Tag Archives: Aston Martin

An Aston Martin Quiz

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A heritage moment. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Quick quiz.

This is Marek Reichman, Aston Martin Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer comments. What is he talking about?

“Bowmore ARC-54 continues the cutting edge, technology-based collaboration between two exceptional brands that are steeped in heritage and tradition. It embodies the innovative thinking that we apply to Valkyrie and Valhalla, our mid-engined sports cars.”

If you guessed the Bowmore ARC-54 is a car, you’re wrong.

It is something that probably shouldn’t be associated with cars, or at least not used with cars.

It is a limited-edition whisky (130 decanters total) distilled by Bowmore, a distillery that’s been in operation since 1779.

Don’t drink while driving. (Image: Aston Martin)

This whisky—aged in 2nd Fill European Oak Sherry Butt and 3rd Fill American Oak Hogshead; 61.8% European Oak aged spirit and 38.2% American Oak aged spirit, the two parts are united for 15 months—is 54 years old.

Dr. Calum Fraser, Bowmore Chief Blender, said:

“A Bowmore as exquisite and complex as this 54-year-old is testament to the skills of our distillery team, but also the very embodiment of what can be achieved simply by slowing down, standing still and letting things unfold as they are destined to. This rare creation truly demonstrates just how Bowmore ages exceptionally over time, with unmatched precision and clarity. As guardians of this spirit, we strive to harness the power of the past in every drop that we create – whilst constantly reimagining Bowmore for the next generation that will experience our whiskies.”

The “slowing down” is somewhat ironic in that Aston Martin is about going fast.

Incidentally: in 1968 Aston Martin produced the DBS.

James Bond drove one in the movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Unfortunately, that was a George Lazenby Bond.

Aston Gets Grant for Aluminum Casting

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Or maybe that’s “aluminium”. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

The starting price of an Aston Martin is on the order of $144,000.

Just as its buyers are well-heeled, one might imagine that the company itself is, as well.

But no OEM can’t use some additional funding, particularly in the area of R&D.

Aston Martin has been awarded £6 million of UK Government funding.

Forthcoming Aston Martin Valhalla. (Image: Aston Martin)

The grant, which is going through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) UK, is for the development of lightweight, 100% recycled aluminum castings to be used in future Aston Martin vehicles.

Explains Roberto Fedeli, Group Chief Technology Officer of Aston Martin:

“The award of funding from the APC is a major boost to Project PIVOT, which seeks to leverage advanced metal solidification and digital-twin simulations to manufacture low-carbon alloys which will ultimately uplift the level of recycled content we feature in Aston Martin models.”

Presumably whatever it is that the company comes up with will be shared with other British OEMs.

After all, £6 million of government money is, well, £6 million of government money.

The New Aston Martin Vanquish Revealed

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By Gary S. Vasilash

The new Aston Martin V12 Vanquish and an admirer. (Image: Aston Martin)

While the longish hair may throw you off, the man in the picture above is Daniel Craig, the sixth James Bond.*

He is standing in front of the new Aston Martin Vanquish. The V12 sports car was unveiled Monday night at the Venice International Film Festival.

As Bond fans know, the previous-generation Vanquish was in Die Another Day—which has Pierce Brosnan as Bond (it was his fourth and final film in the role; Craig followed).

However, Craig as Bond drove several Aston Martins:

  • Casino Royale: DB5 and DBS V12
  • Quantum of Solace: DBS V12
  • Skyfall: DB5
  • Spectre: DB10 and DB5
  • No Time to Die: DB5 and V8 Vantage

Oh. The Car.

The new Vanquish is powered by a V12 engine that produces 824 hp. The engine is the most powerful V12 Aston Martin has put into sports cars that even non-spies can buy.

To get the performance they developed a strengthened block, strengthened the conrods, redesigned the cylinder heads, repositioned the spark plugs, added higher flow-rate fuel injectors, and fitted reduced inertia turbochargers.

Although some may equate performance (i.e., the Vanquish has a top speed of 214 mph) with a manual transmission, the car uses a ZF 8-speed automatic.

The vehicle is built with an aluminum body structure.

Beyond Rational.

Speaking of the design, Marek Reichman, Aston Martin executive vp and chief creative officer, said:

“Vanquish is an iconic halo model for our sports car portfolio and we’re always designing for beyond the expected, rational, and thoughtful. We captured the immensity of its performance and the imperiousness of its intended purpose while tempering the drama of Vanquish with a rare and unmistakable sense of elegance. Our team demonstrated bravery and curiosity in their quest to deliver unexpected design ideas throughout. . . . There is great passion in creating pure excitement, and this new Vanquish is a culmination of fearless creativity and human ingenuity. We have combined next level, ultra-luxury performance with British-cool sports car styling to deliver a crowning Aston Martin V12 flagship for the ages.”

Bravery. British-cool.

Yes, Daniel Craig makes absolute sense.

Hallmark’s Quick Move

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By Gary S. Vasilash

On March 22 Bentley Motors announced that Adrian Hallmark, who had been chairman and CEO of the company since 2018, was leaving the company.

Adrian Hallmark: From one lux Brit brand to aonther. (Image: Bentley)

Evidently he left under good conditions as Gernot Döllner, chairman of the executive board of Audi and responsible for the Progressive Brand Group, which includes Lamborghini, Bentley and Ducati, within the Volkswagen Group, said, “I would like to thank Adrian Hallmark for his significant commitment over the last years and wish him well in his personal and professional future.”

That professional future was defined quickly.

On March 22 Aston Martin announced that Adrian Hallmark would be joining the company as executive director and CEO, starting no later than October 1.

Generally there is a bit of a gap between the announcement of one’s departure and one’s arrival.

But that’s certainly not the case with Hallmark. Odds are he will have his stuff moved from Crewe to Gaydon in far fewer than some seven months.

Hallmark said about his departure: “Bentley has had a great influence on me. To redefine luxury mobility for the future with such a strong brand is a task that I took on with full commitment and great pleasure. The time has now come for me to turn to new challenges. I would like to express warm thanks to the entire Bentley team for all that we have achieved together in the last few years.”

And of his arrival: “The transformation of Aston Martin is one of the most exciting projects within the ultra-luxury automotive industry. I am looking forward to continuing the Company’s great momentum and utilizing my experience and passion to further unleash this iconic brand’s potential and take it to even greater success.”

Sounds like his previous gig was a bit easier than his new one will be.

When someone describes something as “most exciting” that generally means “this is going to be really hard.”

A Valkyrie Variant

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Aston Martin develops a clever top for its screamingly fast model

By Gary S. Vasilash

First there was the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Now there is the Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider.

What changed?

Well, the top.

The 1,139-hp (!) hybrid V12 powertrain is in both.

The carbon fiber structure is the same—nearly.

But the Spider has a different roof—entirely.

Valkyrie Spider: Gorgeous. (Image: Aston Martin)

The roof has a carbon fiber central panel that is flanked by polycarbonate windows, which are hinged. The panel hoods to the windshield surround in the front and to the vehicle tub—modified for the topless version—at the rear. Also, the dihedral doors, front hinged, are different on the Spider compared with the non-arachnid version, so as to facilitate roof removal.

This is unusual: Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Tobias Moers said: “The sound of that 6.5-litre V12 engine revving to over 11,000 rpm with the roof removed is something I cannot wait to hear.”

Wouldn’t you imagine that the guy who runs the company would have heard it long before it was made public?

Incidentally: the company plans to produce 85 Valkyrie Spiders, all of which are spoken for.

Missed your moment.