Aston Martin with the new Cygnets into the fifth annual Eco-Rally

Aston Martin enters two new Cygnets into the fifth annual Bridgestone Eco-Rally this weekend. In the marque’s debut appearance at the event, the Cygnets will cement their place as the ultimate city cars, a tailor-fit solution for urban driving.

The Bridgestone Eco-Rally will allow spectators and enthusiasts a chance to see the Cygnets as they pass from the heart of Oxford to central London. The rally showcases the world’s best eco-friendly vehicles in association with ‘Start’, an initiative inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales to celebrate eco-friendly living.

Hand-crafted for the city with the highest quality materials and attention to detail, Cygnet is bespoke, exclusive, and offers a degree of choice not previously available in a small package, coupled with carbon emissions of just 116 g/km and fuel economy of 56.5 mpg.



One of the Cygnets entering the event will be dressed in Seychelles Blue, the paint colour of the Aston Martin DB6 Mark II Volante recently driven by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their wedding day. Aside from the two formal entries, a third Cygnet will also be supporting the event in eye-catching ‘Flouro Orange’, the hallmark of London-based designer Tom Dixon.

Driven by Aston Martin Racing regular, Darren Turner and David King, Aston Martin’s Director of Special Projects and Motorsport, the two Cygnets will be on the extended route from Exeter College, Oxford to The Mall, London.

Darren Turner is looking forward to the prospect of driving the Cygnet at the weekend: “I have been a fan of Cygnet from the start. It’s a great city car, easy to manoeuvreand park and a lot of fun to drive.”


David King said: “To drive Cygnet in a busy city is to experience a car ideally suited to its environment. Cygnet is tiny, with impressively low emissions but with all the style and craftsmanship of the finest luxury cars.”

“I’m looking forward to demonstrating Cygnet on the Bridgestone Eco-Rally, maybe it’s my one and only chance to beat Darren Turner!”

The rally begins on Broad Street, Oxford at 10:00 and concludes at 14:30 on the 31st July.



| Aston Martin

Sir Stirling Moss and his newly purchased Aston Martin Cygnet

At the prestigious Royal Automobile Club last night, international motorsport legend, Sir Stirling Moss took delivery of his newly purchased Aston Martin Cygnet; a surprise birthday present for wife, Lady Moss.

One of the closest teams in motorsport for many years, Sir Stirling and Lady Moss planned a private celebratory dinner on the eve of her birthday at the Royal Automobile Club in its clubhouse the century old, ‘palace on Pall Mall’ in London. On arrival they were met with the sight of the new Aston Martin Cygnet on display in the magnificent central rotunda – the culmination of six months planning and ‘secret’ correspondence between Sir Stirling and Aston Martin to plan a surprise birthday present for Lady Moss.



Sir Stirling Moss said: “My greatest partner in everything that I do, Susie is an amazing person and frankly the best wife a man could have. Since seeing a pre-production Cygnet in January I knew that it was the perfect car for Susie; a proper little piece of British luxury and perfect for our life in town.”

Hand-crafted at Aston Martin’s headquarters in Gaydon, taking 150 hours to complete, the Aston Martin Cygnet shares much in terms of design and craftsmanship with the company’s sports cars. Elegant and distinctive, individual and practical, the Aston Martin Cygnet is the ultimate Tailor-Fit solution for city living. Launched in May 2011 with first customer orders arriving at European dealers now, Cygnet is hand-crafted for the city and like every Aston Martin it can be uniquely personalised to suit individual taste and style, bringing a new level of luxury and bespoke capability to city cars.


Specifications for Lady Moss’s car include Sir Stirling’s choice of Aston Martin Racing Green, harking back to the company’s sports cars that Sir Stirling raced in the 1950s, as the paint colour. This iconic exterior has been complemented by a simple and elegant interior hand crafted in Obsidian Black leather with a contrasting coarse silver stitch, forming a typically understated combination.

Adding to the occasion and its ongoing theme of long standing relationships with the marque, the Cygnet has been supplied through HWM Aston Martin, based in Walton-on- Thames, who were appointed as an official Aston Martin dealer in 1951. The longest serving of the company’s global network of 134 dealers, HWM Aston Martin was started 60 years ago by fellow Aston Martin Works Driver George Abecassis who actually gave Sir Stirling his first Grand Prix drives in 1951/52 in HWM-built cars.

Sir Stirling’s own driving career with Aston Martin saw him drive a number of the company’s racing cars including the famous DB3S and DBR1 models with great success. This culminated in being part of the factory team that in 1959 secured the company the World Sportscar Championship following victories in the DBR1 at such prestigious races as the Le Mans 24-hour.




| Aston Martin

El jefe de Aston Martin subastará su Rapide por Japón

Aston Martin Chief Executive Dr. Ulrich Bez is to auction his company Rapide at this year’s annual Bonhams auction at Newport Pagnell, with all proceeds to go to charities providing aid to victims of the recent earthquakes and Tsunami in Japan. In support of the initiative, Bonhams has also committed to waiver its commission on this lot.

Dr Ulrich Bez said: ”Nobody could have failed to be moved by the recent events in Japan and we at Aston Martin are no exception. After many years presence in the market and closer ties being forged with the Japanese automotive business in recent projects, we have many friends in the region and we wanted to do something to help.


“The Bonhams Aston Martin Auction seems the perfect platform to encourage the extended Aston Martin family to support this cause, so we have decided to auction my Rapide which I have used in my role as Chief Executive to represent Aston Martin at numerous events in both UK and Europe. I hope this superb car will raise a substantial amount to help make a difference.”

Since it’s unveiling in production form at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2009 the Aston Martin Rapide has been widely acclaimed as the world’s most elegant four-door sports car. Functional yet luxurious it provides space for up to four adults but with the engaging driving experience synonymous with all Aston Martins. Quickly established as a firm favourite with customers and critics alike, the Aston Martin Rapide, recently affirmed its position as one of the most beautiful cars on sale today after being voted 2011 World Car Design of the Year at the New York International Auto Show by a jury of 66 international journalists.

Chassis number ‘F00039’ is a UK specification, right hand drive Aston Martin Rapide built in late 2009 for the exclusive business use of Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin's Chief Executive Officer since 2000. This luxuriously specified car is finished in Concours Blue Paint, with an Obsidian Black leather interior stitched in Falcon Grey, and black carpets. The fascia is trimmed in walnut veneer. The Rapide also has heated and cooled front and rear seats, an integrated garage door opener and the rear seat entertainment system incorporating a twin-screen DVD system and infrared headphones.

The 2011 Bonhams Aston Martin Auction opens from 9am on Saturday 21st May at Aston Martin Works Service in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.

| Aston Martin

Aston Martin DBS V12 Wallpapers

Aston Martin DBS V12 Wallpapers

Aston Martin DBS V12 Wallpapers

Aston Martin DBS V12 Wallpapers

Aston Martin DBS V12 Wallpapers

Hear the Aston Martin One-77’s V12 howl!

I don’t know about you but an Aston Martin has always seemed to be like the more refined and gentlemanly alternative to more hot blooded cars like a Ferrari. I found that appealing. But now Aston Martin has developed a limited edition car with aggressive looks. Under its hood is a monstrous 7.3 litre V12 engine with over 750 bhp. Good thing is thanks to that V12 it has the soundtrack to accompany its looks – check out the video after the jump, which shows the One-77 undergoing some tests ahead of first customer deliveries. Let us know in the comments – are you liking the One-77?

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Top Luxury Cars - The Last Hand Crafted Aston Martin

The Aston Martin Vanquish was created in Newport Pagnell. It was released in 2001 as a Grand Tourer vehicle. The Vanquish is the last of the series for a hand- crafted vehicle. Aston Martin spent forty- nine years making vehicles with skilled workers. To create the sporty vehicle it took a total of forty- eight, eight hour days. It is clear that care was taken in making the vehicle when one examines the bodywork and exquisite interior.

Aston Martin was initially questioned about the engine. Some thought it was the product of Ford. It was felt that the company had combined two Ford Duratec three litre engines. This proved to be incorrect, although there were some parts of that engine that were used. The 5.9 litre V12 engine, 460bhp that made up the Vanquish was definitely created differently from the Duratec.

Problems did plague the first versions of the Vanquish. The primary concerns were of the paddle shift manual gearbox and the handling of the vehicle. There was a comparison to the gearbox on the Ferrari which was extremely flawless when shifting. The performance of the Vanquish under original conditions was fine, but when the car was pushed hard the gearbox failed.

Aston Martin didn't work on the gearbox problem until the Ultimate Edition Vanquish that was produced in 2007. There were a total of forty cars in this line that finally resolved the paddle shift manual gearbox issue. In fact the company was so pleased with the new conventional manual stick shift gearbox they were willing to install them into previous Vanquish models.

While the Vanquish may have had some issues in the early days it was still a very popular vehicle. The dominance of the automobile on the road showcased the familiar Aston Martin trademarks. They began with the extended bonnet, which lead the eye to the unmistakeable front grille and the xenon headlights. The wheel arches protruded boldly and the side strakes completed the Aston Martin design.

The Vanquish S of 2005 was another effort to reduce disapproval. The S series has 520 horse power. It can reach 240 miles per hour, and go from a resting state to 60mph in 4.7 seconds.

The S series has a "Sports Dynamic Pack" on all models, rather than an extra component. The pack is designed to increase performance of steering, braking, and manoeuvrability.

In 2007 the Aston Martin Vanquish was discontinued and it was replaced with the new DBS model that was based around the more modern and highly acclaimed DB9. In 2010, Aston is rumoured to be releasing a proper Vanquish replacement, however as production has now moved to Gayden in Warwickshire it is unlikely to recreate the hand built construction of the stunning but flawed Vanquish.

Whilst we all can't all own an Aston Martin you can improve your car lights to give your vehicle a modern look. Phoenix Autobulbs are retailers of upgrade vehicle lighting products including the latest Headlight Bulbs. If you want your car to look unique and different you should fit new Xenon Bulbs for safer driving.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ethan_Melandri

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Aston Martin V12 Vantage (2010)

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Aston Martin V12 Vantage, the most potent production sports car in the marque's 95-year history, made its debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Based on the hugely successful Aston Martin V8 Vantage, the V12 Vantage will feature a 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS), and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque with a top speed of 190 mph (305 km/h) and 0-62 mph (0-100 kp/h) time of 4.2 seconds.

The latest incarnation of the Vantage family has been designed to provide a unique character, appealing to different driver tastes and complementing the other models in the current Aston Martin line-up.

The original Aston Martin V12 Vantage concept was unveiled to guests at the opening of the Aston Martin Design Studio in December 2007. Continuing the marque's impressive record of bringing concepts through to production, Aston Martin engineers have brought the Aston Martin V12 Vantage to market in an incredible 12 months.

Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said: "This is the ultimate performance interpretation of the Vantage range, combining our most agile model with our most powerful engine. It represents the definitive driving package; providing spectacular performance to ensure a dynamically thrilling and everyday useable driving experience.

"The Aston Martin V12 Vantage has a unique character, one unlike our other cars. This will appeal to different people with different tastes, allowing more people to enjoy the Aston Martin experience.

"This also illustrates one of Aston Martin's key strengths - the ability to act quickly and turn concepts and ideas into reality."

Designed for the focused driver, every component of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage has been honed with pure driving enjoyment in mind. Benefitting from race-developed materials and components, and featuring lightweight carbon fibre; performance and agility have been tuned to perfection.

Visually enticing, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage expresses its performance potential through its purposeful stance created by enhanced aerodynamic and cooling aids optically widening the car, while retaining traditional understated Aston Martin design. Equally inviting, the cosseting interior permits the driver to extract maximum performance ability from the car while also enjoying customary levels of Aston Martin comfort on longer journeys. High levels of power and torque are available at all engine speeds making the Aston Martin V12 Vantage responsive and tractable in any driving situation.

The V12 Vantage will be built at Aston Martin's global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire joining the DBS, DB9 and V8 Vantage model lines which are built in the state-of-the-art production facility combining hi-tech manufacturing processes with traditional hand-craftsmanship. Production will be limited up to 1,000 examples over the life span of the car, making the Aston Martin V12 Vantage a truly exclusive driver's car.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage: Performance
Agility and outright performance formed the basis of design for the Aston Martin V12 Vantage to produce the most exciting incarnation of the Vantage model line-up to date. Aston Martin's most powerful engine is fused with its most agile model to produce a truly exhilarating sports car.

The V12 power plant has been intelligently packaged into the Vantage's compact form preserving its perfect proportions. While the external dimensions of the V8 Vantage remain unchanged, the internal front structure has been extensively revised forward of the suspension towers to house the larger engine, brake cooling system, and twin air intake system.

The engine was designed at Aston Martin's headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, and is hand-built at the company's dedicated engine facility in Cologne, Germany. To achieve the power output, the engine features a number of enhancements over the standard 6.0-litre V12 found in the DB9. These include a 'by-pass' engine air intake port that opens up at 5500 rpm, a revised induction system and re-profiled air inlet ports that further improve airflow into the combustion chamber to improve performance.

The naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 hand-built engine produces 510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS) at 6500 rpm and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque giving the driver access to high levels of power and torque at all engine speeds. Unique to the Aston Martin V12 Vantage is a 'Sport' button which allows the driver to choose between two powertrain modes.

The default 'normal' provides a more progressive, throttle response, suited to more everyday situations, such as driving in urban areas, heavy traffic, or in challenging weather conditions. Selecting 'Sport' mode delivers a sharper throttle response together with a sportier exhaust note. This mode is designed for use in more dynamic driving situations where sharper responses are required, extracting the maximum performance from the car.

The Aston Martin V12 Vantage benefits from Aston Martin's class leading all-alloy VH (Vertical Horizontal) architecture: a lightweight bonded platform that provides outstanding strength, rigidity and weight benefits.

Although the V12 engine weighs 100 kg more than the standard car's engine, intelligent use of lightweight materials and components including carbon ceramic brakes, lighter forged aluminium wheels, lightweight inner rear quarter panels and optional lightweight seats have resulted in the overall kerb weight being only 50 kg heavier than its V8 sibling. The ensuing weight distribution provides for balance that is near perfect (51:49).

Exclusively available with a six-speed manual transmission, the gearbox uses a transaxle configuration to aid weight distribution. The Aston Martin V12 Vantage's final drive ratio has also been modified from 3.909:1 to 3.71:1. This allows the Vantage to take full benefit of the high torque levels delivered by the engine to provide both flexibility at lower engine speeds as well as a high top speed of 190 mph.

For a car possessing such racing pedigree, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage surprises with its day to day usability. Featuring a luggage capacity of 300 litres and a traditional tailgate, coupled with ample stowage space to the rear of the seats, touring and trips away are made easy. Gear changes are light and precise requiring minimum effort from the driver and a longer final drive ratio extracts the most from the power and torque available to improve driveability. The communicative chassis provides comfort on long journeys and thrilling feedback with energetic driving.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage: Control
Aston Martin is the only sports car manufacturer to offer a race car for every GT category. The DBR9 has enjoyed year-on-year success all over the world in the GT1 category including class wins at Le Mans two consecutive years running. Customer teams are consistently achieving podium finishes with the DBRS9 in GT3 while 2008 was a test and development year for the newly-launched Vantage GT2. The Vantage N24 achieved GT4 class wins all over Europe since its launch in 2006. Common to both road and race cars is the VH architecture platform upon which the Aston Martin V12 Vantage is based. Consisting of extruded, pressed and cast aluminium alloy, bonded together with aerospace-grade adhesive, the backbone of the car works collaboratively with the powertrain and suspension to create an exceptionally responsive driving experience.

Near-perfect weight distribution is achieved with a transaxle-mounted gearbox which sees 85% of the car's weight lying between the front and rear axles. Aston Martin engineers have positioned the engine as far back and as low as possible in the car to contribute to the 51:49 weight distribution. Containing the weight within the Aston Martin V12 Vantage's wheelbase results in a low polar moment of inertia, creating a car which has a natural agility.

Superb handling characteristics are at the heart of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage; the rear suspension has been modified, with a more compact dual-rate spring design, in order to accommodate a wider wheel and tyre combination, improving grip and traction. The ride height of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage has also been lowered by 15 mm, while the spring rates have been stiffened by 45% and the anti-roll bars are 15% (front) and 75% (rear) stiffer than the standard car. These measures serve to lower the car's centre of gravity and reduce the amount of roll experienced during cornering, further increasing the Aston Martin V12 Vantage's dynamic capabilities.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage's diamond-turned 19" alloy wheels are manufactured using a forging process, saving a total of 5 kg, which reduces the overall weight of the car, as well as enhancing both ride and handling characteristics.

The new 10 spoke wheels are clad with wider Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres which have been specifically designed for the Aston Martin V12 Vantage enabling it to generate the highest cornering forces of any Aston Martin; up to a peak of 1.3g is possible.

The Aston Martin V12 Vantage comes as standard with Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes, providing immense stopping power. Benefitting from carbon fibre's inherent properties, CCM brakes are not only tougher than conventional cast iron discs but also dissipate heat more rapidly resulting in less fade during sustained dynamic driving.

Air ducts positioned within the lower front grille feed air directly onto the discs to aid cooling and optimise braking performance.

The Aston Martin V12 Vantage's CCM discs are 398 mm in diameter at the front and 360 mm at the rear while the brake callipers feature six pistons at the front, four at the rear and have a larger brake pad area compared to the V8 Vantage. The CCM brakes are some 12.5 kg lighter than conventional brakes reducing not only the overall weight of the car but also the unsprung mass specifically. This benefits ride and handling and lower rotational mass helps improve acceleration.

In line with the character of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, a revised Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system permits the driver, through three modes of operation, to manage how the system intervenes during more challenging driving situations.

In default operation, the DSC is automatically switched on. Depressing the DSC button for two seconds selects 'track mode' which raises the manner and threshold at which the system intervenes allowing the driver to explore the limits of the car's considerable handling capabilities. Depressing the button for four seconds will switch off DSC completely.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage: Design
Based on the stunning V8 Vantage originally launched in 2005, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage subtly hints at its sporting intent with its controlled aggression and lower, purposeful stance. It is manufactured at Aston Martin's global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire where all Aston Martins benefit from class leading levels of craftsmanship fused with cutting-edge technology.

Avoiding purely cosmetic changes, each modified panel on the Aston Martin V12 Vantage has been altered to enhance the vehicle's dynamics. Knowledge gained from the N24 race car programme has led to body revisions designed to improve downforce while not increasing the drag coefficient of the car. Each form follows its functional requirements, while also contributing to stunning design - a revised front splitter channels cooling air to the brakes and to the radiator while also producing increased down force. Bonnet louvres remove heat from the engine bay and help increase front-end down force by limiting the built up air pressure under the bonnet. New side sills derived from the N24 race car channel air towards the rear of the car rather than under it, reducing rear-end lift. A more pronounced boot 'flip' and the new rear carbon fibre diffuser work in harmony with a redesigned rear under floor to channel air through the new high-capacity oil cooler and maintain an area of low pressure under the rear of the car producing increased down force and aiding grip.

Complementing the taught exterior, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage's interior hints at the car's dynamic capabilities. The optional carbon fibre and Kevlar® composite seats cosset the driver providing support during spirited driving while remaining comfortable on long journeys. Saving 17 kg per car, the seats which are manufactured by a supplier to the motorsport and aviation industries are hand-trimmed by craftsmen at the Gaydon production facility.

The interior of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage provides the ideal environment for the focused driver to extract the very best from every element of the car. The extensive use of high quality materials with exceptional attention to detail placed throughout the cabin results in an unparalleled level of finish. The instrument cluster has been revised with even clearer dials to allow the driver to completely focus on the information being relayed from the car. The door pulls are made from beautifully-prepared carbon fibre where even the carbon weave has been meticulously aligned - a sign of exceptional craftsmanship. Additional light weight materials in the form of Alcantara are used to save valuable weight throughout the cabin. The unique ambience of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage interior beautifully marries the functional requirements of a driver-focussed sports car with the comfort of an everyday practical car.