Aston Martins

Aston Martin DB3

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:32:55 +0000

Aston Martin DB3

When David Brown took over Aston Martin in in 1947 he already knew that he could increase the popularity of the cars by going racing. So, it didn’t take long before he set out to produce a race car. In order to help him achieve his goal he brought in Eberan von Eberhorst who had had success with Auto Union before the war. Von Eberhorst’s mission was to take the DB2 and turn it into a racing car. The result of this was the Aston Martin DB3

The DB3 first went racing in 1951using a 133 bhp 2.6 litre engine from the DB2 Vantage. This was later replaced by a 2.9 litre engine with 163 bhp. Success soon followed at Silverstone in 1952 when three Aston Martin DB3′s were placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th behind the race winning Jaguar C-Type. The DB3′s were entered into Le Mans later the same year but all three had to retire. However, Peter Collins and Pat Griffith recorded an overall race win at the Goodwood 9 hour race.

It became apparent thought that the car was too heavy to progress beyond the 1952 season and it also lacked power compared to other cars in the field.

There was a plan on the table from Willie Watson for a lighter, faster, more powerful version of the DB3 and the decision was taken to go with it. That car would become known as the Aston Martin DB3S. This decision caused von Ebelhorst to leave Aston Martin.

The Aston Martin DB3 is quite a rare animal. Only ten were ever built. Five were raced by the factory and the other five were sold to private customers. A rebodied DB3 (the chassis that came third at Silverstone) was sold at auction in 2000 for £287,500

Manufacturer: Aston Martin

Body Style: 2 door coupe

Layout: Front engined, rear wheel drive

Engine: 2.9 litre version of the Lagonda straight six

Transmission:

Power: 163 bhp

Torque:

Economy:

0-62:

Top Speed:

Price:

Competition: Win an Aston Martin

Aston Martin DB4GT Coupe Sells for 1 Million Euros at Auction

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:49:22 +0000

Aston Martin DB4 Sells at Auction

A recent Bonhams auction has just seen the sale of one of the most beautiful GT cars ever produced. The car was the 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT coupe (above) and it sold for just over a million Euros which works out to around £841,000.

There are several things that set the GT car apart from the standard Aston Martin DB4. First of all Aston used magnesium-aluminium alloy body panels to reduce the weight of the car. There is also a massive bonnet scoop to aid with engine cooling and you will notice that the headlights are faired in to reduce drag. The wheelbase was also shortened slightly to make the car more agile. All these things help the GT give better performance on the road against the standard DB4.

The changes didn’t stop there though. The engine was a specially tuned 3.8 litre straight six which was good for around 308 bhp. That was enough power to propel the DB4GT to 60 in just 6.1 seconds with a top speed of 151 mph.

Only 75 Aston Martin DB4GT’s were produced and so the rarity of the car goes some way to explain the price paid for the car.

Manufacturer: Aston Martin

Body Style: 2 door coupe

Layout: Front engined, rear wheel drive

Engine: 3.8 litre flat six

Power: 308 bhp

0-60: 6.1 seconds

Top Speed: 151 mph

Competition: Win an Aston Martin DBS

Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:41:31 +0000

Aston Martin DBS Carbon Edition

Since the original Carbon Black edition of the Aston Martin DBS was so popular back in the 2009, Aston Martin have decided to go for it again, but with two new colours added to the original black version. The new colours are Flame Orange and Ceramic Grey. The new paint is set to look stunning too as each new Carbon Edition DBS gets 7 layers of paint followed up by a 25 hour polishing process that will leave the finish on the car as shiny as glass.

In keeping with the carbon black theme though there are some styling flourishes that just feel right on this edition of the car. The first of these is a nice black grille. There are also Zircotec coated black taolpipes at the rear that look absolutely fantastic. There are also exclusive 10 spoke black diamond turned wheels with an optional gloss black finish available too.

Aston haven’t forgotten about the interior of the DBS Carbon Edition either as there is the choice of Obsidian Black or Madagascar Orange semi-aniline leather, as well as a quilted leather headliner which finishes off the cabin to envelope you in luxury. Each interior of a Carbon Edition DBS takes 70 plus man hours to hand stitch. It also probably goes without saying that there are carbon fibre touches everywhere.

So, for a £6k premium over the standard DBS, you get a fantastic new paint job, some extra bits of carbon fibre and some extra bits of hand stitched leather – oh, and a dodgy looking badge on the door sill that says ‘Carbon’ on it. Is it worth it? Quite frankly yes. The extra little bits and pieces simply are the finishing touches to an Aston Martin masterpiece.

Manufacturer: Aston Martin

Body Style: 2 door coupe

Layout: Front engined, rear wheel drive

Engine: 5.9 litre 48 valve V12

Transmission: 6 Speed manual (6 Speed auto optional)

Power: 510 bhp @ 6500 rpm

Torque: 420 lb ft @ 5750 rpm

Economy: 18 mpg

0-62: 4.3 seconds

Top Speed: 191 mph

Price: £186,582

Merchandise: Wallpaper | Win an Aston Martin DBS

Production Aston Martin V12 Zagato

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:00:59 +0000

Aston Martin V12 Zagato

We first saw this gorgeous car back in May of 2011 and since then orders for this extremely rare Aston Martin have steadily been coming in. The Aston Martin V12 Zagato goes on sale in mid February at the Kuwait concours d’elegance. At £330,000 it is not a cheap Aston and is considerably more expensive than the Aston Martin V12 Vantage upon which it is based. Mind you, there will only be 150 of these cars built so you do get a certain amount of exclusivity for your money, and lets face it, £330,000 is a lot less expensive than the ultra exclusive, £1m Aston Martin One-77 (only two left for sale by the way, so hurry up if you have a spare million in the bank)

The first deliveries of customer cars will take place late in 2012. Each one come complete with a 510bhp V12 matched to a six speed manual gearbox which will get you from 0-60 in around 4.4 seconds. The slippery bodywork is all hand crafted at Aston Martin’s factory in Gaydon using aluminium and carbon fibre. There is also exclusive interior styling as well for the Zagato owner with uniquely patterned leather and contrasting red stitching.

The partnership between Aston Martin and Zagato is one that goes back around 50 years to when Aston approached the company in order to shed weight from on of its cars which led to the birth of the superb Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato.

Manufacturer: Aston Martin

Body Style: 2 door coupe

Layout: Front engine, rear wheel drive.

Engine: 6.0 litre V12

Power: 510bhp

Top Speed: 190mph

0-60: 4.4 seconds

Price: £330,000

Stratstone Aston Martin Tyne and Wear

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:30:13 +0000

Stratstone Aston Martin Tyne & Wear

Stoneygate

Houghton-le-Spring

Tyne and Wear

DH4 4NJ

Tel: 0191 512 3509

Fax:

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