Car Throttle

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

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

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

Coachbuilders often aim to take existing cars and make them into something different, just for difference sake. Exclusivity is the greatest luxury - or something like that. The other method is taking a lower end car and making it into something better, but unique. Kit cars, on the other hand, mostly aim to look like the real thing but for a whole lot less. EDO Competition is straddling that line with its new effort, turning the five-year old DBS into a DB9. Interestingly, the car was commissioned by its owner. How about just buying a new DBS for is almost certainly a whole lot less money? Beats us. This obviously isn't your standard conversion job. EDO Competition replaced the metal body panels of the DB9 into the carbon fiber

The motoring press has been making a huge deal out of the upcoming Aston Martin Rapide, which is basically a DB9 with extra doors and a longer wheelbase.  I'll admit, it is a big deal - finally, there's an ultra-luxury sedan that's actually attractive.  (I'm looking at you, Panamera.  And Quattroporte.  And new XJ.  And Merc CLS.  And BMW 7-series.  and...)  But people act like this is strange foreign territory for the tiny British brand, when in fact it hasn't been that long since there was a four-door automobile wearing the illustrious Aston Martin badge. While the Rapide is (and I think will be) considered a classical beauty, the previous Aston sedan was a bit more... divisive.  Polemic.  Opinion-splitting.  Some people might say ugly. But it's something

The Nurburgring 24 Hours Race is coming up, and manufacturers eager to prove their supercars are lining up. Lexus is entering the LFA, and Aston Martin recently announced that its four-door supercar, the Rapide, would be taking part as well. A four door, in an endurance race? Not something you see every day. There will be minimal changes in order to compete, with the Rapide race car being as close to production standard as possible. Aston says there will only be “essential race safety modifications” that include removing interior trim to reduce weight, a re-tuned suspension and tires designed for track use. Ahead of that debut next month, Autoblog has obtained photos of the Rapide seen testing on the Nurburgring, caught with Perspex windows and wearing

At CarThrottle we like to spotlight rendered designs for dream vehicles - from the four-door Ferrari to a vision of an Audi A7 Sportback to everything in between. An impressive designer out of those has been Ugar Sahin. One of his creations, the Ugar Sahin Design Mallet ZO3 (based on a Corvette) is actually headed for a production run. Now he is unveiling his atest design, for a brand that is one of our favorites - Aston Martin. With most companies, it is easy to produce dream car designs. Aston Martin isn't one of those companies, because they are already dream car designs. We can't think of any cars more beautiful on the market today. He named his new project the Gauntlet - and it

Aston Martin is a brand on a renaissance lately, producing some of its best products ever. Ironic then that lately, the Aston Martin (if you can call it that) we've been hearing about most is the Cygnet minicar, based on the Toyota iQ. Its good to talk about real Aston Martins for a change - and the Rapide definitely qualifies as one. To prove its mettle, Aston Martin has announced the Rapide's entrance into a 24-hour endurance race at the Nurburgring. The Nurburgring is one of the world's best and toughest tracks, where automakers go to hone their vehicles' handling. An endurance race is quite a different thing however - and Aston Martin is no stranger to competing. Aston Martin has one the SP8 category of the ADAC