Aston Martin Archives - Indiandrives.com

September 5, 2014

10 Best Car Keys Ever Made

Designing a car is one part, and designing its key fob is another.

The million-dollar cars speak out loud when thrown open to the road, but what’s about the performance and dignity that cannot be explained to someone else at a chat over a dinning-table! There come the key-fobs in picture which speaks more than you could have thought of. So, this must have taken the designers to place themselves aggressively towards this aura. Here, we listed down best of the keys that are made in the world just to keep it speaking of your car every time.

BMW i8

There isn’t anything better than a BMW i8; its key fob replicates the same. A LCD screen depicting details like battery-charge, fuel in the fuel-tank, distance to be crossed before the next charge; it can set the temperature remotely before entering the cabin. Must say – literally Genius!

Aston Martin

Squared out of crystal, the Aston Martin key fob is an art itself – as becomes the start button when inserted. More to it, the British automaker developed a watch too in association with Jaeger-LeCoultre that locks and unlocks the Aston just by a touch on its dial. To lock – touch between 8 and 9; to unlock – touch between 3 and 4. Really a Bond-ish!

Koenigsegg CCXR key

With love from Sweden that can be very exclusive, it’s none other than Koenigsegg CCXR key. Looked to be an actual realization of the company’s logo, it has a rubber button at the back that makes the car’s alarm operational. Well, does seem like holding a small turtle on our palms, Swede must have referred to nature for their inspiration of doing different this time.

Spyker

The Dutch and Swede may not have the same ideology of building a supercar, but it looks they both must have hired the same team of designers to design their keys. The Spyker that is quite niche in itself has made its key fob the same way.

Pagani Huayra

Enticingly Italian, Pagani commands dominance over the rest when it leashes out on road. The key fob designed keeping such dominance; it is bound to crave a one even if you don’t own a Huayra.

Tesla Model S

Tesla always cracks up criticisms whenever talked about. But this may never happen if the buyers would flaunt the key. Designed as the miniature of Model S, the slick, stylish and suede, it is the car’s key underneath the sheath.

Porsche 917

Those who think Porsche only make brilliant cars; must think again what the best trick to gain a better performance is? Simply, cut down the weight is the right answer – but till what extent – Porsche answered it rightly. The 917 key had 8 holes drilled, which may look unusual and dud, but it was actually for keeping it as light as possible.

Bugatti Veyron Top Speed Key

The fastest doesn’t need a single key. To brag the competition more extreme, Bugatti gave the Veyron an application to reach more than the maximum limit by unleashing its raw power from “another key” apart from the standard one. Elicited a keyhole behind the driver’s seat, the special top-speed key when inserted makes the Veyron to lower its chassis, shut the front air diffusers and run a few seconds of safety checks to cross the mark of more than 400km/h…isn’t that whopping!

Ford Pre 1980s

Multipurpose concept cannot be explained better than this, a screw driver to open most of Ford model’s in pre 1980’s era. Had anyone made a spanner as the key to drive a car?

VW PCP Car’s Key

Volkswagen PCP (people’s car project) may be restricted to the China, but its’ key has made the whole fraternity to go nuts. Likewise to the BMW’s i8, it has a screen that shows the details, which it can trace the lost vehicle via satellite.

July 25, 2014

Aston Martin Lagonda Super Sedan Teased Officially

The world waits when Aston Martin announces, and one more time, the British carmaker happened to have made an important announcement of the year. It was delighted to get to hear from this British automaker to have sealed the conformation of bringing in the historic “Lagonda” nameplate to a new super saloon which will be strictly a limited series. Production will happen by next year (in 2015).

The so called exclusive saloon, which is still not yet revealed, is termed to be only for the oil rich sheikhs of Middle East, due to the specific demand from that market for such a product.

Aston Martin Lagonda will be based on brand’s existing flexible VH architecture, and drawing heavy inspiration from from the highly sought-after William Towns-designed Lagonda of 1976 and to feature many of the same cutting edge engineering techniques seen in modern Aston Martin sports cars such as the use of carbon fibre in the body panels.

Obviously, it will be hand-built by the finest craftsmen and women at Aston Martin’s modern manufacturing facilities in Gaydon, Warwickshire in a dedicated building previously given over to the creation of the One-77 hypercar.

Aston said the Lagoda is going to so exclusive that buyers will be brought into showrooms by invitation only. The pricing, there are no words lent about such, but the official letter commented, “Price will be commensurate with the car’s exclusivity, quality and luxurious nature.”

Expressing some facts about the new car, Aston Martin Design Director Marek Reichman said: “The debut of this luxury super saloon in the Middle East market will be an exciting moment not only for Aston Martin, but for discerning customers who are seeking the ultimate in luxury and personalisation.

“The new model, like its exclusive siblings the One-77 and V12 Zagato, has been created as a piece of exceptional automotive art. It has been designed and developed entirely in keeping with the spirit and ethos of previous Lagonda super saloons – notably the William Towns Lagonda – and as a tribute to this car it proudly bears the Lagonda nameplate.”

The return of Lagonda follows in the wake of other headline-grabbing projects such as the One-77 hypercar, V12 Zagato and last year’s CC100 Speedster Concept – then seen as the ultimate Q by Aston Martin car – which started out simply as a centenary celebration design concept and, as a result of exceptional demand, later turned into two customer commissions.

Those who are squired by the aforesaid definitions of the Lagonda, can have some detailed imaginations in the images posted on this blog.

May 12, 2014

Aston Martin Spotted Testing Striking Lagonda Sedan

Limited run “sports limo” could revive Lagonda moniker!

Every so often, you get a surprise. This is one of those times. Spies in the United Kingdom nabbed this large saloon with a uniquely Lagonda-esque C-pillar running on public roads near the automaker’s UK headquarters in Gaydon. With one of the shooters ran the number plate against the UK’s DVLA registration database, the information returned said that the vehicle did indeed belong to Aston and that it had V12 power. In a brief official statement, a spokesperson for Aston Martin confirmed that yes, the car was indeed theirs:

“I can confirm that this is one of a bespoke series of coach-built cars and as we’ve said before, much is possible through Q by Aston Martin—including bespoke offerings, just like CC100—this is another example. We cannot say any more at this time.”

The angular C-pillar and extra long wheelbase make it look nothing like anything else in the company’s lineup. That’s because this won’t be part of the regular lineup. As you may recall, Q by Aston Martin is the brand’s customization service, which employs the Gaydon-based company’s design team to offer tailor-made cars to customers with deep enough pockets.

According to the sources, the new Aston Martin will likely be dubbed Lagonda, and that it will be a special edition model with production numbers, just like the One-77, and priced little higher unlike the last Zagato. In spite of its massively stretched look, the vehicle is still based on VH platform, and is intended as a last hurrah for that architecture.

The completeness of this test mule hints that the car is pretty close to (limited) production, and sources confirm that, saying a late 2014 or early 2015 launch is the target.

April 1, 2014

David Brown’s Aston-Martin DB5-inspired Speedback Debuts in London

Ahead of the Monaco Motor Show 2014, the latest British sports cars manufacturer David Brown Automotive unveiled its first production car, the hand-made Speedback grand tourer – resembling a modern reinterpretation of the iconic Aston Martin DB4 and DB5. The unveiling happened at a private event in London. And the price is still seems to be under wraps.

However, there are no connections between the David Brown Group and Aston Martin, but yes both of them loves Aston Martin a lot, and wanted to show who is the best in making them.

The platform used for the modern reinterpretation of iconic DB4 and DB5 is of the current generation XKR flurried with the all-new exterior and interior.

Apparently, the whole car will be hand-made.

“The launch of Speedback is the realization of a dream for me, and is the result of skilful and dedicated work by a team of highly talented designers, engineers and craftsmen. I am delighted at the reaction of the media, our suppliers, potential customers and friends, and I look forward to presenting the car to the public in Monaco.

The Speedback name perfectly reflects the classic sports car tradition of the past, whilst also doing justice to the sophisticated silhouette of the car’s hand-built body and unique styling which features amongst much other detail, a fold-down picnic seat.” said David Brown, the new car company’s CEO and founder.

Undergone the development for 18 months, David Brown DB5-inspired Speedback was designed by Alan Mobberley – who had a hands on experience at Land Rover and other brands.

March 25, 2014

Aston Martin One-77 Inspired Limited Edition Bottle Cooler Costs Only £25,200

Aston Martin is British by nature, and has rolled out a bottle cooler in its true British accent replicating the model One-77. The bottle cooler is no ordinary, as the British luxury carmaker has priced it for £25,200 (about 41,500 USD / 30,200 EUR). And the exclusive news here is not the price tag, but the cooler is a limited edition piece, and they had made only “10” examples of it, which means rarest even than the car One-77.

It is designed from the Grant Macdonald’s sterling silver with 24 carat gold-plating on outer. Its inner is fabricated from carbon fiber and well insulated to avoid condensing.

Hence, those who feels money is just an ordinary object, then it is a perfect fit for their bars, and whilst they can show off the affection for British at same time too.

January 20, 2014

Aston Martin and Mercedes Benz tie-up may get extended

Aston Martin is one of the most popular English manufacturers of sports cars. The Company was a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. In the year 2007, ninety percent of Aston Martin was bought by investors led by David Richard.

Mercedes Benz, on the other hand, is a German automobile manufacturer. The brand produces trucks, coaches, buses and luxury cars. It is considered to be one of the best luxury car selling automakers in the world.

Recent reports have revealed that the tie-up between Aston Martin and Mercedes may get extended. This extension could also mean platform sharing. Dieter Zetsche, Daimler chief has said that the company has no objection in extending the tie-up between Aston Martin and Mercedes Benz beyond the deals that are recently made.

As per the deal, it has been decided that Mercedes AMG will be supplying electrical architecture and V8 engine to Aston Martin. In exchange of this, Mercedes would get five percent of the non-voting shares of Aston Martin. Dieter Zetsche has said that he would like to go ahead with the deal and see how it works out for both the companies.

Though the actual deal says nothing about the companies sharing a platform, many of the sources from the respective companies have hinted to the extension of the deal. This extension sure indicated platform sharing which would include the Aston Lagonda SUV being based on the Mercedes Benz GL.

December 21, 2013

Mercedes Benz and Aston Martin are now tech partners

One of the most renowned sports car manufacturers, Aston Martin has decided to take the help of Mercedes Benz AMG resources in order to develop a V8 engine. The two companies were seen to form a partnership in July and are now going to share a common platform on the basis such technical partnership. One of the main reasons why Aston Martin has decided to be a part of this agreement is to avail the features that Mercedes Benz AMG models have. This would help Aston Martin in making its new V8 engine to a great extent.

Both the companies have planned to expand the terms of such partnership to even sharing the electronic operations, as the partnership is an opportunity for both the companies to increase their resources. The head of Aston Martin, Ullrich Benz has talked about both the companies sharing a common vehicular platforms and hopes that the deal can further expand to the other platforms like it has been seen in the case of VW Group and Porsche. It was quite evident that Porsche had used the VW Touareg as a platform at the time it started the production of Cayenne.

Aston Martin is looking forward to the upcoming year, as the company is completing a century and believes that its partnership with Mercedes Benz is a positive sign which would also help in the revival of the companies SUV segment cars. The companies are jointly aiming to manufacture luxurious sports cars with better fuel efficiency and increased performance along with their unique style and characteristics in order to take full advantage of the newly formed partnership.

December 10, 2013

Aston Martin Rapide worth Rs. 4.5 crore crashed during an accident in Mumbai (India)

Aston Martin Rapide worth Rs. 4.5 crore crashed during an accident at Mumbai’s Peddar Road. The incident happened on early Sunday (8th Decembr 2013) morning at 1.30 a.m.

Confirming details, this luxury British supercar rammed into an Audi and a Toyota Corolla from the rear. And that collision affected the passengers so worst that Audi’s divider jumped out of the car onto the road and hit a private bus coming in from the opposite direction. However, loss accumulated by Aston Martin Rapide leads to another scrapped metal worth of Rs. 42 lakh approximately. Audi that was damaged in the mishap was evaluated at Rs. 30 lakh (approx) and Toyota Corolla at Rs. 12 lakh (approx).

“The complainant Foram Ruparel, a resident of Ghatkopar and a student, was on her way towards Ghatkopar along with her friends in her Audi, when a speeding car rammed into their vehicle from behind. The incident took place when they had just crossed Kemps Corner and were headed towards Haji Ali,” said Ravi Pawar, assistant police inspector of Gamdevi police station.

The black colored Aston Martin plated “MH-01-BK 99” is been registered on the name of “Reliance Ports”. Hence, the driver fled from the scene into another car that was tailing the Martin while it was speeding on the roads of South Bombay devilishly. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) spokesman Tushar Pania confirmed to MiD DAY, “Yes, the car is owned by Reliance Ports and was being driven by one of our driver, who was going to park it. We will cooperate with police investigations.”

It was learnt that Corolla which gave its blood in this high-speed nuisance belongs to Vikram Mishra.

Police officials still looks busy in recording the statement of victims, as at the moment of incident all of them were in grief shock. Officials are also learnt to be engaged in collecting footages from CCTV cameras that face the road.

Authorities are said to have seized the sportscar left behind by the driver on the spot. Santosh Mishra, the watchman of Vasundhara building on the same road, and also one of the eye witnesses of this incident, said in his statement, “The person endangered the lives of others. When his tyre came off, he sat in the car that came from behind and was immediately escorted away.”

As the areas falls under jurisdiction of Gamdevi police station, they have registered a case under sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 134A and 134B of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Added as an important note: Aston Martin Rapide plated “MH-01-BK 99” of black paint job, that caused aforementioned nuisance, was earlier spotted outside the Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell party at an Andheri club last month too.

Those petrol-heads wants to know what that car was dwelling underneath its bonnet that has created this much of diktat, can refer to its brief technical specifications mentioned below.

Engine: 5935cc V12 Petrol Engine of 48 Valve and 12 cylinders
Maximum Power: 470bhp@6000rpm
Maximum Torque: 600Nm@5000rpm

Source: MiD DAY

September 30, 2013

Aston Martin Cygnet Axed: Report

Well, the officials at Aston Martin too sometimes get bored of their products, and cut them down from the product list. This time it turned out to be the hatchback Cygnet who now faced the discontinuation from the brand.

Thoughtfully, this piece of news is confirmed by the Supercar Kids report. Hence, they had also claimed the hatchback too is available at some of the dealers who had stocked it in abundance.

Knowing more about it, the Cygnet is based on the platform of Toyota iQ and was introduced as a concept vehicle in 2010. It then entered production in 2011 and finally ended the tenure on the production line in 2013.

Cygnet is powered by a 1.33-liter four-cylinder engine developing 98 HP (72 kW) and 125 Nm (92 lb-ft) of torque. It enables the model to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 11.6 seconds, and average at 5-5.2 L/100km (45.2-47 mpg US / 54.3-56.4 mpg UK).

Cygnet was priced at EUR35,000.

August 31, 2013

Aston Martin launches driver training program for avid racers

Numerous options available for a one to choose between the driving programs, and when one is an Aston Martin buyer then there are various options available in front of him. The clause of ‘why going elsewhere for training when one buys Aston Martin’ seems to have made the Aston Martin to launch a driver training program for its customers.

Aston Martin Racing, the official motorsport arm of the British automaker, has launched this new driver training program which turns complete blank novices into a professional racing driver, that too with the recognized license to compete in championships both in the U.K. and overseas.

The comprehensive course can be completed in a matter of weeks, and at its completion participants receive a National B racing license. It covers everything including track sessions, the supply of a Vantage GT4 race car, racing suits and helmets, and the all-important insurance coverage.

Very disappointingly, this program is currently being offered in U.K. itself. None other countries can avail this.

But the UK Citizens, who look interested in such sort of arena, must contact the Aston Martin Racing today. It’s because no one knows someday it may happen that you’ll be strapped into a Vantage GTE and competing as an Aston Martin works driver at Le Mans next year.