By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

It’s actually a re-badged Toyota iQ with an Aston Martin face and a cowhide interior, and the result reminds me a little of the ghosts from Ms. Pac-Man: if I owned one, I’d call it Blinky. Maybe the venerated British luxury marque is onto something with its whole “compact luxury” concept–at their website they’re saying that the trimmed-out microbot is “elegant and distinctive, individual and practical”–but I’m kind of inclined to think that, if the Cygnet catches on, it really will stand as proof that rich people will buy anything. Its purchase will be limited, initially anyway, to those who already own Astons. In any event, James Bond’s gonna be pissed. See more pics below the jump via Aston Martin.

Continue reading "Wait… This is an Aston Martin?" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Aston Martin is building the most beautiful cars on the road these days, pure and simple. This V8 Vantage Coupe in Gulf livery almost killed me. More pics of the Aston booth after the jump, which includes a DBS Carbon Black Special Edition and the stunning Rapide Coupe.

Continue reading "NYIAS: Aston Martin" »

By Antonio Alvendia

Antonio Alvendia

Set in the beautiful country lanes of Princes Risborough, the Kop Hill Hillclimb is one of the oldest hill climbs in England. During the early 1900s it was one of the largest motorsport events in the UK. The hill itself is a pretty straight road, but it’s over 1000 metres long to the summit and rises to 100 metres high. Big crowds would line the edges of the road to watch drivers and motorcyclists try to achieve the fastest times and speeds up the hill. Unfortunately, as the speeds got faster, so did the risks, and on the 28th of March 1925 an accident involving a spectator led to the end of the original Kop Hill event and led to the RAC banning all motorsports on public roads.

On the 26th and 27th of September, organisers decided to do a Kop Hill Commemorative Run to bring the sounds and sights and even smells (mmm, Castrol R) back to Kop Hill again. Over 250 cars and bikes were there, ranging in age from the 1900s right up to 1980s and even some very special modern cars (which no doubt require the owners to compare car insurance carefully). Continue reading and view more photos on MotorMavens!

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Cash for Clunkers is over and the government and many dealers proclaim it as an overwhelming success. But at what cost? Many rather unusual and possibly valuable cars were sacrificed during the program; a few that will make the car enthusiasts among us cringe.

There were a number of questions raised when scanning through the list published on September 9th by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). To be eligible for the Cash for Clunkers program, vehicles were specified to only get 19 miles-per-gallon or less, measured by their previously published EPA rating. Yet a few vehicles that were submitted generally get better fuel mileage than the benchmark set by the program rules.

As troubling as that was, it is underscored by the list of truly desirable enthusiast cars that were traded in as clunkers. This raises some troubling questions as to the reasoning behind the transaction. Scanning through the list, here are 12 different vehicles that should have been saved from their eventual fate of being scrapped. These 12 cars will be met with the usual questions as to how this was allowed to happen in the first place, or what kind of person would trade such a vehicle, replacing it with a Hyundai or a Toyota? Continue reading about the “Dirty Dozen”, with details about each one at Automotive Traveler.

By Fireball Tim

Movie Car Design Master

Interesting items this week. Extremes. As in, this is really cool/God awful. And so, we play the field of design to see wus up. Technical stuff, I know. But what do you expect from me? Serious behavior?

IN THIS CORNER! WEIGHING IN AT A SHARP STEALTHY WEIGHT OF….

1. THE ASTON MARTIN SYMBIOSIS

Sick. Elegantly wrapped design a glassy liquid form. And if I were a bird, I’d target this one in a big way. Imagine the damage a seagull could create on this beast? It’d be like ARTPOO. Nice. Oh, although not too practical in the “I gotta buy more Windex now” category. Time to hit Cosco.

Continue reading "Fireball's Cool Designs of the Week!" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Everybody knows that the ‘Ring is bumpy, dangerous and long, so you’re probably not going to learn too much from this episode of Supercars Exposed. But what makes it worth watching is the insane livery on the racing Astons. None of them are the same, and while lesser cars might look ridiculous all tarted up with colors that look like they came out of a bag of Skittles, every single one of these machines looks stunning. I’ve always been a fan of the orange and baby-blue Gulf color scheme, but there isn’t a ride here that I wouldn’t be happy to roll. Enjoy.

By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

Aston Martin is one of Britain’s most prestigious and historic car companies, forever linked to Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, surviving the 70′s after a close call with receivership, and prospering under the guidance of the Ford Motor Company. It is now again a proper British Motorcar producer, the marque owned by private investment firms based in Britain and Kuwait, with a future that is challenged given today’s economic climate.

At the 2009 Geneva Auto Salon, Aston Martin decided to dust off their Lagonda nameplate with a particularly garish concept that sent the Aston Martin faithful into a state of apoplexy. Is this concept really just another luxury crossover, arguably one with a historic name, or is it the taste of things to come from Dr. Bez and the team that has guided the marque through its current renaissance? With that being said I thought it was time to re-introduce you to the last vehicle that wore this prestigious badge: Introducing the 1976 to 1989 Aston Martin Lagonda Saloon.

Read more about the Aston Martin Lagonda at Automotive Traveler.

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

When I was covering American LeMans Series last year, I absolutely loved watching the GT1 and GT2 classes race, and this GT3 clip from Italy makes me miss being at the track. Of course, it’s awesome to see the ‘Vettes, Vipers, Astons and Ferraris on the grid, but I’m particularly stoked to see Lamborghinis being driven in anger. We may never know for sure why Ferruccio never fielded his Raging Bulls, but you have to admit, they look gorgeous in racing livery. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; there’s nothing sexier than an exotic car stripped of its niceties and turned into a race machine. Great work on this footage SpeedHunters!

By Sam Barer

Sound Classics

The “Sound Classics” team had a great time up at the All-British Field Meet in Vancouver, B.C. There were hundreds of great classics.

In this video report, you’ll see my personal pick for the best car at the show and the one I’d want to take home. Watch the video and tell me if you agree!

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Since the drivers on the Gumball exert so much effort trying to go incredibly fast without winding up in jail, it must be nice for them to get to stretch their legs someplace where there’s no such thing as a speed limit. In this clip, the cars hit Palm Beach International Raceway for some track time, and unfortunately, not all of them survive unscathed. The accident happened off-camera, but from the looks of the black Aston Martin, I’d say someone came into a corner a little too hot and traded a bit of paint with the wall. Damn, it’s hard to see a car that pretty all bashed up. Anyway, make sure to look for the driver of the R34 pull some sweet drifts at around 1:44.