Aston Martin
September 17th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
SPR limited has supplied us with two 1950s British sports cars to feature this month. Both are from their 1:43 Spark range, and both are beautifully modelled in resin with numerous photo-etched metal components, such as wipers, grilles and body trim. Because they are open top vehicles, Spark has made an extra effort with the interiors, and both are fully detailed.
Our first feature model is a cream 1950 Jaguar XK120 Roadster. This sensational successor to the SS100 was launched in roadster form at the 1948 London Motor Show, and was produced until 1954. Its ‘120’ name referred to the 120mph (193kph) top speed (faster with the windscreen removed) which made the XK120 the world’s fastest standard production car at the time of its launch. Spark Models has captured the XK120 perfectly in miniature, with its distinctive rear wheel spats, standard steel wheels, and absence of external door handles. Other 1:43 XK120 models soon to be released by Spark are the 1953 cabrio; the modified speed record ‘bubble-top’ that achieved 172mph on a closed dual carriage way near the town of Jabbeke in Belgium in 1953; and the #15 XK120 that raced at Le Mans in 1950. Read the rest of this entry »
July 8th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Aston Martin has confirmed limited production of its new V12 Zagato following a successful unveiling. After winning the award for Design in the Concepts and Prototypes class at the prestigious Villa D’ Este Concours and then going on to complete the 39th ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hour race, Aston Martin claims that there is overwhelming interest from customers for the 
V12 Zagato.
Based on the V12 Vantage and sporting a handcrafted aluminium and carbon fibre body, the V12 Zagato will be produced in very limited numbers. Orders are now being taken and production is expected to commence during summer 2012 at Aston Martin’s global headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire.
Of the V12 Zagato, Aston Martin’s Chief Executive Dr. Ulrich Bez, said: “Such style, exclusivity and fastidious craftsmanship ensures it will be one of the most highly coveted models in Aston Martin’s 98-year history. A fabulous celebration of the iconic DB4GT Zagato, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the V12 Zagato is the perfect inspiration for the next 50 years of Aston Martin.”
In honour of the performance and racing heritage of previous collaborations, the first two V12 Zagatos were developed as endurance race cars from the start and went into their track debut just one week after being shown to the public at the Villa D’Este Concours. Read the rest of this entry »
May 24th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
When Aston Martin announced it was once again teaming up with Italian design house Zagato on a new project vehicle, fans of the iconic British badge got very excited. Now, the end result of this latest partnership has been unveiled and there is no room for disappointment.
Simply named the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, this curvaceous beauty was debuted at Italy’s Lake Como on the way to last weekend’s Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este. It was built in celebration of a 50-year long working relationship between Aston Martin and Zagato, the new model draws inspiration from its classic 1961 DB4 GT ancestor.
Apparently, the V12 Zagato draws its design cues from not just the DB4GT, but also from other collaborations including DB7 Zagato and V8 Vantage Zagato cars. Finished with a subtle double-bubble roof the hand-crafted aluminum body is painted in a blood orange hue.
“The V12 Zagato is an elegant yet brutal design which reflects the great balance between race performance and pure Aston Martin style,” said Aston Martin director of design Marek Reichmann.
“The original DB4GT Zagato was a true icon, powerful and graceful; the new design is a true representation of the spirit of DB4GT Zagato,” he continued.
Read the rest of this entry »
May 12th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
The Zagato design house has created plenty of beautiful machines with a variety of automakers over the years. But for many it’s the collaboration between Zagato and Aston Martin that has birthed the most special specimens.
The first and possibly most important, was the iconic Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. To mark the event, the British automaker and the famous Italian design house have reconnected on a new project that could potentially head into limited production. Details on this latest collaboration remain scarce but the concept is set to be revealed at the forthcoming Villa D’Este Concours on May 21 to check initial customer reaction with a production model possibly following as early as next year.
For now, a teaser rendering has been released with little else except speculation that the new Aston Martin Zagato could be based on the mechanical hardware and platform of the current V8 Vantage.
Aston Martin boss, Dr. Ulrich Bez, said: “Now is the right time for a new Aston Martin Zagato and in combining our design intelligence I think we can create something fitting of the iconic DB4GT Zagato that has gone before and since established itself as one of the most famous Aston Martins of all time.” Read the rest of this entry »
May 11th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Two Aston Martins virtually identical to that owned by Prince Charles which was famously driven by Prince William after the recent royal wedding, will be on sale at a UK-based Bonhams auction of Aston Martins on May 21st in Newport Pagnell, home of the brand.
If the idea of having a Royal look-alike Aston in the garage appeals (and for most of us, it would) the auction has a choice of two mint condition examples. Prince Charles received his Aston as a 21st birthday present from the Queen. It started a love affair with the marque and in the 1980’s he specified a more powerful variant – a V8 Vantage Volante.
James Knight, Global Head of Collectors Motor Cars at Bonhams, says: “Aston Martin’s hold a position very close to the heart of Prince Charles. He received his first – the DB6 MKII Vantage Volante – as a 21st birthday present from the Queen. In the 1980s, the V8 model was being produced by Aston Martin and Prince Charles influenced the design by specifying a V8 Volante with Vantage power but without the aggressive looks of the Vantage. This ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing spec was adopted by only a few other customers and a limited run of just 25 were built. These cars became known as the V8 Vantage Volante ‘Prince of Wales’.” Read the rest of this entry »
February 24th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Aston Martin’s legendary DB5 is now inextricably linked with the glamorous, fast-paced world of James Bond. Someone should have told Sean Connery not to work with children, animals or Aston Martins because, let’s face it, the car was the star. Mark Wright checks out an Ellerslie Concours Master’s Class-winning example of this sterling piece of Britannia’s best.
Most James Bond film aficionados still see Sean Connery as the quintessential 007 – the slickest in a long line of smooth gentleman spies who always got the exotic car, the megalomaniacal villain and the beautiful woman, usually in that order. It was just another day at the office, but boy, that DB5 made quite an office.
If you watch Goldfinger; when the gadget-man Q explains to Bond about the his new DB5’s many optional extras, such as the .30 calibre Browning machine guns, bullet proof screen and, of course, an ejector seat, you can detect a knowing grin on 007’s face. Was he smiling at Q’s ingenuity? Was he smiling at the potential for destruction? Or was it the car?
For my money it was the car. Tyre slashers, oil slick ejectors and revolving number plates are all very fine, but just look at the package. All the pulling power of a 4.0-litre, twin-overhead cam straight-six and all the pulling power of that gorgeous body by Touring. What mad-man hell-bent on world domination stood a chance? Read the rest of this entry »
February 24th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
Aston Martin has just revealed the first images and details of its new Virage Coupe and Virage Volante.
Both models are based on the automaker’s VH architecture and are destined to exist between the DB9 and the DBS in the Aston range.
The Virage Coupe and the soft-top Volante are both powered by the company’s well known 6.0-litre V12 engine. This powerplant produces 355kW in the DB9 and 385kW in the DBS, so it’s expected that the Virage’s V12 would fit in between in terms of output delivering around 370kW.
The standard transmission is a six-speed automatic “Touchtronic 2″ gearbox, which will allow the Virage a 0-100kph sprint time in the region of 4.5 seconds and will top out at around 300kph.
The suspension is double-wishbone on all four corners, and the Virage features Aston Martin’s Adaptive Damping System (ADS) with Sport mode as standard equipment.
In terms of exterior design the Virage has a new aluminum front grille inspired by the One-77 and LED lights on the front skirting. Wheels are 20-inch alloys, mounted over carbon ceramic disc brakes at all four corners, with Pirelli P Zero tyres as standard. Read the rest of this entry »
January 27th, 2011 by NZ Classic Car
The busy bees at Aston Martin have managed to extract even more power from their V8 Vantage model with a new S variant released.
Under the bonnet the new coupe packs the same 4.7-litre V8 engine as its predecessors, but it comes packing a full 321kW of power and 490Nm of torque from the eight-pot motor. Shifting the gears is a new ground-up developed seven-speed SportShift II transmission specifically designed for the Vantage S. The high-tech single clutch gearbox offers even shorter ratios than previous models and combined with the high-output engine should push heads back into seats without issue.
Other upgrades for the Vantage S include a quicker steering rack and a new brake package with huge rotors and six-piston calipers up front to ensure you can put on the anchors when needed.
In terms of styling inspiration was drawn from the even mightier V12 Vantage and the race-bred Vantage GT4. At the front, a new bumper finished in carbon fibre houses a larger air intake feeding the engine and those massive brakes. New 19-inch V-spoke wheels are available as standard with an optional lightweight alloy to further reduce unsprung mass. Read the rest of this entry »
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