2011 Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420
You recollect a Vantage N400? Aston Martin released a special-edition sportscar behind in 2007 to honour a success of a Vantage N24 racer during a Nürburgring. It packed 400 horsepower, a series of cessation tweaks as well as some special cosmetic touches. Unfortunately, Aston usually constructed 240 examples of a 'N', all of which have prolonged since sold out. But right away it's back. With a vengeance.
Whereas a previous N400 upgraded a batch 380 horsepower to 400, a brand brand new N420 - based upon a current, post-2008 updated Vantage - carries over a batch 420-horse mill. Suspension upgrades come pleasantness of a differently discretionary Sports Pack, here propitious as customary equipment, along with a special empty singular to a N420. A brand brand new front splitter, side skirts as well as diffuser have been done of CO fiber, singular rims have been propitious along with black filigree grille inserts, as well as 27 kilograms (60 pounds) have been trimmed from a curb weight. Upgrades have additionally been carried out to a interior, as well as buyers can select from a range of "race collection" paint schemes.
Gallery: 2011 Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420
Like a predecessor, a brand brand new Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 will be sold in coupe or roadster format as well as accessible with either six-speed manual or Sportshift semi-automatic transmissions. Deliveries will begin subsequent month in a UK, a £96,995 price tab (that's over $147,000 USD though includes a UK's large Value Added Tax) represents a £13,804 ($21k) premium over a base model, which sells in a UK for £83,191 (equivalent to $126k during today's sell rates) as well as in a United States for $119,500. Details in a press recover after a jump, high-res gallery below.
New N420 edition V8 Vantage from Aston Martin
Aston Martin Rapide’s rear end revealed!
This is apparently a new rendering of the production version Aston Martin Rapide that has found its way onto the internet. The rendering shows that it’s pretty much very near to the concept car that was displayed at the 2006 Detroit show. A previously released rendering of the front end of the production car (you will find this image after the jump) shows the futuristic headlamps have been replaced with conventional projector headlamps.
Now seriously, this is how a sedan based on sports car design language should look now. An Aston Martin’s coupe-like form is much easier to transform into a sedan compared to a Porsche’s frog-hatch stance. Expect a price range of between US$160,000 to US$175,000 in markets with realistic prices, and add the necessary taxes and etcetra for the Malaysian price.
New Sports Pack and “Power Pack” available for 4.3 liter Aston Martin V8 Vantage
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage now comes with a 4.7 liter engine, but lucky drivers of the 4.3 liter V8 Vantage who may not feel as lucky as they should be because they feel left out thanks to their now “outdated” car can hop along for the ride tanks to a new power enhancement upgrade which boosts their engine power from 380hp to 400hp and torque from 410Nm to 420Nm. Of course, this is still lower than the new V8 Vantage’s 420hp and 470Nm figures of course, thanks to its larger engine.
This power upgrade uses a new induction system based on the technology used in the Aston Martin DBS. It uses a pair of switching airbox-valves that open at 5,500rpm to allow more air into the engine, resulting in more power produced in a controlled manner. The ECU has also been reprogrammed with new software with revised ignition timing, and the ability to recognise higher octane fuel to maximise performance.
Another upgrade available is the Sports Pack, which comprises of uprated springs and Bilstein dampers which improve the car’s handling. Also included in the Sports Pack are lightweight forced aluminium wheels in a 5-spoke design to reduce unsprung mass.
Cars used in the Bond movie Quantum of Solace
Instead, Bond goes on to drive a few SUVs from the Ford group of marques, though the makers did try to “balance” them out with a fuel efficient small car.
Let’s have a look at the cars of the Quantum Solace.
Aston Martin DBS
The Aston Martin DBS replaces the Vanquish V12 as the new flagship of the marque. The GT is powered by a 6.0 liter V12 engine producing 510 horsepower at 6,500rpm and 569Nm of torque at 5,750rpm. It also had carbon ceramic disc brakes, which is a first for a road-going Aston Martin.
Everyone probably looked forward to seeing this in action the most. It’s expected really, since the DBS is pure Aston Martin design language, which is possibly the sexiest of all with all the right curves and lines in all the right places. Plus the DBS was also first revealed to the public in Casino Royale (though they were actually reskinned DB9s), and only made a public physical appearance a year later at Pebble Beach 2007.
The vehicles in the Bond movie is probably a deal with Ford, so I suspect the Aston Martin DBS got KO-ed so early because Aston Martin is no longer part of the Ford group. The movie opens with a car chase scene with plenty of flying bullets, and Bond in the DBS is being chased by delicious-looking Alfa 159s. The 159s end up getting wrecked of course, that’s not even a spoiler as it’s so predictable.
Alfa Romeo 159
While we have to be content here with Sime Darby Auto Connexxion still flogging the 156 (though the 159 is promised soon), its successor has been on sale since 2005, long enough for the producers of Quantum of Solace to buy a few and destroy them in a heated car chase scene in Italy.
The 159 is available in both front wheel drive and Q4 all-wheel drive configuration, with the top of the line being the JTS Q4 powered by a 3.2 liter V6 engine putting out 260 PS at 6,200rpm and 322Nm of torque, though most Europeans may opt for the 2.4 JTDM turbodiesel with 210 PS and 400Nm of torque instead.
Jaguar Daimler Double-Six
Villain Dominic Greene (apparently inspired by Nicolas Sarkozy and Tony Blair) sometimes rides in a big Daimler Double-Six whenever he’s bored of his silent hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Greene Planet for a “Greener” planet, he says?
Range Rover Sport
This is one of the two SUVs featured in the movie, but this one’s powered by a regular combustion engine, and a powerful one at that. The Range Rover Sport isn’t just a Range Rover with a powerful engine, its actually a completely different and smaller vehicle based on the Discovery.
It’s powered by a 390 PS 4.2 liter Jaguar V8 supercharged engine, though a normally aspirated version was also previous available but since dropped due to lack of popularity. It’s also rather infamous - it seems that it was made a target of Greenpeace protests in 2005 because it was such an inefficient vehicle.
The Range Rover is piloted by a certain “Miss Fields” and later by Bond.
Ford Ka
The Ford Ka is the Bond Girl’s car. Olga Kurylenko plays Camille, the leading lady picks Bond up in her golden Ford Ka - who wants to bet a special edition will be sold by Ford in a similiar golden paint in a movie tie-up? A similiar scene is repeated later in a classic Volkswagen Beetle… I’m pretty sure Volkswagen didn’t pay for that!
The Ka is even smaller than the Ford Fiesta and in its original iteration it was truly low-cost in the sense that Ford even resorted to using a 1.3 liter Ford Kent pushrod engine under its hood. The new Ka has Italian origins - its based on Fiat Panda/500 underpinings and uses modern petrol and diesel engines.
Volvo S40
Bond drives a Volvo S40 rental car in Austria. The facelifted Volvo S40 was recently launched in Malaysia in locally assembled form and offers European premium motoring at a price of under RM200,000. Though it’s one size smaller, those considering Japanese 2.4 liter D-segment cars but don’t really need the space should consider it.
Ford Edge powered by Hydrogen
The Ford Edge is a crossover SUV but no real hydrogen-powered version of it currently exists, though Ford has announced a “HySeries Drive” version that combines electric drive powered by either an on-board hydrogen fuel cell or lithium ion batteries that have plug-in charging capabilities.
In the movie, the Edge is part of a fleet of green vehicles owned by the villain’s company Greene Planet. Bond ends up driving one of these, and this just so happens to take place in a desert where the fuel cell’s pure water exhaust would be most appreciated.
So what’s your favourite vehicle in the movie, and what did you think of the movie? My favourite is of course the Aston Martin DBS and I didn’t think any of the other cars had very much of a stage presence except for the Range Rover Sport.
Click to enlarge
Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin
DBS
Truly great luxury sports cars are few and far between. In a world where innovation is all too often hampered by compromise, pure performance is a rarity available only to the genuinely discerning. Designed as the ultimate driving experience, the Aston Martin DBS bridges the gap between road and track – DB9 and DBR9. Equally at home on a twisting mountain circuit as on the open road, the DBS is a true thoroughbred.
The Aston Martin DBS is a 6.0-litre V12 powered, race-bred, two-seater shaped by the aerodynamic demands of high performance, with an exquisite interior that marries beautifully hand-finished materials with the very latest in performance technology. A combination of elegant design, innovative manufacturing processes, race-derived materials and components and Aston Martin’s unrivalled hand-build expertise makes the DBS a luxury sports car without equal.
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