Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Road Envisages..

automotique . Aston Martin envisages attention on reducing weight before increasing power, consistent with engineering boss Ian Minards same. “It would be comparatively straightforward to lose 100kg from this automotive,” he said. “That abundant can be saved by removing the air-con, simplifying the inside and fitting light-weight seats.”

Further weight reduction would involve dearly-won

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Aston Martin V12 ZAGATO

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Iconic DB4GT Zagato, Aston Martin unveiled the V12 Zagato at the 2011 Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance. Due to overwhelming response to the concepts, they decided to put into production a limited run of the V12 Zagato road-cars.

About the car:

This rear wheel drive sports coupe has a front mid-mounted V12 engine mated with a 6 speed manual transmission. It takes the car from 0-100 KM/H (0-62 MPH) in just 4.2 secs.

Check out the V12 Zagato site here: http://www.astonmartin.com/cars/aston-martin-v12-zagato

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New Aston Martin Virage

A new Aston Martin Virage had it's world debut at the Geneva Motor Show on 1 March, 2011. The new Virage comes somewhere between the DBS and the DB9 and combines outright sports car performance with luxury, comfort and refinement. With it's signature swan wing doors, the Two-door, two-plus-two coupé has a distinct modern look.

The front mid-mounted 6.0 litre V12 engine produces 490 bhp (365 kW/497 PS) and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque and gives a maxmum speed of 186mph. The engine ismated to a six-speed Touchtronic II automatic transmission mounted on the transaxle contributing to perfect 50:50 weight balance.

The car features a newly developed Adaptive Damping System (ADS) which intelligently ‘reads’ the road to provide optimum road holding, adapting to different conditions. The system now selects up to five different stiffness settings within normal mode, and a further five stiffer settings within sport mode.

Aiding driver control, a ‘Sport’ button on the facia allows the driver to select a sharper throttle response and faster gear changes while also holding the gears without automatically shifting up at the revolution limiter.

With regards to stopping power, the Virage comes with Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes as standard.

Inside the car, a 6.5 inch high resolution display uses the latest graphics and maps powered by Garmin software to visually and aurally guide the driver to their destination.

Prices for the Virage starts from £150,000 and is on sale now.

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Job cuts at Aston Martin

Around 60 temporary workers at Aston Martin's Gaydon factory will lose their jobs later this month. Some of the staff that will lose their jobs said that "they were given less than three weeks' notice"

Read the report here: Jobs axe falls at Aston Martin Gaydon base

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Aston Martin opens new design studio and unveils a new concept

Yesterday, Aston Martin unveiled a new concept car - the V12 Vantage RS to coincide with the opening of a new design studio. The studio is located in a building adjacent to Aston Martin's manufacturing and engineering centre at Gaydon in Warwickshire near here. The modern building covers 2700 square metre space.

Coming back to the concept, the Vantage RS concept is based on the acclaimed V8 Vantage coupe and features a 6.0 litre V12 engine that produces 600bhp.

The Vantage
According to their press release, the car is capable of reaching 62mph (100km/h) from rest in 4.0 seconds and 100mph (160km/h) in just 8.5 seconds.

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Aston Martin back in the hands of Britishers

A lot of Britishers will be happy today.

Ford Motor has agreed to sell controlling stake in Aston Martin, the luxury marque made famous by James Bond, to a U.K. led consortium headed by Dave Richards for £479 million (US$924 million). Read the official press release here. This is part of Ford's restructuring plan.

It's not totally in British hands, as the Consortium is backed by Kuwaiti investors, namely Investment Dar and Adeem Investment. Also Ford still retains a £40 million (US$77 million) stake (approx. 13% of its value) in the Warwickshire based company.

Related link:
- Aston Martin 'has great future'
- British Reclaim Aston Martin

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