Aston Martin V12 Vantage

Aston Martin will launch its V12 Vantage in the U.S., in a move contrary to its original plans. Aston is planning its first deliveries in the fourth quarter of this year, at an estimated price of $180,000-$200,000.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage

The 510-horsepower version of Aston's smallest model was released in Europe last year to widespread acclaim. Inquiries from potential American customers have prompted it to offer the car in what is currently its biggest market.

The task was not as easy it seems, because the V12 Vantage's front-end crash structure needed modification, mainly to the impact load paths, to meet North American regulations.

The V12's 420 pound-feet of torque allows the Vantage a 0-60-mph time of less than 4.2 seconds and a 190-mph top speed, producing the fastest model to bear the name yet and indeed, the most potent production model in the marque's 96-year history.

Aston Martin auction nets $7.3-million

On Saturday, Aston Martin Works Service hosted its 11th and most successful Bonhams’ Auction of Aston Martin motor cars and related automobilia. This year’s sale generated a record £4.7-million ($7.3-million), with bids taken from around the world.

Highlights from the auction included a 1950 DB2 Team Car raced by Sir Stirling Moss, selling for $795,222 and a 1968 DB6 Vantage Sports Saloon, garaged and untouched for 30 years, selling for $193,300.

Other highlights from the record sale include a rare 1965 DB5 Convertible selling for $556,500 and a 1962 DB4 Series IV Vantage Saloon, which recently underwent extensive updating at the Aston Martin Works Service, selling for $333,100.

Dating back to the 1920s, Works Service has served as a factory-owned restoration department to look after any post-war Aston Martin or Lagonda.

ASTON MARTIN V12 VANTAGE CONFIRMED FOR NORTH AMERICA

ASTON MARTIN V12 VANTAGEa

From the preparation of Rapide’s bonded aluminium body frame, to the painstaking six-stage painting process where nine coats of paint are applied making Aston Martin’s paint finish the best in class, to the trim shop where highly-skilled craftspeople shape and stitch 10 of the finest leather hides to create the Rapide’s magnificently upholstered interior, the AMRP is a centre of automotive excellence.

Unveiled in production form at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2009 to worldwide acclaim, the Aston Martin Rapide encapsulates the values of Aston Martin in a four-door sports car with unrivalled performance, extremely high levels of craftsmanship and exceptionally elegant design. The Rapide is a car to savour and share, an expressive sports grand tourer that extends the Aston Martin experience to an entire family, a group of colleagues or other performance enthusiasts. Beauty, power and practicality have never been presented so seductively.

The elegant Rapide, functional yet luxurious, provides space for up to four adults combined with an engaging driving experience synonymous with all Aston Martins. A 301 litre luggage compartment affords generous space for belongings for all four passengers, creating an Aston Martin which can be enjoyed on any occasion, anytime, anywhere. At the heart of the Rapide lies an evocative engine providing effortless power and torque: a hand-built 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 470 bhp (477 PS / 350 kW) with peak power being delivered at 6000 rpm and 600 Nm (443 lb.ft) peak torque at 5000 rpm. A specifically tuned six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission features as standard, allowing the driver to change gear automatically or manually via the steering column-mounted magnesium paddles.

James Bond's Aston Martin Speeds to Auction

This 1964 Aston Martin DB4, which was used in the production of "Goldfinger," is

estimated at £40–60,000 ($59–89,000), at Bonhams' Aston Martin auction.

Courtesy Bonhams

With their bulletproof bodies, hidden missile launchers, and self-destruction settings, the cars of fictional British secret agent James Bond have delighted moviegoers and tantalized car and espionage fans for nearly half a century. Now wealthy Bond devotees will have a chance to own one of their very own, as British auction house Bonhams gears up to auction a 1964 Aston Martin DB4, which was used in the production of the Sean Connery-helmed 1964 classic, Goldfinger.

The car, originally built for the publishing tycoon Max Aitken, the first Baron of Beaverbrook, is estimated to earn £40–60,000 ($59–89,000) when it heads to the auction block on May 22 as part of Bonhams' Aston Martin car sale, the only auction in the world devoted to models by — and memorabilia related to — the storied sportscar company. Unfortunately, the car never actually made it into a Bond film; rather, it was used as a model for designing the special additions (like machine guns and ejector seats) that were later added to a silver DB5 used in the movie.

While it’s not quite as impressive as some later Bond cars, the Aston Martin boasts some interesting features, including a special, extra-light clutch and a thermostatically activated overheating alarm. Despite it’s apparent historical value, the car had actually been sitting in a garage since 1974.

First pictures : One-77 meets 007

The most exclusive Aston Martin ever rolled into James Bond HQ - at Dalton Square in central London, left.

It was the first time the supercar has been seen on UK roads.

One-77

It's all white now ... One-77 is a fitting Bond car

The One-77 - which will cost an eye-watering £1.2million - left punters shaken and stirred when it took part in a supercar run from London to Silverstone.

The run was designed to promote the inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship.

The One-77, which is the first production-ready example made by Aston, will undoubtedly be Bond's car when Daniel Craig appears in the next flick.

The Aston One-77 is powered by a 7-litre V12 engine, which produces around 700bhp.

Eye-watering ... new Aston will cost £1.

Aston Martin Cygnet

Based on the Toyota IQ minicar but without the mini price tag, the Aston Martin Cygnet city car likely will sell in the $35,000 to $40,000 range -- maybe even higher -- when it reaches select European buyers this year. Select, because the Cygnet will be offered -- at first -- only to current Aston Martin owners.

Although Aston has distributed a handful of Cygnet photos, this is the first time anyone has seen the real car in person. And we even caught it driving down a London street.

Aston Martin Rapide Ready for Delivery

Aston Martin Rapide
Aston Martin has announced that the following weeks will see the first Rapides being delivered to customers.

Aston Martin Rapide
The company has held a “warm reception” for both customers and members of media to introduce the model and is now ready to start deliveries to its 125 showrooms in 34 countries.

“A new chapter in Aston Martin’s modern era has officially begun; with the first four-door Rapide sports cars leaving the Aston Martin Rapide Plant (AMRP) for delivery to eagerly awaiting customers,” stated the press release.

The Rapide can accommodate four passenger and offers a luggage space of 301 liters, while delivering “an engaging driving experience synonymous with all Aston Martins”. The elegant sedan is powered by a hand-built 6.0 liter V12 engine that produces 477 hp at 6,000 rpm and 443 lb-ft (600 Nm) at 5,000 rpm. The powerplant is mated to a six speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission that allows the driver to change gear automatically or manually, using the steering column-mounted magnesium paddles.