Aston Martin Says it Can't Satisfy Demand for $49K Cygnet

Aston Martin’s chairman Ulrich Bez has admitted that sales of the subcompact Cygnet are “not as high as we hoped”. He claimed though that the reason is not the lack of customers, but of supply.

“I’m not satisfied with sales of the Cygnet” Bez told British magazine, Autocar. “We can’t deliver as many as customers want, as we don’t have enough stock. It is the sort of product a customer wants and decides they want on the spot –they don’t want to wait for their car to be built, but to drive it away there and then,” he added.

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin Cygnet,Reports,Toyota iQ,UK

IAA 2011: Aston Martin One-77 Shows up in Frankfurt with a Different Hue Right Next to the Cygnet

It’s been more than two years since we first laid eyes on Aston Martin's stunning One-77 supercar, but we're still enamored with its striking looks. At this year's edition of the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, the British automaker brought along an example of the One-77 finished in funky brown color. Read more »

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin Cygnet,Aston Martin One-77,Frankfurt Motor Show

Aston Martin Displays V12 Zagato Specials in Frankfurt

Making their first appearance at a mainstream event in Frankfurt, are two Aston Martin V12 Zagato showcars, which we first laid eyes on at the Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza in Italy back in May.

The British firm has already confirmed the limited production of the Zagato-penned model, which will go on sale in the summer of 2012. Only 150 cars will be built, each carrying a base price of £330,000 or approximately US$520,000, and that does not include local taxes…

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin Concepts,Concepts,Frankfurt Motor Show,New Cars,Zagato,Zagato Concepts

IAA 2011: Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition Specials

Aston Martin is heading to the Frankfurt Motor Show with two new Carbon Edition DBS sports cars that build on the 2009 special edition of the same name and model series.

The latest DBS Carbon Edition will be offered in two new hues including Flame Orange and Ceramic Grey together with the existing Carbon Black.

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin DBS,Frankfurt Motor Show,New Cars

Britons Vote Ford Mustang as the World’s Manliest Car

Bluebeards Revenge is a UK brand of shaving cream and post-shave balm scientifically proven by Science™ [sic…] to reduce beard growth- or so it says on their webpage. The brand recently conducted an email poll of 1,835 Britons, asking them to rate the world’s “manliest” and “least manly” cars.

The results are in, and –drumbeat please- the winner is the Ford Mustang that was found to be the “manliest car on the planet” with a net total of 21% of the vote.

Runners up were the Aston Martin DB7 (15%), Range Rover (13%), Dodge Viper (11%) and Hummer H1 (10%). On the opposite end of the spectrum – the world’s “least manly” cars – were the Volkswagen Beetle (31%), Mazda Miata / MX-5 (20%), Ford Ka (11%), Toyota Prius (9%) and Nissan Cube (8%).

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Ford,Ford Mustang,Hummer,Mazda MX-5 / Miata,Nissan Cube,Offbeat News,Range Rover,Reports,Study,Toyota Prius,VW Beetle

Aston Martin to Show Production V12 Zagato at Frankfurt Show

Five decades after the launch of the legendary DB4GT Zagato, Aston Martin and Zagato collaborated to create a 21st century reincarnation of this automotive icon. The result was the new V12 Zagato, which will be displayed in road going form the Frankfurt Motor Show from September 13. Read more »

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Frankfurt Motor Show,New Cars,Zagato,Zagato Concepts

Aston Martin’s new V12 Vantage GT3 Getting Ready for 2012 Season

Aston Martin has unveiled its new 2012 V12 Vantage GT3 racecar. The DBRS9 replacement is powered by a modified version of the production car's 6.0-liter V12, which has been repositioned in order to optimize weight balance. It delivers an output of 600HP and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque transferred to the rear wheels via an Xtrac 6-speed sequential gearbox. Read more »

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Racing,Reports

10 Luxury Cars of the Past You Can Afford to Buy Today

No matter what car you buy, its price will start depreciating from the moment you turn the ignition key and roll out of the showroom. Of course, not all models lose value at the same rate. But there are some cars that stand out more than others and Popular Mechanics has compiled a list with some of the most heavily depreciated vehicles in the luxury car segment.

And while this may not be the kind of news a seller wants to hear, it's music to the ears of buyers in the market for snazzy set of wheels. Just remember that regardless if the car is new or used, running costs remain the same, and when it comes to luxury models, be prepared to dig deep into your pockets.

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Audi,Audi A8,Bentley,BMW 7-Series,Maserati,Mercedes,Mercedes S-Class,Range Rover,Reports

Aston Martin: How Recycled Platforms and Eight-Year-Old Tech Could be the Brand’s Downfall

Unlike Bentley, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce – who are owned by highly successful mainstream brands Volkswagen, Audi, Fiat and BMW respectively – specialist manufacturers such as Aston Martin have a hard time in the market.

Whereas a company like Mercedes-Benz can afford to spend €5 billion (US$7.1 billion) in one year on research and development, the Gaydon-based manufacturer of performance/luxury coupes is planning its next models on the eight-year-old platform that first underpinned the DB9 coupe in 2003!

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin Cygnet,Aston Martin DB9,Aston Martin DBS,Aston Martin One-77,Aston Martin Virage,Reports,UK

Aston Martin to Race Two Cygnets at Bridgestone Eco-Rally

A pair of Cygnet minis will be representing Aston Martin at the fifth annual Bridgestone Eco-Rally that takes place in London this weekend. This is the first time that the British marque participates at the event, which will pass from the heart of Oxford to central London. Read more »

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin Cygnet,Reports,Scion iQ,Toyota iQ

Ford Mustang Exotica Hides an Aston Martin Vanquish V12 Under its Hood [with Video]

We’re pretty sure that, during the time Aston Martin was under the ownership of Ford, the thought of stuffing an exotic V12 powerplant under the bonnet of a Mustang must have crossed the mind of a few company engineers.

And while we never saw something of the sort officially from Ford, an independent custom shop actually realized the idea with the 2005 Ford Mustang 'Vanquishd' show car that was presented at the 2006 SEMA aftermarket gathering.

Built by Western Motorsports, this one-of-a-kind Mustang gets a 6.0-liter V12 engine with 600 ponies from a 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish. Power is sent to the chunky rear wheels through a 6 speed manual Tremec T-56 transmission.

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Canada,Classics,Engine Swaps,Ford,Ford Mustang,Ford Videos,SEMA Show,Video

Sir Stirling Moss Buys an Aston Martin Cygnet for his Wife

You would never think that an Aston Martin would need any sort of marketing push from a personality like Sir Stirling Moss, but to play around with our own words, up until recently, you would never think that Aston Martin would actually try to sell a hugely overpriced city car that’s a rebadged Toyota model…

In any case, the British racing legend is one of the first customers to receive the Aston Martin Cygnet, which he purchased as a birthday gift to his wife, Lady Moss. Appropriately, there was a photographer in hand to capture the gift-wrapped Cygnet.

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin Cygnet,Offbeat News

Aston Martin V12 Zagato Given Green Light for Production, Priced from £330,000 / $528,000

It’s official; Aston Martin has not only confirmed plans to build a strictly limited number of the new V12 Zagato show car, but it is also accepting orders with first deliveries expected from the second half of 2012.

Production of the British firm’s new supercar model, which is the collaborative work of Aston Martin and Italian design house Zagato, will be limited to 150 examples that will be hand assembled at Aston Martin’s global headquarters at Gaydon.

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin Concepts,New Cars,Reports,Zagato,Zagato Concepts

Aston Martin to Bring the V12 Zagato to the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Only a few weeks after making its public debut at the Villa D’Este Concours and winning the design award for concept cars and prorotypes, Aston Martin’s new V12 Zagato raced at the Nurburgring 24-hour race. Now, the British automaker is bringing the stunning model, which was created by the two companies to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary DB4GT Zagato, to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Read more »

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Racing,Zagato,Zagato Concepts

Aston Martin Rapide Auction Proceeds Given to Toyota to Aid Tsunami Victims

Last month we reported that Aston Martin’s CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez, announced that he would auction off his company car, a fully-loaded 2009 “Concours Blue” Rapide, during this year’s annual Bonhams event at Newport Pagnell on June 21.

The buyer was furniture designer and Aston Martin enthusiast David Linley, who paid £100,000 ($160,000), which was handed over to Toyota which can better direct it to charities providing aid to victims of the recent earthquakes and Tsunami that devastated Japan.

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Lexus,Nurburgring,Reports,Toyota

AMV12: Sabino Leerentveld’s V12-Engined Aston Martin Hypercar Concept

Take these three cars: the Jaguar XJ220, the Aston Martin DBR9 and ItalDesign’s BMW Nazca M12 Concept and amalgamate them into an Aston Martin Bulldog for the 21st century and there’s a good chance you’ll have Dutch designer Sabino Leerentveld’s AMV12 design study.

Taut, masculine lines blend seamlessly with Aston Martin’s signature styling to create something truly unique. Presumably fitted with a V12 engine, this front / mid-engined (I honestly can’t tell) design study proposes a model that would theoretically sit above the limited edition Aston Martin One-77.

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin Concepts,Concepts

Aston Martin Releases $70,550 / €48,995 Fashion-Trendy Cygnet Special

The Cygnet is on its way to becoming a true Aston Martin, but not in the sense you might think. We are referring to its price tag with the release of a new limited run special called “Cygnet & colette” that will set buyers back a whopping €48,995, equal to £43,800 and US$70,550!

That’s £18,000 or US$29,000 more than the entry-level Cygnet. This kind of money can buy you a Porsche Boxster in the UK and you would still have more than £7,000 left for spending! And all this for a car that is essentially a re-trimmed Toyota iQ…

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin Cygnet,New Cars

Aston Martin Prepares Two V12 Zagato Concepts for 24h Nurburgring Battle

The world’s toughest 24-hour race at the Nurburgring circuit this weekend will see Aston Martin entering a bevy of sports cars led by not one but two specially prepared racing examples of the freshly revealed V12 Zagato Concept.

Based on the existing V12 Vantage chassis, the concept model was designed by Italian coachbuilder Zagato to celebrate its partnership with Aston Martin in the 50th anniversary year of the DB4GT Zagato. The prototype received its public debut at the Concorso D’Eleganza at Villa D’Este in May this year, winning the Design award for Concepts and Prototypes.

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin Concepts,Concepts,Nurburgring,Racing,Zagato,Zagato Concepts

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.

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Posted in: Aston Martin,Aston Martin Rapide,Reports

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? Read on….

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Posted in: AC Cobra,Aston Martin,Classics,Jaguar,Lotus,MG,Morgan,Triumph,TVR,UK