Tag Archives: Aston Martin

Car Spots, Fun Stuff

Car Spot: Aston Martin V12 Vanquish

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A James Bond car

I’m always on the lookout for my next good spot but the other day, out for a ride on my bike, I spot “The Spot” this Aston Martin Vanquish

Boy did I make a quick U-turn after seeing it drive by. I was lucky that traffic was light on Easter Sunday, and just by chance, the owner had to grab some paperwork at a local title loan place.

Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
Out for a drive on a nice day. The weather is warming up here in Wisconsin so I’ll see a lot more cars like this out now.

Pretty sure this is a V12 Vanquish and not an S version because it would have had the badging on the trunk just to the right of the license plate holder, or boots as they call it in England. This, I’m going to call it an icon car, was introduced in 2001 as the successor to the Aston Martin Vantage at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show and was produced from 2001 to 2007 as the flagship of the marque and was built to display the company’s vision for a future sports car.

RELATED Spot: See its cousin the Bentley S1

Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
Vanquish S logo would have appeared right by the Wisconsin license plate.

The naturally aspirated V12 engine produced 460 hp at 6,500 rpm. controlled by a drive-by-wire throttle and driven by a 6-speed automated manual transmission. With all that power, extra attention was taken to stopping it. The Vanquish featured 14.0-inch drilled and ventilated disc brakes with four-piston calipers, and ABS, with electronic brake distribution. Inside was full instrumentation, advanced electronics, and a choice of leather upholstery with metallic details.

Aston Martin V12 Vanquish brakes
4-piston calipers front and rear help stop the Vanquish.

The automotive media loved this car that was driven by James Bond in the 2002 film Die Another Day. In addition to delivering impressive figures including an acceleration of 0–60 mph in under 5 seconds and a top speed exceeding 190 mph. Road tests they loved its powertrain, chassis, advanced engineering, and design. The V12 Vanquish was described without caveat as “The ultimate Grand Tourer” by Road & Track magazine. Car and Driver described the V12 Vanquish as “worthy of the marque’s heritage and a serious alternative to the top Ferrari.” Wow, big, big words.

RELATED Spot: Not even close to being as cool, the Rolls Royce Cullinan

Aston Martin V12 Vanquish logo
I made sure that I didn’t leave any drool after taking this picture.

Of course with all this fun comes a price tag. A 2023 will set you back $173,086. And unlike cars like the Bentley Continental, which values drop like a rock later on, this car doesn’t. The lowest price one for sale I could find was a 2019 at just under 94 grand.

Thanks for stopping by and reading about this spot. Be sure to check out my others along with new car reviews Mark does. Check back next Friday for another spot and have a great weekend.

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Diecast cars

Die-cast: Ixo’s 1958, 1960 Ferrari 250, Le Mans winners

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Racy Ferrari 250s, when Ferrari was dominant … Ferrari 250 Le Mans winners

Part of the fun of any die-cast or model car collection is in comparing the differences of similar cars made a couple years apart.

Continue reading Die-cast: Ixo’s 1958, 1960 Ferrari 250, Le Mans winners →

Diecast cars

Die-cast: Autoart’s Lotus Exige S

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Lotus Exige S exudes sportiness even in 1/18 scaleAutoart Lotus Exige S

British sports cars used to rule the world’s road courses with the likes of Jaguar, Aston Martin, Austin Healey, Triumph, and Lotus slicing through corners to give their drivers a thrill. Speed wasn’t always so essential, but handling was key.

Lotus always has prided itself in creating lightweight, crisp handling cars. But today speed and power are more important than in the formative 1950s and ‘60s, and that’s what makes the Lotus Exige S a highly sought after sports car.

Now Autoart creates a beautiful one in 1/18 scale, the sample car being a bright yellow with black interior. However, the Exige S also is available in red or white; all retail for $130.Autoart Lotus Exige S

The History

               The mid-engine Exige, built in Hethel, England, has been around since 2000, with the first S model appearing in 2006. Exige is now in its third iteration, or Series 3, which is what Autoart’s model portrays. A Series 2 version also is available from Autoart. Continue reading Die-cast: Autoart’s Lotus Exige S →

When they were new

Chasing Classic Cars: Two of a kind

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Double Barn Find

Barn_finds_barn find_aston_martin_silverstone_auctions_classic carsIt’s fine admit it! Every time you go for a ride or a drive in rural areas, you pay special attention to barns or other buildings out in the middle of no where looking for that rare car you’ve always been wanting. So what if you opened the door and found not one but two identical cars? I’d be doing the happy dance! Add to that they are affordable and Aston Martins. That’s exactly what happened recently. If you want them, pack your bags because they are going to action. Here’s the rest of the story.

When they were new

Chasing Classic Bond Cars

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How can a car guy not like James Bond movies?

James bond cars, famous bond cars, bond car collector pricesThe cars in the movies could almost be listed as co-stars with all the gadgets and those chase scenes. But it didn’t start that way. James Bond’s first car was the modest ’62 Sunbeam Alpine Series II, in lake blue appearing in Dr. No (1962). Still it’s one of my favorites along with the following.

James bond cars, famous bond cars, bond car collector pricesThe Bond franchise began it’s long relationship with Aston Martin with a ’63 Aston Martin DB5 appearing in the movies Goldfinger (1964), and Thunderball (1965).

James bond cars, famous bond cars, bond car collector pricesAfter a couple of years off Aston Martin makes a return starring role with a ’68 DBS introduced a new James Bond, George Lazenby, in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1968).

James bond cars, famous bond cars, bond car collector prices

Continue reading Chasing Classic Bond Cars →

Car Reviews, hybrid

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE

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Hybrid is good on gas mileage and easy on the eyes

Ford’s new Fusion might do well to co-opt the old Miller Lite motto and tweak it a bit – Looks Great, Less Filling!2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE

That seems apt for Fusion’s hybrid model, which was my first full drive of the swoopy new Fusion with its fastback looks and Aston Martin-like grille. This is a looker to be sure. As one might expect with a hybrid gas/electric system under the hood, this runs quiet and delays your gas station visits a bit. Fusion’s new system combines a highly fuel efficient. Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter I4 with lithium ion battery powered electric motor and earns an EPA rating of 47 mpg city and highway. It’s rare that city and highway numbers are equal in a hybrid.

Ford cuts the overall power from 191 horses in its former Fusion hybrid to 188 hp on this model, but also trims more than 100 lbs. from the car, 15 just from the gas motor. Yet while the car earns good EPA numbers, it has been criticized for not living up to those claims.

My mileage fell short, but at 36.7 mpg in a week’s drive, it was still head and shoulders above other family sedans I’ve driven. Compare that to 27.4 mpg I got in a recent Honda Accord test, and 28.7 mpg in my recent Mazda6 test drive. Continue reading 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE →

Slot Car Reviews

Slot cars: Scalextric Aston DBR9

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Aston DBR9 packs power, nice detail

English: Aston Martin DBR9 front
English: Aston Martin DBR9 front (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Long-time exotic sports car maker Aston Martin returned to racing in 2005 with its sleek DBR9 racer modeled after its DB9 street car. The intent was to challenge the likes of Audi and Porsche on the road courses of Europe and the United States.

The car, racing in the GT1 class, used a lot of carbon fiber and aluminum to meet weight requirements and its 6.0-liter V12 created a massive 600 horsepower. First race out was the 12-hours of Sebring in the U.S. and then the 24-hours of LeMans in France. Aston Martin finished fourth at Sebring, but first in class, edging Team Corvette. In LeMans the DBR9 finished 9th, third in class.

The Scalextric slot car version is the No. 57 with full team markings for Aston Martin Racing, complete with yellow nose trim, a Union Jack on the hood and side doors and decked out in a modified metallic British Racing Green that the team chose as its new color. This is the car as it appeared in the 2005 Sebring race, driven by David Brabham, Darren Turner and Stephane Ortelli. Their names appear on the car’s roof. Continue reading Slot cars: Scalextric Aston DBR9 →