It is always forgivable for a Bond movie to wreck a good car. Their last with the DBS and Casino Royale was quite okay, especially since they set a new record for car rolls on that one. And it would have really been forgivable for them to do it yet again for the new upcoming Bond movie.

Irony of ironies, this one DBS got crashed just before it reached the set of the new Bond flick (Quantum Of Solace) set. The DBS was happily on its way to Lake Garda in Italy driven by some Aston Martin technician when tragedy struck - the DBS careened of the road and into the lake.

The car’s pretty smashed. (Un)fortunately, the driver’s okay. Still, this is only 1 out of 5 DBS units to be utilized in the film. What’s the use of the other five? We might just have to wait and see why they need a quarter of a million quid worth of Aston Martin for the film.

Source: The Mail on Sunday

The Ford Mustang is a cultural icon of American muscle right out of Detroit. The Ford Mustang GT is quite a budget looker for those wanting blast their way down a Nevada highway and quite affordable too for those with cash to spare. The aftermarket is quite expansive too with both Shelby and Roush churning out performance parts to make the GT a more than respectable car (Well, since it’s a Mustang handling is left with much to be desired). But how about slapping on a V12 from an Aston Martin Vanquish to a Mustang? Well these guys did it:

Source: Streetfire

So the f*ck what? This clip has gone viral for the past couple of days now. And since I’m not into ignoring something big just because I hate it, I’m writing about it.

This viral video (obviously for a Nike endorsement) features Lakers star ballhog Kobe Bryant jumping a speeding Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster. Too bad the clip isn’t real (on the basis of no one will ever allow their top scorer to do such a stunt, the shadows can easily be a camera/CG trick) and that Kobe emerged unscathed. Good for the Aston though, not getting whanged by some dude named Kobe Bryant.

All good things must come to an end. When it comes to combined luxury and performance, the Mercedes McLaren SLR might just be one of the cars that fully epitomizes both. But alas, the SLR production comes to an end next year which also signifies the end of the Mercedes-Benz and McLaren tie-up.

Now, unconfirmed reports that this end might also be the beginning of another interesting affair between Merc and another luxury car maker - this time around, it’s with Aston Martin. News already had it that Aston Martin has looked into sourcing technology from Mercedes. Apparently this doesn’t simply end there and it might even be as big as Aston exec might be buying stakes from Daimler AG (Merc’s parent company). A future co-production between the two is highly possible.

I am undeniably an Aston Martin fan but I always thought of Mercedes-Benz as some cheesy brand that screams of smugness. Still, it can’t be denied that Merc has some amazing technology. It will be interesting to see a car that has Aston Martin’s style and personality packed with Mec’s technology.

Source: Autocar

Aston Martins are the epitome of exquisite design and impressive performance. They might not pack as much punch as Ferraris or as flamboyantly designed as Lambos but drive one and you’d be the envy of all the Ordinary Joes out there.

One of the best things about these cars is that they very much have their own personality. Consider them a lucky band of brothers with each looking just as good as the other. Their genes give them pretty much the same attributes but they are, deep inside, unique in ways.

So if you’re an Aston, what are you? Take this quiz (after the cut) to find out.

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When news first came out that Aston Martin was looking into tapping some of Mercedes-Benz’s hardware, some were hoping that it’d be some engine that Aston could source and slap on to one of their machines. Let’s face it, Merc makes some pretty good power plants and Aston leaves some still to be desired from the power department. News, now, has it that we could drop hopes of having an AMG-tuned engine inside the DBS or Vantage because Aston is interested in… *drum roll* Mercs’s hybrid technology.

*Boos all around* Hehe. The whole going green ga-ga has prompted even swanky sports car makers like Aston to consider offering fitting hybrids to their cars. And since we know how expensive it is to research and develop hybrid systems, it is quite a wise move for Aston to just license the technology from another reputable source. Merc seems to be a good source. Seems like Aston is looking at V6 and V8 hybrids. A hybrid Vantage or Rapide perhaps?

Now this would be another interesting news to follow. This is just a testament how everyone is starting to become environmentally responsible. Even Ferrari tried its hand out on an E85 ethanol car so why not other automakers like Aston Martin. Could this be a start of a partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Aston? We’ll see.

Aston Martin is sure to be raking in big bucks if they now started to outsource production of their cars. They have announced that the Aston Martin Rapide (a concept from two years back) will be produced with Austria-based partner Magna Steyr. Aston Martin’s Gaydon plant is currently busy filling in sold-out orders for the DBS, DB9 and Vantage that they wouldn’t be able to accommodate the 2000 units/year schedule for the Rapide.

The Rapide is a 4-door sports car. If based on the concept, it should have at least a huge 6.0L V12 dishing out 480hp. Two years of development should at least bring something more to the package.

It’s still a long haul with production expected to start in 2009. Magna Steyr also makes luxury cars for Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

We’ve had a string of paint job press releases from Aston Martin with the DBS a few months ago. If you’d ask me, paint jobs do not really demand a five or six-paragraph long press release but hey, it’s Aston Martin and their cars definitely deserve some look whenever they decide to give them a spiffy new color.

This time, it’s the Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS in a swanky Mako Blue paint. Mako came from the Mako shark which is the most agile shark known to man. “Mako” is also the Maori word for “Blue Lightning.” I don’t know about the Vantage RS, as it isn’t the most agile car out there but I have to give props to Aston Martin. The paint job is exquisite.

Uhm, okay. So probably the V12 Vantage RS is the quickest Aston around, powered by a 600 bhp 6.0L V12. It goes from 0-60 in sub-4 seconds and hits a staggering 200 mph.

Source: Aston Martin

The James Bond of old always had a new car. Much to the chagrin of Q. While the James Bond reboot saw the Aston Martin DBS getting rolled and wrecked, we can expect to see James Bond driving the rabidly sexy DBS in the next franchise outing next year.

Quite interestingly, the DBS got quite a push by being the Bond car in Casino Royale. It fit the Daniel Craig gritty image while still oozing with appeal. These combined with Aston Martin engineering made the car popular among fans and consumers alike.

Anyway, the big news is that Bond isn’t changing cars for the next film. Makes me wonder whether it will have some fanciful upgrades aside from a gun compartment and a defibrillator.

So here comes a tale of some guy from Aston Martin waking up one morning thinking “Hey, why don’t we put a V12 in the Vantage?” Just like some backseat accident, one thing leads to another and we end up with a Vantage RS with a V12 capable of 600 hp under the Vantage’s bonnet.

Okay, so it might not be how it happened but what we have is just that - an Aston Martin Vantage RS sporting 600 hp churning out interesting numbers. 0-60 in under 4 seconds, and a top speed of 200 mph. It is poised to compete with the Ferrari 599.

The car’s currently a concept but is bound to be in production by next year as a limited edition model. The speed comes with a price too as the Vantage RS is said to be pricier than the DBS.

Source: AutoWeek