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" »

John McCain doesn’t know how many houses he has, but that’s ok, because he has a staff to tell him about how many palatial pads he and his heiress wife own. But Obama is an elitist. Because he likes things other than iceberg lettuce in his salad. Makes sense to me. Anyway, here’s the news:

• The Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide are going to be going head to head in the four door sports car market, but recently, they also competed in a more literal sense, as both high-octane four doors were lapping the ‘Ring at the same time. World Car Fans
• Ma Mopar is now offering in-car wireless internet, and as you’d expect, it isn’t cheap. Now that isn’t surprising. But this line totally caught me off guard: "You’ll pay almost $2,700 to read Autopia behind the wheel of your new 300." What? Should you really be reading and driving? Wired
• In case you were wondering, making a matchbox car is serious business. Check out all the steps involved in making a tiny GT-R. The New York Times
• Things aren’t going so well for Tata. Right now the company is considering walking away from a 350 million dollar plant because of violent protest which have been happening there. Hopefully Jag’s new owner can get the situation sorted out. Motor Authority

Lots of stuff is happening today, so I’m going to skip my standard blathering and cut to the chase. You’re welcome. Here’s the news:

• Everyone knows Aussies love their beer, but this situation still seems a little extreme. For the record, it’s probably a good idea to belt children in, even if than means the case of beer has to take its chances. ABC Australia via Winding Road
• Nissan is riding waves of positive press due to the GTR, but it hasn’t forgotten about the rest of its stable. A semi-official pic of the new 370Z has surfaced, and it looks pretty slick. Hey, it might not  have Godzilla’s performance, but you’ll probably be able to pick one up for less than double the sticker price. CarScoop
• Ford is recalling another 650,000 vehicles, but don’t worry, the reason behind it is just a tiny little problem with the brakes. Maybe the Blue Oval should try making quality job one? Automotive News
• Aston Martin’s Rapide has been caught lapping the Ring, and it looks—and sounds—pretty sexy. I still don’t know if it’s as hot as Maserati’s Quattroporte, but if I had to choose between the two, I don’t think I’d throw a fit. World Car Fans

Auto Express just posted some spy shots of Aston Martin’s Rapide, and while the car is better looking than Porsche’s Panamera, that’s really not saying much. The V12 sedan is set to drop sometime in 2009, and even though it’s not embarrassing style-wise, in my opinion, it’s not anywhere near as hot as Maserati’s absolutely gorgeous Quattroporte. I do like the glass roof though. Four more pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Best Shots Yet of Aston Martin's Rapide" »

It has now been two years since the Aston Martin Rapide concept car was first unveiled, and only this week has a near-production prototype of the car finally been spotted. Two spy photos of unknown origin surfaced online yesterday, showing a test car that is not heavily camouflaged, but is clearly still a work in progress. Given the strong interest in the Rapide, Aston Martin says it will build between 1000 and 2000 units per year, up from an original estimate of 500 or fewer. The car will be the second new model launched under Aston’s new ownership, following the DBS coupe. There were rumors recently that the British supercar maker was considering taking production of the car outside of the UK, but these remains purely speculative at this point in time. Like Aston’s other models, the Rapide is built on the company’s VH (Vertical/Horizontal) architecture. Despite its sporty looks, it’s roughly the size of a Mercedes S-Class.

I haven’t worked a full week in over a month, and the grind is already started to wear on me. Well, at least I got a flat on the way in to the office. Here’s the news:

• Want to get your hands on a GTR before it officially hits your shores? Good luck. Nissan is threatening gray market entrepreneurs with legal action: Auto Express
• Hot Wheels is planning a cross country blitz to celebrate its 40th anniversary. You can’t blame them—can any other company claim to have sold four billion cars? Auto Week
• This year, F1 cars will be hitting the grid without traction control, and some drivers are predicting more accidents: BBC News
• Upon release, Aston Martin’s new Rapide sedan will be going head-to-head against Maser’s sexy  Quattroporte and Porsche’s dreadful Panamera. How will it do? From the looks of these pics, jolly well indeed: Car Scoop
• So just who is legitimate media anyway? That’s the question the brass at NAIAS are asking. Here’s a tip: if you write a blog about beer and cheese, it’s not you: Detroit News