IAA 2011: Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition

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.
The British automaker says the special edition DBS models feature a unique paint process that involves seven layers of paint together with a 25-hour hand flat-and-polish finish, while as an option, buyer will be able to specify a satin lacquer paint finish that is said to create a silk-like texture.
Aside from the bespoke exterior finishes and as the car's name suggests, the special DBS gains several carbon fibre parts and accessories including the exterior mirror caps, the tail lamp fill-ins, front apron, rear diffuser and cabin trim.
Other exterior highlights include the 10-spoke gloss black diamond turned wheels with a reversed diamond turned or full gloss black finish as an option, black brake calipers as standard with yellow, orange, red or grey as an option, a black colored front grille and smoked headlamps.
Inside, the DBS Carbon Edition is treated with hand-stitched leather upholstery and headlining plus magnesium alloy steering wheel paddles tipped with carbon fibre.
Pricing for the DBS Carbon Edition starts at £186,582 (€257,912/$287,576) for the coupe and £196,581 (€272,913/$302,576) for the open-top Volante with first deliveries expected in the first quarter of 2012.

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Aston Martin Cygnet, the 2012 Scion iQ Priced from $15,995 U.S.

After making the motorshow rounds, it’s time for Toyota to start preparations for the U.S. launch of its new Scion iQ mini that will begin arriving at dealerships on the west coast in October, and the rest of the country in early 2012.
The Lilliputian four-seater model that is sold in Europe as a Toyota and let's not forget, as an....Aston Martin as well, will carry a base sticker of $15,265. A $730 delivery, processing and handling (DPH) fee brings the total to $15,995.
The iQ’s most closest rival in the States is the Fiat 500 that retails for $15,500 in base trim, not including destination and handling.
Compared to the Italian model, the iQ is almost 20 inches shorter at 120.1-in. but is also 2 inches wider at 66.1-in.
The iQ features a 3+1 seating arrangement that allows one tiny adult to sit behind the front passenger and a child or small package behind the driver.
In the States, the three-door hatchback model is offered exclusively with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine delivering 94-horsepower and 89 lb.-ft of peak torque, matched to a continuously variable transmission.
The Japanese company has packed the iQ with 11 standard airbags including the world’s first rear window airbag, as well as driver- and front-passenger airbags; driver- and front-passenger seat mounted side airbags; side curtain airbags; driver- and front-passenger knee airbags; and a Scion-first, driver- and front-passenger seat-cushion airbags.
Other standard features include antilock Brakes (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Traction Control (TRAC), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Smart Stop Technology brake-override.

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Ford Mustang Exotica Hides an Aston Martin Under its Hood

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.

Other modifications include a performance brake system, an upgraded suspension, 19-inch lightweight alloy wheels and more.

The Mustang 'Vanquishd' has since covered a mere 2,000 miles (apparently as a show piece) and is now up for sale in Canada at Kijiji with the asking price set at $79,000.

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Sir Stirling Moss Buys an Aston Martin Cygnet

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 carthat’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.

Sir Stirling Moss specified the car with an Aston Martin Racing Green hue on the outside while for the interior he chose an Obsidian Black leather treatment with a contrasting coarse silver stitch.

During the handover at the Royal Automobile Club last night, Sir Stirling Moss said: “My greatest partner in everything that I do, Susie is an amazing person and frankly the best wife a man could have. Since seeing a pre-production Cygnet in January I knew that it was the perfect car for Susie; a proper little piece of British luxury and perfect for our life in town.”

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Aston Martin V12 Zagato 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.

Prices, not including local taxes, start at £330,000 GBP, which comes to around US$528,000 or €369,000 at the current exchange rates.

The V12-powered supercar was created by Italian coachbuilder Zagato to celebrate its partnership with Aston Martin in the 50th anniversary year of the DB4GT Zagato.

It made its first public outing at the Concorso D’Eleganza at Villa D’Este in May, winning the Design award for Concepts and Prototypes, and then went on to successfully complete the grueling 39th Nürburgring 24 Hour race.

Based on the existing Aston Martin V12 Vantage, the Zagato model features a bespoke, handcrafted aluminium and carbon fibre body with power provided by the British firm’s 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 517-horses and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque.

“The V12 Zagato is an elegant yet brutal design which reflects the great balance between race performance and pure Aston Martin style,” said Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Director of Design.

“The original DB4GT Zagato was a true icon, powerful and graceful; the new design is a true representation of the spirit of DB4GT Zagato. The muscular organic forms define the thoroughbred nature of the car’s racing credentials," he added.

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ASTON MARTIN V10

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

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.
Check out Leerentveld's AMV12 Concept as well as his older AMV10 study in the gallery below and tell us what you think in the comments area.

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