The 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish Will Become A V12 Ferrari Fighter

Time to move on from being a grand tourer.

With the highly successful launch of both the V8- and V12-powered DB11 behind it, Aston Martin is moving on to bigger and more powerful things. Autocar reports that next year, following the launch of the redesigned Vantage, a new Vanquish will debut. Unlike the current Vanquish, however, its replacement will forgo its grand touring persona in favor of being a hardcore supercar. Think of it as a Ferrari 812 Superfast competitor. This is all part of Aston Martin’s big plans to take literally everything up a notch. Or several.

The 2018 Vanquish will be powered by the DB11’s twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12, but output will be increased from the current 600 hp. How powerful, exactly? The 812 Superfast has 789 hp thanks to its naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12, so Aston Martin is very likely aiming to match that output. A personality change is important for the Vanquish’s long-term survival, mainly because the new DB11 infringes heavily on its segment territory; going upmarket is the natural and most logical answer. However, the new Vanquish will still utilize much of the DB11’s architecture, although there’ll be heavy modifications.

A recent spy video taken at the Nurburgring was originally thought to be a DB11 S prototype, but further examination reveals it is, in fact, the new Vanquish wearing a DB11 production body. You can tell it’s different from the DB11 based on its improved cornering ability and less body roll. In many ways, Aston Martin is echoing Ferrari’s lineup strategy.

It’s also planning a mid-engined rival to the 488 GTB and the upcoming redesigned Vantage will battle the just revealed Ferrari Portofino. The DB11 will be the grand tourer of the bunch while the new Vanquish will handle the 812 Superfast. Come 2020, the DBX SUV should be good to go, and it’ll take on Ferrari’s own upcoming SUV. Only good things happening here.

Audi R8 Set To Become EV Hypercar Fighter By 2022

An all-electric powertrain is perhaps the only way to save the R8.

As the transition from internal combustion to electrification in various forms continues, the ultra-exclusive hypercar segment is also undergoing similar changes, perhaps at an event faster pace. After all, it’s halo cars whose technologies typically trickle down to an automaker’s more mainstream lineup. Audi is certainly no exception.

According to Autocar, the next-generation Audi R8, due in 2022, will become an electric supercar aimed directly at dethroning the performance capabilities of some of today’s hypercars. While the V10 engine has long been the R8’s gold standard, Audi sees the reality of the segment and market and will thus develop an electric drivetrain for the third-generation R8.

Later this month, the e-tron SUV, Audi’s first all-electric model, will debut and the electric drivetrain technologies developed for it will continue to evolve. This also isn’t the first time Audi considered fully electrifying the R8. Back in 2015, the limited edition R8 e-Tron debuted, but it was not a replacement for the V8 and V10-powered R8s. Instead, it was simply a showcase of what was technically possible at the time. But times change.

The 2022 R8 will only be available as an EV. In fact, Audi just offered the world a pretty good glimpse of what it has in mind for the third-gen R8 last month at Pebble Beach with the debut of the PB10 e-tron electric supercar concept.

To prove its EV tech will still fully enable a thrilling driving experience, that concept did not feature any self-driving technologies. Whether the next R8 will be devoid of that tech is still unknown, but the message was clear: Audi has no intention of letting driving enthusiasts down. The PB10 e-tron is powered by three electric motors, a 201-hp unit up front and two more at the rear wheels offering another 604 hp. Combined output comes to 671 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque, however peak power of 764 hp is totally doable albeit in short bursts (for now). Zero to 62 mph takes just over two seconds.

Not long ago, there was a rumor claiming the current R8 would be the last R8 due to a drop in sales. As of now, that discontinuation won’t be happening; the R8 simply needs to be rethought. Electrifying the entire powertrain is the solution to keeping the R8 alive.

The Radical Aston Martin Valkyrie Could Become A Le Mans Racer

Just imagine the Aston Martin Valkyrie competing against racing versions of the McLaren P1 and LaFerrari.

Le Man’s top-tier endurance racing class is going through a significant shake-up right now, since Porsche has retired its highly successful 919 Hybrid race car. Audi and Nissan also pulled out in recent years, leaving Toyota as the only manufacturer left to compete in the LMP1 class so the pressure is on for the FIA and ACO to change the rules of entry. Should the regulations change, Aston Martin has said that this could mean we’ll see the extraordinary Valkyrie hypercar get put through its paces out on the race track. We would tune into Le Mans to see that.

Speaking to Autocar, CEO Andy Palmer confirmed that the FIA has been discussing future regulations for endurance racing with him: "They were debating the future of LMP1 and asked me for my view,” he said. “My personal perspective is very clear: Aston Martin will never compete in a prototype category because it has no relevance to us. But if they allowed racing derivatives of road cars, that would be very interesting to us and, I suspect, the fans. Road-derived race cars fighting for the win is in keeping with the history of sports car and Le Mans racing, and the prospect of the likes of Valkyrie fighting against McLaren P1, LaFerrari and more would be interesting to more than just me, I suspect.”

That statement sounds like our dream motorsport. When asked if Aston Martin would consider competing in Le Mans with the Valkyrie if the regulations were changed, Palmer simply replied “watch this space.” There has already been talk of bringing back GT specifications to Le Mans, which would see the return of Le Mans racers based on road-legal supercars like the Porsche 911 GT1, Mercedes CLK LM and Nissan R390 GT1 that used to compete in the endurance racing series. Currently in development in collaboration with Red Bull Racing, Aston Martin recently confirmed that a track-only version of the Valkyrie, known as the Valkyrie AMR track car, is in development and will launch in 2020.

As if it wasn’t already extreme enough with less weight than the standard car and levels of power that can allegedly rival Formula One cars, a thoroughbred sports car racing version would have to take it to the next level. Only 25 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMRs are being made which have all sold out, each costing over $4 million.

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7 New Cars That Will Become Future Collectibles

We think these cars will only go up in value.

Some people think that the whole "collector car" market is a bubble waiting to burst. We don't necessarily love the idea of buying a car just to flip it and make a profit, but as long as it's happening we'll keep analyzing the situation. Everyone wants to know what the next car that will appreciate is going to be. We don't have a crystal ball, but we've been right in the past with cars like the 996 Turbo and F430 manual. Here are seven brand-new cars that we think could be nice collectible assets in the future.

The new 991.2 GT2 RS is the most powerful 911 ever and will be limited to just 1,000 units. This car will be an instant collectible and will probably trade at double or triple its initial price of $289,000. The previous 997 GT2 RS is currently trading at well above its original price, so we have no doubt that this 700-hp beast will be extremely collectible.

The AMG GT-R is the most hardcore version of the AMG GT sports car. The last track-focused model from Mercedes was the SLS Black Series, which is now worth more than its original asking price. Mercedes says that it will build 2,000 examples of the GT-R for $157,995 each. This is far less than a similarly quick Porsche 911 GT3 RS. We think that Mercedes has priced this car too low, and the market will certainly inflate the price of this rare model with markups.

The initial hype and dealer markup that surrounded the Dodge Challenger Hellcat has finally died down. This hype has now shifted to the long-awaited Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and the more powerful Demon. However, we think that the Hellcat hype will be ramped up as soon as the Widebody models reach showrooms. We have no doubt that the Demon will appreciate like crazy, but it will also be extremely difficult to obtain. Those that can't get their hands on a Demon allocation will have to settle for the recently revealed Hellcat Widebody, which has added grip from the Demon's fender flares.

We love the new Audi RS3 and TT RS and think that both cars are relative performance bargains. Both cars are powered by a wonderful 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine with 400 hp. Unfortunately, both cars have been predicatbly hyped up. This means that Audi dealerships have begun to charge a dealer markup on both models. If you want one of these cars, you'll probably have to pony up an extra $10,000. The hype for these cars should eventually die down, but the original TT RS has actually done a good job of holding value and not depreciating as much as we'd expect of a German luxury car.

Porsche finally listened to its fans and decided to offer the 991.2 GT3 with a manual transmission option. This is great news, but there's a catch. The manual transmission models won't be built until later in the production run. Manual GT3 owners will have to wait a while to take delivery of their car, but their patience will be rewarded. These cars will likely be collectible in the future and should command a hefty premium over PDK models.

If the BMW 1 Series M is any indication, the new M2 should hold its value quite well. We think that the manual models will be more desirable than their DCT counterparts, and the most desirable color will be the rare Austin Yellow. BMW don't offer individual paint on the M2, with Blue, Black, Grey and White the only official colors. BMW did, however, make a few examples of the M2 in the M4's Austin Yellow . The photo of this M2 comes from @todorov5 on Instagram.

The Ford Fiesta ST is the cheapest car on our list, but it also one of the most fun to drive. The Fiesta ST has been the opposite of a good investment so far, and prices have sank down to less than $12,000 in some cases. However, there is a very real chance that Ford will discontinue the Fiesta in the US and leave us without the wonderful ST, at which point prices will begin to surge. We urge anyone that wants one of these amazing hot hatchbacks to go out and buy one now before they may be gone forever.