Car Throttle

Ahahaha, oh my. An "entry level" supercar - right, that makes sense.  It used to be there were sports cars that normal people could afford (Mustang, Corvette, Porsche 944, etc), and Supercars that only oil barons and filthy rich Enron executives could afford (F512M, Countach, Cizeta Moroder, EB110.)  As the industry moves along, though, we've actually developed upper and lower echelons of the supercar.  It's funny to think of something costing nearly a quarter-million dollars as being "entry level," but despite all the insanity of the Ferrari 458 Italia, it's not the craziest thing they make. There didn't used to be a lot of choice here, either - you could pretty much get an F355 or an Esprit, and a few others have crept in here

As a bonafide "automotive journalist", I often find myself dreaming about luxury cars I would love to have parked up in my garage. From 2011 models only, these currently include the Fezza 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and the 2011 Ariel Atom for a nifty track day. But for an outing with the lads or a nice cruise through the English countryside, there is no vehicle I would like to drive more than the Aston Martin Rapide. So I was naturally excited to see my first Rapide in the flesh on a busy day in Central London. Make no mistake, this thing is a piece of art. With a hand-crafted engine from Gaydon, this AM comes equipped with an all alloy quad overhead cam 48 valve 5935cc

Aston Martin has been trumpeting the One-77 for a long time, and we don't mind. OK, the slow drip drip of information at the beginning was a bit maddening, but who would turn down hearing about the most outrageous Aston of them all? Late last year the company announced that just 17 One-77s were left. That is out of a run of just 77 models, as its name implies. Not bad sales figures for the world's second-most expensive car in the world, just behind the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Gran Sport. With a 7.3-liter V-12 making 750 horsepower, it also stands as the world's most powerful car with a naturally-aspirated engine. Aston Martin has just commenced deliveries of the One-77, with the first one taking place in Monte

If you've been eyeing the Aston Martin Vantage, but find the regular V8 too pedestrian and the V12 too dear (perhaps not a likely situation), Aston Martin has finally rectified this problematic situation. The British supercar maker announced a new member of the small Vantage line today, which is poised to sit in between the V8 and V12 for performance and price.  Called the V8 Vantage S, it's a little bit harder, faster, sharper, and prettier than a V8 - but not quite as much as the spectacular V12. The changes are mostly mechanical, which is good - the Vantage is arguably one of the most gorgeous cars money can buy, so avoiding the whole gilding-the-lily syndrome is for the best.  The Vantage's 4.7L 32v

Auto manufacturers are increasingly entering smaller and smaller segments as governmental regulations demand an increase in fuel efficiency and reductions in emissions. For luxury performance and exotic manufacturers under a large corporate umbrella, other brands in the portfolio are able to produce smaller models. Aston Martin is a standalone brand owned by a joint venture company headed by David Richards and co-owned by by equity companies, Investment Dar, Adeem Investment and English businessman John Sinders. As such, it doesn't have the ability to do that - for now it has to be introduced under the Aston Martin brand name. The Cygnet is a lightly-modified Toyota iQ with Aston Martin cues. This enabled the car to be introduced cheaply and quickly. Since news of

What are you hoping for this holiday season? Some Nürburgring lap passes?  A Garrett GT3076R?  A leather-wrapped 3 spoke Momo, some Sparco seats, and 5-point Sabelt harnesses?  Hey, I'm hoping for a MicroSD card for my Android, some floor mats for my Accord, and the ability to spend some time with my family without bickering or bustling. What I'd really love is an Aston Martin V12 Vantage.  The smaller-chassis Vantage normally comes with a puny Jag-derived V8, but for the limited production V12 model, Aston's artists shoehorn in a massive 6.0L 48v V12 under the hood with barely enough room for a dipstick.  Rutledge Wood from Top Gear USA (by far my favorite character on the show - Rutledge is the man) drove one and

Aston Martin has teased the One-77 endlessly, slowly releasing information and videos documenting the car, the most recent of which appeared in late September. The One-77 stands as the world's most powerful car with a naturally-aspirated engine, making 750 horsepower from its 7.3-liter V-12. Lately though it appears most news from Aston Martin have been Cygnet-related, and we're glad to shift gears. The One-77 is the fastest and most expensive Aston Martin ever, and it would have been the most expensive car if not for the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. While most would think that with a difficult economy a $1.87 million supercar would be a tough sell, Aston has announced the One-77 is doing quite well for itself. 17 models are

If there was a flop concept introduced at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, it would have to be the Lagonda SUV introduced by Aston Martin. The concept was part of a desire of Aston Martin to expand its sales and profitability by adding a new brand. There goal is to not Aston Martin brand name by producing large SUV (but slapping it on the Cygnet minicar based on a Toyota iQ is OK....we digress). Bringing back the Lagonda name is a way to avoid that. The idea is good in theory - a luxurious vehicle that would enable Aston Martin to be a player in a profitable segment for luxury manufacturers. The SUV would be aimed specifically toward cash-rich emerging markets where vehicles like this prove popular. The problem

Aston Martin recently gave the green light to the much-derided Cygnet minicar. The car was developed in cooperation with Toyota, as it is heavily based on the iQ. Interestingly, Aston keeps saying four people will fit in there. Good luck to the two lucky (not) passengers in back. This new video aims to explain the car. It shows the unique build process the car goes through and how that helps make it a "real" Aston Martin. We'll let you be the judge of that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgTMxEujwU0&feature=player_embedded#! Lexus Driving Simulator Commercial Lexus isn't exactly best known for its "wow" factor. More like refined and sedate - with a few exceptions of course. There is the new LF-A, and on a more down to earth level, the IS and accompanying F performance models. However, Lexus

Over the course of time, luxury manufacturers have been on a relentless drive to make their vehicles more accessible. Models at manufacturers like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have proliferated up and down the spectrum. Today's global luxury market is in the millions of units. Many have often equated size with luxury - as in, the bigger the better. What is different than size though is compromising brand values - and many have decided Aston Martin has done so with the Cygnet minicar. Regardless, it is a go for production. It is unclear what the exact motivation is behind the car - most likely governmental fuel economy regulations. Selling a few hundred of these a year with high MPG numbers should help things out significantly. There is also likely