JustBritish

A tie up between British car maker Aston Martin and Italian design house Zagato sounds pretty tasty, doesn’t it? Having said that, it isn’t the first time that these two work together. If you have a long memory you might recall they first worked together with the DB4GT Zagato. 19 of these supercars were built, and Stirling Moss rode one to third place at Goodwood in 1961.

But this is 2011 and the new model is a complete stunner which would have even Sir Stirling purring in admiration 50 years on from the first car produced by the two companies. It is called the Aston Martin V12 Zagato and is based on the V12 Vantage car. The CEO of Aston Martin is called Dr Ulrich Bez and he said that the Zagato design is a “perfect complement” to the Aston Martin expertise.

There is going to be a “strictly limited run” of road going versions of this little beauty. There will also be a racing model competing in the Nurburgring 24 hour event.

The cool looks hide a 6 litre V12 engine with a performance of 510 bhp. It isn’t clear how many of these cars are going to be made but we won’t be holding our breath for more than 100 of them. How much will one cost you? Expect it to be not far from a hefty £200,000. Not one for taking the kids to school in then?

Would you spend so much money on a supercar like this if you could? If so, why?

Aston Martin has unveiled its new Virage coupé set to be launched at the Geneva Motor Show.

The British luxury sports car manufacturer said that the new car, which combines performance with luxury, comfort and refinement, sits between the more basic DB9 and the sporty DBS in the line-up.

The model, powered by a 6.0 litre V12 engine in 490bhp trim, features rear-wheel drive through a carbon fibre prop shaft and a six-speed Touchtronic II automatic gearbox.

It offers Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes as standard, and comes equipped with features including an improved Adaptive Damping System (ADS) to provide efficient road holding in different conditions.

The ADS system chooses from five different stiffness settings within normal mode, and from a further five stiffer settings within sport mode.

The sport mode allows drivers to select a sharper throttle response and faster gear changes.

Pricing for the sports will be confirmed at the Geneva Motor Show, where the brand will introduce two other cars – the V8 Vantage S and the new Tailor-Fit Cygnet city car.

The new Aston Martin Rapide is a lovely car, to be sure, and driving one around town creates precisely the same effect on the populace as would a young Paul McCartney striding through Waterloo Station in 1964. Never mind the panties. Investment bankers throw their tighty-whiteys at this car.

But what does it prove? It proves that if you care absolutely nothing about outward visibility—the Rapide has the sightlines of a Normandy pillbox—and that you don’t care that the front roof pillars (the A pillars) are thicker than a Clydesdale’s fetlock; and that in order to get in the car rear passengers will be obliged to remove their heads and feet; and that once there they will have their noses grinding against the entertainment system’s headrest-mounted screens; and that the car’s sun visors are three fingers wide and virtually useless; and that the rear quarters have blind spots the size of libertarianism; and that the “trunk” offers the capacity of a refrigerator’s vegetable crisper…if you don’t care about any of that, then you too can design a beautiful four-door super sports car. It’s easy.

Read the rest of the review at the Wall Street Journal.

Over thirty rare, unusual and beautiful sports and racing cars manufactured in England will be on display at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Pennsylvania from February 20th through March 14th, 2010. Titled the “Best of Britain,” the show is comprised of cars from individual collectors in the mid-Atlantic states and is intended to illustrate why the adjective “British” is inseparable from the term “sports car.”

Cars in the show include a 1935 Triumph Gloria Southern Cross that was once part of the Henry Ford Museum, a 1960 MGA Twin Cam Coupe that raced at Sebring, and a 1966 Aston Martin DB6, one of the most potent sports cars of its era. The poster car, a 1933 Squire is the first of only seven ever built, and is considered by many to be among the most beautiful British sports cars ever made.

The “Best of Britain” show is included with regular museum admission, $12 adults, $10 seniors, $8 for students. Children under 8 are admitted free. The Museum is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Museum is located at 6825 Norwitch Drive, Philadelphia, Pa., 19153, directly in back of the Airport Automall and five minutes off Interstate 95.

For more information, visit www.simeonemuseum.org or call 215-365-7233.

Source Simeone Museum

Aston Martin will enter its factory LMP1 team in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours and next month’s Sebring 12 Hours.

The British manufacturer had been expected to sit out the 2010 season while developing a new car for 2011, but will now take two LMP1 cars to Le Mans and one car to the American Le Mans Series opener at Sebring, the next round at Long Beach and the LMS season opener at Paul Ricard in April.

Autosport Magazine revealed last week that Mexican driver Adrian Fernandez was working on a deal to race an Aston in the ALMS, and the former Champ Car racer and reigning ALMS LMP2 champion will join the team’s line-up for the program.

Stefan Mucke, Darren Turner, Harold Primat and Chris Buncombe have all been retained, with Aston Martin Racing due to announce a sixth driver in the coming weeks. The team is also set to enter selected races this season after Le Mans, but the details are still to be confirmed.

“We are looking forward to a great season of racing and we hope to have another strong showing at Le Mans,” said team boss George Howard-Chappell. “I’d like to welcome Adrian to the team, I’m sure with his experience he will be a great addition to our driver line-up.”

Aston Martin will also have an increased GT program in 2010, supporting two teams in the GT1 World Championship and one in the FIA GT2 series. Works drivers Mucke, Turner and Tomas Enge racing in the new GT1 series.

Aston Martin stunned the world last June by revealing the Cygnet super-mini concept that is based on the Toyota iQ. Then the British sports car maker that is fondly associated with mouth watering sports cars announced that the Cygnet will go into production and that the development of the super-mini will continue into 2010. Slated for a market launch late this year or by early 2011, the Cygnet is expected to be sold to owners of Aston Martin’s full-sized sports cars and only 2,000 units are planned.