Aston Martin owner gets govt debt protection

A model poses next to an Aston Martin sports car at the Beijing Auto
Kuwait's Special Circuit Court of Appeal accepted Investment Dar's filing for legal protection under the country's financial stability law amid protracted debt restructuring talks, the Kuwaiti bourse said Sunday.

The part-owner of British carmaker Aston Martin said Friday it said it applied for legal protection after a small minority of investors have continued to resist the company's debt restructuring plan.

All the legal procedures against Investment Dar, which is trying to hammer out terms with banks to repay about 1 billion Kuwaiti dinars ($3.5 billion), will be halted until the court approves the debt plan, the Kuwaiti bourse said in a statement posted on its Web site.

The statement did not make it clear how long the court will take before taking a decision on Dar's application.

Entry into the state-sponsored scheme will enable the firm to bind investors that don't approve the current terms.

Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black Special Edition

Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black Special Edition Picture

Aston Martin's DBS Carbon Black Special Edition this week kicks off a tour of seven major U.S. cities that is co-sponsored by high-end audio company Bang & Olufsen. The first customer deliveries are slated to begin this summer.

Over the next month, a pair of DBS Carbon Black Special Edition cars will tour Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, San Francisco, Dallas and Miami.

Aston Martin One-77 Testing Video

There’s nothing like some quality testing footage of an up-in-coming supercar. In this clip, we see the aggressive but uber-sexy Aston Martin One-77 scorching around the track during dry testing. Hear the engine rumble. Watch the car make short work of the track. Feel the wind showering your face. Enjoy a special moment in Aston history.

The beautiful piece of Astonery that is the One-77 is powered by a 7.3-liter V12 engine worth 700 horses. The coupe captures 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds and has clocked a top speed over 220 mph.

As you probably could have guessed, 77 models will be built and sold beginning later this year. You may not be one of those lucky 77, but you can enjoy the One-77 just the same by hitting ‘Continue’. [via Zercustoms]

Aston Martin Rapide NY Auto Show

The Aston Martin Rapide took a long time to finally come to market and it seems like it’s taken almost just as long to go on public display. First shown in concept form at the Detroit Auto Show way back in 2006, the Rapide had its world premiere at the Frankfurt Auto Show last Fall. Since then both the LA and Detroit shows have come and gone, with Aston a no-show. Finally, North Americans (or at least New Yorkers) will get their first look at the Rapide when it goes on public display at the NY Auto Show in April.

2010 EDO Competition Aston Martin DBS

Aston Martin DBS

Aston Martin Rapide wins coveted Design Award

Aston Martin Rapide new four-door sports car, the Rapide has been awarded the Best Production Car Design of 2009 as voted for by design peers in the industry magazine, Car Design News. An international readership of Car Design News, comprising of the world’s most innovative car designers awarded the Rapide the... The award was presented at the Car Design Night event at La Sip nightclub in Geneva last week and was accepted by Director of Design, Marek Reichman on behalf of the Aston Martin design team. Marek who led the in-house design team which penned the Rapide said: “It is great for the Aston Martin design team to be recognised internationally for their work. We are all very passionate about the brand and we try to convey this in the cars we design.” 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, a characterful, 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 Rapide is now available globally through Aston Martin’s 125-strong dealership network, with the first deliveries commencing next month.

Aston Martin Cygnet is tiny and cute

Aston Martin Cygnet

Aston reckons it can make up to 4,000 Cygnets a year, selling them to existing owners and charging up to £30,000 a pop.

Aston Martin Cygnet Let's be quite clear here, this is a reworked Toyota iQ which non-Aston owners might choose to purchase at a mere £9,974 from their local Toyota dealer.

As my old nan used to say, "There's none so stupid as folks."