but uses less extreme language. The company says it wants this to be a car people can daily, endowing it with space behind the seats for luggage and even a place to mount your smartphone on the dash. The example shown this year in Geneva also had a steering wheel full of vehicle controls and a display screen in the hub.At the show, Aston also showed off the Valhallas aero tech, which has been validated by NASA. Yes, that NASA. The Valhallas rear wing is equipped with something called FlexFoil, which allows the cars downforce to be changed without changing the physical angle of the entire element. This seamless design will allegedly increase downforce while reducing wind noise when compared to a traditional active wing design.Aston figures itll be producing Valhalla road cars by the calendar year 2021. Price? If you have to
Origin: Aston Martin gives its new AM-RB 003 hypercar a name: Valhalla
Aston Martin Valkyrie will race at Le Mans in 2021
Aston Martin has confirmed that its upcoming Valkyrie hypercar will take part in the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. New rules put in place by Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), Le Mans’ governing body, effectively replace the top-rung LMP1 category, a field in which Toyota’s Gazoo Racing has been the only factory-backed team since the departures of Porsche and Audi, with a new ‘hypercar’ class. Aston Martin, along with McLaren and Ferrari, had been campaigning for race-prepared versions of roadgoing hypercars to be allowed to participate in the famous endurance race, with the vision that such a category would make it more affordable for manufacturers to partake and thus encourage more works teams. The new regulations allow the bodywork of competing cars to take more obvious brand design cues, meaning they will more closely resemble their production counterparts. Active aerodynamics will also be permitted, because such technology has started to become more relevant to roadgoing vehicles. Aston Martin says at least two Valkyries will be specially developed for entry into the 2020/21 FIA World Endurance Championship. The Valkyrie, a collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, produces a combined 1160bhp and 546lb ft from a Cosworth-developed 6.5-litre V12 and a 160bhp electric motor from Croatian EV manufacturer Rimac. Technical details of the racing Valkyrie remain scarce, but Aston has confirmed that it will receive a track-prepped variant of the high-revving V12 and retain its distinctive carbonfibre bodywork. The FIA has implemented a 980kg limit on cars in the new hypercar class – just below the Valkyrie’s estimated one-tonne kerb weight. The announcement comes as Gaydon marks the 60th anniversary of its DBR1/300 racer taking first and second place in the 1959 race, while the 2021 event will take place on the centenary of the British brand’s first Le Mans entry. Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said: “We have always said that we would one day bring Aston Martin back to Le Mans with the intention of going for the outright win when the time was right. Now is that time.” It remains to be seen which manufacturers will challenge Aston Martin for victory in the hypercar division, but the McLaren Speedtail and recently revealed Ferrari SF90 Stradale seem obvious candidates for homologation. Aston Martin will use this year’s event to display a newly completed DB4 GT Zagato Continuation model, the first of 19, which was hand-built over 4500 hours at the firm’s heritage centre in Newport
Origin: Aston Martin Valkyrie will race at Le Mans in 2021
The Aston Martin DB5 used to promote Thunderball is up for auction
The Aston Martin DB5 is no doubt one of the most iconic film vehicles ever, but within the DB5 umbrella, there are many vehicles that can claim to be the DB5. This one is arguably the most movie-accurate, although not actually used on the screen — instead, it was used for promotional purposes. This DB5 is one of two originally used to promote Thunderball, and is equipped with every gadget featured in that film, as well as the ones showcased in Goldfinger: The smokescreen, oil slicks, bulletproof window shield, battering rams, and turn-signal mounted machine guns are all present. The ejector seat, though, isn’t functional — although the roof panel can be removed. The weapon drawer and tracking screen are also included; the only thing missing is the jetpack in the trunk. For the films, multiple vehicles were used to demonstrate the gadgets. But for these promotional vehicles, all the gadgets were made to work reliably to show at premieres. The car was previously sold for US$2,090,000 but it received a complete restoration in 2012, so it should fetch a much higher number now. The car will go to auction at RM Sotheby’s Monterey event in August, where it will no doubt bring a hefty price. Continuation cars go for about US$3.6 million, so it will be interesting to see how much this DB5
Origin: The Aston Martin DB5 used to promote Thunderball is up for auction
New Aston Martin DBX: pre-production begins ahead of 2020 launch
Aston Martin has started building pre-production versions of the forthcoming DBX at its new St Athan plant, ahead of its first SUV going on sale in the first half of 2020. The new 90-acre factory in Wales, built on a former Ministry of Defence site, has been under development since 2016, and will be the sole production facility for the DBX. The electric models of the revived Lagonda brand will also be built there. Ahead of the machine’s official launch later this year, Aston Martin has also issued new images of the DBX sporting a new camouflage livery reflecting its new Welsh home. The machine is currently undergoing final testing using the pre-production versions being produced in St Athan, with full production due to commence early next year. Aston Martin previously released new images and a video of the DBX undergoing extreme weather testing in Sweden at Pirelli’s Flurheden proving ground, part of the two brands’ ongoing partnership. Speaking about that test, Aston Martin chief engineer Matt Becker said: “Testing these prototypes in cold climate conditions helps us to assess the car’s early dynamics and, crucially, ensure confidence-inspiring sure-footedness on low-grip surfaces. “This car propels Aston Martin into a new segment and our engineering team are enjoying the challenges of developing a quality luxury SUV experience through this robust testing schedule. Progress is on track and I am confident that we will deliver over and above what our customers would expect from an Aston Martin SUV.” The DBX is the first Aston Martin to go through a new dedicated test programme, to ensure it can produce the kind of dynamic on-road performance on which Aston has always made its name, allied to some credibility off road. Testing is also due to take place in the deserts of the Middle East, on German autobahns and at the Nürburgring. The DBX has also been seen on UK roads testing the brand’s AMG-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, which is expected to be the first engine offered in the SUV when it arrives before the end of the year. Expect a similar power output to the DB11’s 503bhp. The images from Sweden showed the same five-door body shape as the official ‘spy shots’ released by Aston Martin last year. The model is expected to retain this profile for production. Unlike the concept, the production DBX will feature a more conventional five-door layout rather than the sleeker three-door design that was originally expected. The DBX is one of the most important models in Aston Martin’s history and the next phase of the company’s turnaround plan under boss Andy Palmer. While every Aston produced under Palmer to date as part of his ‘Second Century’ plan has been a replacement for an existing model (DB11, Vantage and DBS Superleggera), the DBX breaks new ground by having no direct predecessor. During its life cycle, the DBX will introduce hybrid technology to Aston and it will also play a key role in trying to attract female buyers to the Aston Martin brand. The DBX is built on an Aston Martin architecture that will be closely related to that set to underpin the Lagonda saloon and Lagonda SUV, which Aston also has in the pipeline. The new Lagondas will be built alongside the DBX in Wales, starting from 2021. However, whereas the Lagonda models will be electrically driven, the DBX will start life with petrol power before getting Mercedes-sourced hybrid technology early in the next decade. Aston Martin’s own V12 and Mercedes-AMG’s V8 engines will both find their way into the DBX, with Mercedes also donating the car’s electrical architecture. The DBX will compete against the likes of the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and upcoming Ferrari SUV. Given the broad appeal and rise in popularity of SUVs, the DBX is expected to quickly become Aston’s best-selling model. The DBX was first seen in its distincitive prototype camouflage on the gravel stages of the Wales Rally GB, for the first time giving hints of the final production car’s design. There’s little left of the DBX concept in the camouflaged test mule, although the sleek silhouette does remain, albeit with an extra pair of doors. Sharp body creases and a pronounced shoulder line help reduce the overall visual bulk of what is the most high-sided Aston yet produced, while a new integrated grille design performs a similar role at the front of the car. It will also be the first all-new Aston Martin model launched after the company’s stock market flotation, after the firm returned to profitability last year. Aston Martin has changed significantly as a company under the leadership of Andy Palmer, who joined as CEO in 2014. He has brought financial stability to the company and returned it to profit. In 2017, the company was in the black for the first time since 2010. Aston’s first-half results in 2018 showed that it recorded a pre-tax profit of £20.7 million. Palmer has underpinned that growth with his
Origin: New Aston Martin DBX: pre-production begins ahead of 2020 launch
Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato: reborn classic headed to Le Mans
Aston Martin will unveil the first completed DB4 GT Zagato Continuation model at the Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend. The car, the first in a run of 19, is the result of around 4500 hours of labour carried out by the engineers at the firm’s Newport Pagnell-based Heritage Division. The model on display has been painted in Rosso Maja, a colour that was mixed by paint supplier Max Meyer specially for use on the original Zagato DB4. Inside, carbonfibre race seats are trimmed in black leather, as are the door cards and headliner, with carpets decorated to match. A full FIA-approved roll cage and period-correct race instrumentation also feature. Eighteen more DB4 GT Zagatos will be handcrafted using what Aston calls “artisan coachbuilding skills”, including techniques more commonplace in the middle of the last century. In addition, the same number of a bespoke new supercar, called the DBS GT Zagato, will be produced, but the two models will only be available to buy as a package – at a cost of £6 million for the set, before tax. The track-only DB4 GT Zagato is powered by an updated 4.7-litre version of the Tadek Marek-designed straight-six engine that features in the original. It delivers more than 390bhp to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential. The modern car has not yet been revealed fully, but renderings released by Aston offer a good glimpse at its dramatic design. It’s based on the DBS Superleggera, and will feature the same short tail and double-bubble roof of previous Zagato Astons. The 715bhp turbocharged 5.2-litre V12 will also remain. Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer said: “The partnership between Aston Martin and Zagato is one of the most fruitful and enduring in the automotive world. With Zagato celebrating its centenary next year, what better way to celebrate this landmark – and the long-standing bond between our two great companies – than creating these 19 pairs of cars.” While the DBS Zagato is road-legal, the DB4 GT Zagato is a track-only car, given that the latter is based on a now 58-year-old design. The DBS Zagato will be built at Aston Martin’s Gaydon facility. Despite the cars’ simultaneous announcements, deliveries of the two are a full year apart – the continuation DB4 GT Zagato will reach customers in the final months of 2019, while deliveries of the DBS GT Zagato will begin at the end of 2020. It’s the latest in a string of Aston Martin continuation projects – the DB4 GT was resurrected for a continuation run of 25 models, which were sold for £1.5m each; while, more recently, 25 Goldfinger-spec DB5s were announced for production, to the James Bond car
Origin: Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato: reborn classic headed to Le Mans
Aston Martin V8 Vantage to make appearance in Bond 25
A video posted by MI6-HQ.com, a behind-the-scenes James Bond channel, shows a lesser-known 007 vehicle being used for the next film. An Aston Martin V8 Vantage is shown driving alongside a lake in Norway, which looks to be a similar location to where The Spy Who Loved Me was filmed, but we don’t expect the Aston to sprout fins and turn into a submarine. We’ll leave that to Lotus. The vehicle obviously bears a striking resemblance to the one used by Timothy Dalton in the 1987 film The Living Daylights — even the license (to kill) plates bear the same B549 WUU designation. The V8 Vantage was the first Aston Martin that 007 had driven since On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The original car had lasers that fired from the wheel centre caps, as well as a pair of skis that came out of the rocker panels, and of course, rocket launchers of course. This time, though, Daniel Craig’s Bond will likely save the gadgets for his other car, reportedly an Aston Martin Rapid E. Bond 25, as it’s tentatively known, has been put through the wringer when it comes to production: The original director was replaced due to scripting issues, multiple accidents have occurred on set, and even an explosion seriously damaged EON Productions’ studios. Even the picturesque location in Norway, where this video was shot, had problems — tire tracks were left behind on the road by BMW owners during a large event. The movie will be Daniel Craig’s final run as the explosive secret agent.
Origin: Aston Martin V8 Vantage to make appearance in Bond 25
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