il3ana: Aston Martin Concepts

Showing posts with label Aston Martin Concepts. Show all posts

AMV12: Sabino Leerentveld’s V12-Engined Aston Martin Hypercar Concept

Take these three cars: the Jaguar XJ220, the Aston Martin DBR9 and ItalDesign’s BMW Nazca M12 Concept and amalgamate them into an Aston Martin Bulldog for the 21st century and there’s a good chance you’ll have Dutch designer Sabino Leerentveld’s AMV12 design study.

Taut, masculine lines blend seamlessly with Aston Martin’s signature styling to create something truly unique. Presumably fitted with a V12 engine, this front / mid-engined (I honestly can’t tell) design study proposes a model that would theoretically sit above the limited edition Aston Martin One-77.

The world’s toughest 24-hour race at the Nurburgring circuit this weekend will see Aston Martin entering a bevy of sports cars led by not one but two specially prepared racing examples of the freshly revealed V12 Zagato Concept.

Based on the existing V12 Vantage chassis, the concept model was designed by Italian coachbuilder Zagato to celebrate its partnership with Aston Martin in the 50th anniversary year of the DB4GT Zagato. The prototype received its public debut at the Concorso D’Eleganza at Villa D’Este in May this year, winning the Design award for Concepts and Prototypes.

Having brought you a first look at the winner of the design award for Concept Cars and Prototypes at this year’s edition of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy, it is now time to show you the Aston Martin V12 Zagato in the flesh and on film. The concept study is a V12 Vantage draped in an aluminum Italian suite, and it will spawn a racing model that will compete in the 24-hour Nurburgring endurance race in late June as well as a limited run production version, scheduled for launch within the next year.

Follow the jump to get a look of the supercar’s lines and a taste of the brutal sounds produced by Aston Martin’s 517-horsepower 6.0-liter V12 engine in our collection of videos.

The world premiere of the new Aston Martin V12 Zagato, which took place at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2011 this past weekend on the shores of Lake Como in Italy, was marked by the design award for Concept Cars and Prototypes. The conceptual model, which was created to celebrate the Aston Martin and Zagato partnership in the 50th anniversary year of the famous DB4GT Zagato, won the approval of the visitors to the Concorso D’Eleganza event.

The competition in the Concept Cars and Prototypes category included BMW’s new 328 Homage Roadster, the Ferrari Superamerica 45, Audi Quattro, Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake, Infiniti Etherea, Italdesign VW GO!, Rinspeed Bamboo, Renault DeZir and the Scuderia P4/5.

Some companies really know how to celebrate. Take AstonMartin and Zagato, for example. The iconic British sports car maker and the legendary Italian coachbuilder will mark the 50th anniversary of their first collaboration with a brand new study.

To honor their first joint project, the 1961 DB4GT Zagato, the two companies developed the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, a race car study that will be unveiled on May 21 at the Villa D'Este Concorsod'Eleganza in Italy, where it will compete against the Ferrari Superamerica 45. But this elegant and dramatic coupe was not built for classy Concours d'Elegance events alone, as it will actually race at the Nurburgring 24 Hour event on June 25-26.

This year, the iconic Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato celebrates its 50th anniversary, and to mark the event, the British automaker and the famous Italian design house have joined forces once again to create a new project that could very well head to production. The new collaboration between Aston Martin and Zagato will be revealed in concept form at the forthcoming Villa D’Este Concours on May 21 to gauge initial customer reaction with a view to a production model following as early as 2012.

For the time being, and aside from the teaser rendering, we don’t get any additional information on the new Aston Martin Zagato but word has it that it could be based on the mechanical hardware and platform of the current V8 Vantage.

Aston Martin is calling its Cygnet a "tailor-made solution" to the city transportation equation, a personal luxury commuter "designed for the heart of the city", the result of a collaboration between "two companies that are leaders in their respective fields".

Really, it's an Aston-skinned Toyota (a name they mention ONCE in the entire 1600+ word press release ... DENIAL AIN'T JUST A RIVER IN AFRICA, PEOPLE!).

That means this AMiQ retains the same basic layout of Toyota's version, allowing for a few different seating arrangements: 2+2, 2+1, or just plain 2. It also has the same 98bhp 4-cylinder engine with either a 6-speed stick or optional CVT.

But enough already. For any major facts such as dimensions, feel free to check out our posts on the Toyota iQ, because we're here to discuss how this Cygnetic parasite differs from its Japanese host.

Other than the uniquely Aston face, where the Cygnet shines (Aston is quick to point this out) is its personalization and interior. The firm claims everything and anything can be hand-picked by its owner via the their personalization program, meaning owners can have a "mini-me" version of their V8 / V12 Aston sports car. Neat, in a novelty kind of way.

Aston Martin also believes that there's a market for the Cygnet - albeit pretty small, limited to "between 2,000 and 4,000 Cygnets... in Europe alone".

So who exactly does Aston think is silly enough to buy these? Their very own customers, of course. The Cygnet would be "a supplementary product that exists in tandem with the company's range of luxury sports cars... [by] forming a natural extension of existing Aston Martin ownership." Whatever you say, guys.

-By Phil Alex

Aston Martin Veloce: Conceptual Study for a DB9 Replacement

The Aston Martin Veloce is a well executed styling exercise for a more dynamic replacement to the British brand's DB9 supercar and it was sent to us by Marouane Bembli, a 24-year old industrial design student from Sweden. You may remember him from one of his previous works that we showed you here on Carscoop back in November '09, the Audi R10 V10 supercar concept study. Hit the jump for the gallery and why not, leave a comment with your take on the concept.

Design: Marouane Bembli

VIDEO: Aston Martin goes Viral with Cygnet Mini

To begin with, there's no official information about this short film, but unless someone managed to sneak into Aston Martin's headquarters in Gaydon, we have to assume that the British supercar maker and soon-to-become a re-badger of Japanese minis, created the viral video to ignite some online attention on its controversial Cygnet mini.

The Aston Martin-ized Toyota iQ is shown towards the end of the clip and after a minute or so of some guys practicing the French freestyle/urban sport of Parkour that involves negotiating obstacles using just the human body.

To gear heads like ourselves, this film makes as much sense as Aston Martin's decision to go ahead with the Cygnet project... Video after the break.

Via: Autoblog.com

Aston Martin Cygnet: First Official Photos of Toyota iQ-Based Mini, Goes on Sale in 2010

As strange as it may sound, this is Aston Martin's new premium mini car, the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet. The British supercar maker had previewed the Cygnet earlier this year with a clay-covered prototype, but these are the first official photos of the production-ready concept model.

The Cygnet looks like the iQ because that's what it is; a retrimmed Toyota. Aston Martin's designers essentially took numerous design cues from their sports cars like the trademark grille and air-vents and applied them on the small Toyota without making any other changes on the car's shape.

Unique styling features on the outside are limited to the pop-up handles, reshaped front and rear bumpers, specific head and tail lamps, and newly designed multispoke alloy wheels.

The same goes for the Cygnet's cabin which has been adorned with premium materials and different trim, but other than that, it retains the iQ's basic architecture and design.

Aston Martin chose not to release any information on the car's hardware, but it is believed that the iQ's 1.33-liter petrol engine will be carried over to the Cygnet.

The firm's plan is to initially sell the Cygnet to current and future Aston Martin owners with a general release to follow at a later date.

Aston Martin said that it will continue to develop the Cygnet, but expects to have the car into production and on sale in the UK and Europe before the end of 2010.

Even though the Cygnet is nothing more than a more premium Toyota with DB9 styling cues, the mini will get an Aston Martin price tag, estimated to be somewhere around £20,000 or about $32,000 - €22,000 at today's exchange rates.

Aston Martin Cygnet