Someone Started An Online Petition For An Aston Martin DB11 With A Manual

Now this is how to take the initiative.

Sometimes an automaker doesn’t get everything quite right on what appears to be the perfect car. Perfection is hard – if not impossible – to achieve, but Aston Martin has been on a roll lately with new offerings like the Vantage, DBS Superleggera, and DB11. But there’s one thing the new DBS Superleggera and DB11 don’t have the Vantage soon will: a manual transmission option. While the new Vantage will have a seven-speed manual (said to arrive sometime next year) or the current eight-speed automatic, the DB11 and DBS Superleggera come with the latter only.

From what we’ve been told, Aston Martin does not have plans to offer the either of those two wonderful cars with a manual, but one person has started a petition on Change.org to, uh… change that.

Greg Kelleher writes in his petition that “Aston Martin has a definitive brand, especially through the iconic DB line, of British Engineering and Design, sophistication, power, comfort, and performance. Part of the driving experience, that is present in all truly classic cars is, of course, the manual transmission.” Kelleher acknowledges to the British automaker that automatics and double-clutch transmissions do provide for a smoother ride and faster and more reliable shifting, but they do lack that purist driver control.

Hopefully, the automaker will remain true to its word to offer at least one manual in its lineup (the Vantage), but again, why just one? The DB11’s predecessor, the DB9, had a six-speed manual option with its 5.9-liter V12, so wouldn’t it be nice to see a similar combo once again?

Remember, the DB11 is powered by a choice of twin-turbo engines, the in-house developed 5.2-liter V12 and the AMG-sourced 4.0-liter V8. The Vantage is available solely with the latter engine, and if Aston Martin is already prepping to equip it with a manual, why not do the same for the V8 DB11?

However, just because something is technically possible does not mean there’s a business case for it, and that’s what we fear most. There may not be a big enough market for a manual DB11. In any case, you can read the petition in full by clicking the link above and please sign it if you feel the same. A manual-equipped Aston Martin DB11 AMR V12 sounds mighty fine to us.

View the original article here

Someone Started An Online Petition For An Aston Martin DB11 With A Manual

Now this is how to take the initiative.

Sometimes an automaker doesn’t get everything quite right on what appears to be the perfect car. Perfection is hard – if not impossible – to achieve, but Aston Martin has been on a roll lately with new offerings like the Vantage, DBS Superleggera, and DB11. But there’s one thing the new DBS Superleggera and DB11 don’t have the Vantage soon will: a manual transmission option. While the new Vantage will have a seven-speed manual (said to arrive sometime next year) or the current eight-speed automatic, the DB11 and DBS Superleggera come with the latter only.

From what we’ve been told, Aston Martin does not have plans to offer the either of those two wonderful cars with a manual, but one person has started a petition on Change.org to, uh… change that.

Greg Kelleher writes in his petition that “Aston Martin has a definitive brand, especially through the iconic DB line, of British Engineering and Design, sophistication, power, comfort, and performance. Part of the driving experience, that is present in all truly classic cars is, of course, the manual transmission.” Kelleher acknowledges to the British automaker that automatics and double-clutch transmissions do provide for a smoother ride and faster and more reliable shifting, but they do lack that purist driver control.

Hopefully, the automaker will remain true to its word to offer at least one manual in its lineup (the Vantage), but again, why just one? The DB11’s predecessor, the DB9, had a six-speed manual option with its 5.9-liter V12, so wouldn’t it be nice to see a similar combo once again?

Remember, the DB11 is powered by a choice of twin-turbo engines, the in-house developed 5.2-liter V12 and the AMG-sourced 4.0-liter V8. The Vantage is available solely with the latter engine, and if Aston Martin is already prepping to equip it with a manual, why not do the same for the V8 DB11?

However, just because something is technically possible does not mean there’s a business case for it, and that’s what we fear most. There may not be a big enough market for a manual DB11. In any case, you can read the petition in full by clicking the link above and please sign it if you feel the same. A manual-equipped Aston Martin DB11 AMR V12 sounds mighty fine to us.

View the original article here

Someone Started An Online Petition For An Aston Martin DB11 With A Manual

Now this is how to take the initiative.

Sometimes an automaker doesn’t get everything quite right on what appears to be the perfect car. Perfection is hard – if not impossible – to achieve, but Aston Martin has been on a roll lately with new offerings like the Vantage, DBS Superleggera, and DB11. But there’s one thing the new DBS Superleggera and DB11 don’t have the Vantage soon will: a manual transmission option. While the new Vantage will have a seven-speed manual (said to arrive sometime next year) or the current eight-speed automatic, the DB11 and DBS Superleggera come with the latter only.

From what we’ve been told, Aston Martin does not have plans to offer the either of those two wonderful cars with a manual, but one person has started a petition on Change.org to, uh… change that.

Greg Kelleher writes in his petition that “Aston Martin has a definitive brand, especially through the iconic DB line, of British Engineering and Design, sophistication, power, comfort, and performance. Part of the driving experience, that is present in all truly classic cars is, of course, the manual transmission.” Kelleher acknowledges to the British automaker that automatics and double-clutch transmissions do provide for a smoother ride and faster and more reliable shifting, but they do lack that purist driver control.

Hopefully, the automaker will remain true to its word to offer at least one manual in its lineup (the Vantage), but again, why just one? The DB11’s predecessor, the DB9, had a six-speed manual option with its 5.9-liter V12, so wouldn’t it be nice to see a similar combo once again?

Remember, the DB11 is powered by a choice of twin-turbo engines, the in-house developed 5.2-liter V12 and the AMG-sourced 4.0-liter V8. The Vantage is available solely with the latter engine, and if Aston Martin is already prepping to equip it with a manual, why not do the same for the V8 DB11?

However, just because something is technically possible does not mean there’s a business case for it, and that’s what we fear most. There may not be a big enough market for a manual DB11. In any case, you can read the petition in full by clicking the link above and please sign it if you feel the same. A manual-equipped Aston Martin DB11 AMR V12 sounds mighty fine to us.

Aston Martin Can't Be Happy Someone Is Selling Their Valkyrie Build Slot

Welcome to the world of ultra-exclusive hypercar sales.

Selling build slots for ultra-rare hypercars is not uncommon these days, but what all automakers, from Porsche to Ferrari to Aston Martin, will agree on is that they hate it when it happens. You see, these exclusive brands offer only their very best customers build slots for cars like the LaFerrari, 911 R and the upcoming 1,000-hp Aston Martin Valkyrie. Build slots are a reward for loyalty, plain and simple. But loyalty sometimes only goes so far when there’s potential profit.

As such, an ad has now appeared on the German language website Mobile.de, via Knight International, for an Aston Martin Valkyrie build slot. The price: 3 million Euros, or $3,553,830. Clearly this sale has not been sanctioned by Aston Martin, so anyone who’s interested is advised to proceed carefully. They need to somehow confirm the build slot is for real. Interestingly, the ad mentions that Aston Martin originally required Valkyrie buyers to also purchase a Lagonda sedan. This is not an uncommon practice, being required to purchase one expensive car in order to buy an even pricier one. In this case, however, the ad claims whoever buys this particular build slot will not have to also buy the Lagonda.

As for the Valkyrie in question, its body color and specs have yet to be announced, meaning the slot buyer may or may not be able to make personal preferences. The seller of this build slot remains a mystery, no doubt in order to avoid Aston Martin’s ire. Then again, this anonymity makes us wonder whether the whole thing could be a scam. Welcome to the world of buying and selling ultra-exclusive hypercars.

View the original article here

Someone Started An Online Petition For An Aston Martin DB11 With A Manual

Now this is how to take the initiative.

Sometimes an automaker doesn’t get everything quite right on what appears to be the perfect car. Perfection is hard – if not impossible – to achieve, but Aston Martin has been on a roll lately with new offerings like the Vantage, DBS Superleggera, and DB11. But there’s one thing the new DBS Superleggera and DB11 don’t have the Vantage soon will: a manual transmission option. While the new Vantage will have a seven-speed manual (said to arrive sometime next year) or the current eight-speed automatic, the DB11 and DBS Superleggera come with the latter only.

From what we’ve been told, Aston Martin does not have plans to offer the either of those two wonderful cars with a manual, but one person has started a petition on Change.org to, uh… change that.

Greg Kelleher writes in his petition that “Aston Martin has a definitive brand, especially through the iconic DB line, of British Engineering and Design, sophistication, power, comfort, and performance. Part of the driving experience, that is present in all truly classic cars is, of course, the manual transmission.” Kelleher acknowledges to the British automaker that automatics and double-clutch transmissions do provide for a smoother ride and faster and more reliable shifting, but they do lack that purist driver control.

Hopefully, the automaker will remain true to its word to offer at least one manual in its lineup (the Vantage), but again, why just one? The DB11’s predecessor, the DB9, had a six-speed manual option with its 5.9-liter V12, so wouldn’t it be nice to see a similar combo once again?

Remember, the DB11 is powered by a choice of twin-turbo engines, the in-house developed 5.2-liter V12 and the AMG-sourced 4.0-liter V8. The Vantage is available solely with the latter engine, and if Aston Martin is already prepping to equip it with a manual, why not do the same for the V8 DB11?

However, just because something is technically possible does not mean there’s a business case for it, and that’s what we fear most. There may not be a big enough market for a manual DB11. In any case, you can read the petition in full by clicking the link above and please sign it if you feel the same. A manual-equipped Aston Martin DB11 AMR V12 sounds mighty fine to us.

Someone Paid $26 Million To Build The Old Aston Martin Vanquish

Could we be seeing a bespoke Vanquish from a boutique automaker?

Despite being big fans of the latest Aston Martin models like the DB11 and Vantage, we still have a soft spot for previous generation models such as the Vanquish. The second generation Vanquish was released in 2012 as a replacement for the DBS, acting as the sportier version of the DB9. Aston eventually killed off the Vanquish in 2018 after releasing the DB11 and gave the 6.0-liter V12 a final sendoff with a whopping 580 horsepower.

While the Vanquish was starting to feel old, it was still a beautiful car. Now, as Aston Martin plans for its initial public offering, it has reportedly found a buyer for the old Vanquish tooling and designs.

According to Automotive News, page 168 of Aston Martin's 321-page IPO filing on the London Stock Exchange mentions a ￡20 million (around $26 million) sale of the tooling and design drawings for the Vanquish. The deal took place in June and also includes 18 months of assistance to build it from Aston Martin Consulting (AMC).

The documents don't specify who has purchased the tooling for the Vanquish, though it seems pretty clear that someone is looking to build cars using the Aston Martin platform.

Lotus may be a potential candidate, though a front-engined V12 grand tourer doesn't really fit the company's brand portfolio. The most likely buyer is a European tuning company like Mansory or Ares, who could design a new body using carbon fiber. No matter who purchased the rights to the Vanquish, we have to be excited because it means someone out there is currently developing a new GT car with a naturally aspirated V12 and we can't wait to see it.