VIDEO: New Aston Martin Rapide Promo Films [Part 1]

As part of its first foray into the digital campaign medium, Aston Martin will release three new promotional videos, featuring the breathtaking Rapide four-door coupe. Filmed in Lisbon, Portugal, the video follows a group of “agents” commissioned by a mysterious person to deliver a precious package, without opening it. A very Ronin-ish plot, we know.

The introductory part is available after the jump, while the second and third clips will follow on January 19 and 26, respectively.

“We wanted to deliver a subtle but clever piece of branded entertainment. Something that mirrors the thrill of the drive. Intelligent, dramatic yet very exciting. It's an action-packed Aston Martin story in three parts, designed to entertain our audience. We're not hard selling, we're showcasing. After all it is the thinking man's (and woman's) performance car”, Film Director Donnie Masters from Serious Pictures said.

By Csaba Daradics

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VIDEO: Aston Martin V12 Vantage Meets Gulf DBR1-2 Racer

Aston Martin has released a new video to promote the connection between its road cars and racing models, and in particular, the firm's 6.0 liter V12 engines that sits at the heart of the One-77, DBS, DB9, Rapide and V12 Vantage but also the 2010 DBR1-2 Le Mans race car. The new footage shows the 517-horsepower V12 Vantage riding along Aston Martin's DBR1-2 LMP1 race car which competed throughout 2009 and 2010 having won the Le Mans Series in 2009 while taking three podiums in 2010. Watch the video after the break.

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VIDEO: Aston Martin Releases V8 Vantage N420 Promo

The N420 (see here) is another motorsport-inspired V8 Vantage. It's a successor to the 2007 N400 and it has been created to celebrate Aston Martin's achievements in the Nürburgring 24-hour race. Now, the British maker has released the first promotional video featuring its latest special edition sports car.

Borrowing the 4.7-liter engine from the stock V8 Vantage, the N420 is quicker due to the fact that it's 27 kg (60 lbs) lighter. Engineers achieved this by using carbon fiber components.

The handling has been also improved, as Aston Martin decided to offer the Sports Pack as part of the standard equipment. The package includes revised springs, dampers and anti-roll bars.

Inside, the most capable Vantage comes with updated instruments, leather or Alcantara steering wheel, lightweight racing seats and special N420 sill plaques. Prices in the UK start from £96,995, about US $155,638 or €112,277 at today's exchange rates.

By Csaba Daradics

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VIDEO: Aston Martin One-77 hits the Nürburgring

A while back, Dr. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, said that "the One-77 is approaching a production reality and… the next steps are all about details and refinement to complete the composition."

Well, it seems that engineers and test drivers are indeed refining this 750-horsepower beast these days, as a prototype model has been caught on video while frantically lapping the Nürburgring race track.

The mighty 7.3-liter V12 can catapult Aston Martin's finest to 60 mph [96 km/h] in just 3.5 seconds, while the supercar's top speed has exceeded expectations, as Aston Martin's engineers were able to hit 220 mph (355 km/h), considerably more than the initially estimated top speed of 200 mph.

The One-77 will go on sale in 2011 and it will cost £1.25 million (US $1.99 million or €1.43 million).

By Csaba Daradics

Video: AMS

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VIDEO: Aston Martin Execs Try to Convince Everyone the Cygnet is not a Toyota...

Now that the Aston Martin Cygnet has officially received the green light (previous post here), the brand of James Bond has put together again CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez and design director Marek Reichman for the Cygnet PR video below.

The 4-passenger Cygnet, based on Toyota's iQ city car, is meant to provide Aston Martin owners something more practical for daily use within cities and still offer said owners the level of exclusivity they desire. That means it can be ordered with all the same interior and exterior colors, leathers, and materials found on any other Aston.

While based on a Toyota, the Cygnet will officially be manufactured as its own standalone model - a coach-built compact, if you will - in Warwickshire, England. An official announcement has not been made regarding the power train, but it will likely get the iQ's standard 3-cylinder (possibly with a sport intake/exhaust setup).

By Phil Alex

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Aston Martin Drops More Video of its One-77, Confirms Engine Specs

Aston Martin has released a new video (part four of a series, apparently) detailing its One-77 mega-super-hyper car flagship as well as showing it out on the track. Specifications? Sure thing. The 7.3-liter V12 has been officially certified at 750 horsepower and 750 Nm (553.2 lbs-ft) of torque making it -according to the company- the most powerful naturally aspirated road car engine in the world today.

Throughout the video you'll see some beautiful details of the million-dollar (actually £1.25 million) Aston flagship, including the side mirror mounts molded into the door shells and close-ups of the wraparound jewel-like tail light.

Dr. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, says, "The One-77 is approaching a production reality and of course, there is considerable excitement in the project. Now the next steps are all about details and refinement to complete the composition. I know the final car will demonstrate what the Aston Martin team is capable of."

Come 2011, sheiks, rulers, and Daniel Craig should expect to receive their own customized version from the 77 one-offs Aston intends to build. Hopefully at Paris we'll get a chance to see it in a new color.

By Phil Alex

Aston Martin Confirms V12 Vantage Special for North and South America

In response to what the famous British sports car maker describes as "unprecedented customer demand", Aston Martin has decided to bring its V12 Vantage special to North and South American markets.

Even though prices are to be confirmed in the coming weeks, the V12 Vantage is available to order now with deliveries to the Americas expected to commence during the fourth quarter of the year.

Along with the standard version of the V12 Vantage, Aston Martin will also offer the strictly limited Carbon Black special edition that features a bespoke Carbon Black metallic paint, unique alloy wheels and special trim options.

Originally launched in 2009 at the Geneva Motor Show, the V12 Vantage is based on the V8 Vantage model. It is powered by a 6.0-liter V12 engine producing 510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS), and 420 lb ft (570 Nm) of torque that propels the British sports car to 62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 4.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 190mph or 305km/h.

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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

VIDEO: Aston Martin DB9 Breaks Tree in Half in Polish Accident!

And the exotic supercar slaughter continues. However in all fairness, unlike the recent Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari California incidents in which their respective drivers were to blame, this crash that allegedly occurred in Warsaw, Poland, and involved an Aston Martin DB9 (or at least it looks like a DB9), may very well have been caused by the rain and slippery road conditions. If you pay attention in the beginning of the video, you'll see a DB9 in the top left corner slipping out of control and smashing into a tree and cutting it in half. Luckily the tree did not fall on the Aston Martin nor on any other car. Watch the video after the break.

Via: Wreckexotics

VIDEO: Aston Martin Rapide Sampled in Kuwait

Aston Martin may not be ready to move journalists behind the wheel of the new Rapide for a test drive as the sports sedan is still undergoing development, but the British automaker did offer Autocar's Steve Cropley the chance to take a seat on the passenger's side as he joined the firm's development team during hot weather testing of the saloon in Kuwait.

Besides the fact that Cropley didn't look to be enjoying himself much, we kept two things from the video: one is that in our opinion, the Rapide's exterior styling doesn't seem to have the same effect on us as the concept did three years ago and the other is that judging by Cropely, the rear passenger area looks a little cramped for adults -let's not forget that it's a five-meter (197-in.) long sedan. Watch the video below and tell us what you think.

VIDEO: Aston Martin Rapide Sports Sedan Filmed in Kuwait

You never know when or where you're going to stumble upon a prototype model these days. This time some folks spotted a thinly disguised Aston Martin Rapide test car on the roads of Kuwait. Apparently the British automaker was performing hot climate tests on its forthcoming four-door sports sedan that is planned to get its first public outing at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

First seen at the 2006 Detroit auto show as a prototype model, the production Rapide is almost identical to the 196.9-inch-long concept study. Due to go on sale in the beginning of 2010, the Rapide is powered by a 6.0-liter V12 engine which is rated at 480HP, and linked to a six-speed ZF automatic transmission with Aston's Touchtronic control.

Via: es.Autoblog

VIDEOS: Aston Martin One-77 Revving its V12 at Concorso d'Eleganza

You've gawked at the photos, now it's time to get a first taste of the Aston Martin One-77's sonorous 7.3-liter V12 engine with its 700+ ponies as it was caught live on video and phone cams during its unveiling at the Lake Como villa in Italy. Watch all three videos that we discovered on the net after the jump and if you missed out on our previous post that contains high-res photos of Aston Martin's new supercar, click here.

Source: Youtube , Via: Jalopnik

Aston Martin Releases new Video of One-77 Supercar

Time to feast your eyes again on Aston Martin's highly anticipated supercar, the new One-77, in the firm's third consecutive promotional film. In this latest video we get the chance to see many details of the One-77 including views of the bare-naked chassis and the building process as well as of the interior. As you may recall, the One-77 made that is powered by a 7.3-liter V12 engine developing over 700-horsepower, made its debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show earlier this month.

To be produced in a limited number of 77 units priced at over $1.5 million a piece, the 700HP+ ultra-exclusive Aston is predicted to have a top speed in excess of 200mph (321km/h), with a 0-60mph (96km/h) time of 3.5 seconds. Click here for our high-res photo gallery.

Aston Martin One-77 Episode 3

Aston Martin One-77 Episode 2

Aston Martin One-77 Episode 1

Lagonda Concept Crossover Live Photos and Video from Geneva

If there's one thing most will agree upon is that Aston Martin's conceptual attempt to revive the Lagonda brand with the blandly named Concept was one of the top attention-grabbers at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. However, this was mainly due to the Concept's controversial (to say the least...) styling and because no one actually understood what the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class-based vehicle represents - Is it a sedan? Is it a crossover? Is it a mix-mash of ideas? If you're imaginative enough, maybe you can answer that question by following the jump to watch the video from the unveiling as well as live photos from Aston Martin's stand.

Aston Martin DBS Video: Tiff Needell Races Against Casino Royale’s Stunt Driver

In this latest episode of Fifth Gear TV Show, Tiff Needell takes the new Aston Martin DBS coupe that's powered by a hand-built, 518 HP V12 engine, for a spin to see how it goes. But that’s not all, as Tiff invited Adam Kirley, 007's stunt driver in the the latest James Bond film, Casino Royale, to find out who is the better driver in a series of challenges. Check out the 10-min long video after the jump to see who wins. -Continued