For automakers, there’s nothing better than showing up at the debut for one of your automobiles and getting a top notch award for your hard work. Aston Martin, Cadillac, and Ford will vouch for that since their One-77, Ciel Concept, and Focus Plug-In Electric Vehicle were all given best in show awards at the 41st annual South Florida International Auto Show (SFIAS) by the Southern Automotive Media Association (SAMA). SAMA had to choose between many of the participants in Miami, but in the end, these vehicles were chosen because of their styling and marketability.
The Cadillac Ciel Concept was given the Best Concept Vehicle in the Show because of its stunning beauty and because SAMA considered it a forerunner of future Cadillac styling. Meanwhile, the Ford Focus Plug-In Electric Vehicle took home the “Best Green Technology Vehicle” in the show because of the fact that it is Ford’s first non-emissions, plug-in electric car to be mass produced and marketed in the United States. Other vehicles considered were the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Toyota Prius V, and various manufacturers’ hybrid and clean diesel technology vehicles.
The South Florida International Auto Show (SFIAS) runs until November 6, 2011, so stop by the Miami Beach Convention Center to check out these award-winning models.
Company CEOs usually have a kind of competitive understanding of each other. There’s nothing personal about; it’s just the way business works.
In the case of Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda and his Aston Martin counterpart Ulrich Bez, the truth couldn’t be any further from the truth. After already establishing a mutual working relationship between the two companies - the most recent of which was sharing the Toyota iQ platform with the Aston Martin Cygnet - Toyoda and Bez have become closer to each other than most CEOs that consider themselves competitors, albeit in a slightly stretched manner.
The latest collaboration between the two doesn’t involve a new auto partnership but instead, swapping race cars during the VLN auto series with Toyoda driving the Aston Martin V12 Vantage ’Zig’ and Bez manning the wheels of a Lexus LF-A Gazoo Racing.
Whether this video is merely a publicity stunt or it’s really a genuine show of competitiveness between the two is unknown, but the fact that you have the CEOs of two of the most accomplished auto brands in the country speaks to the ever-growing relationship between Aston Martin and Toyota.
Check out the video to see how the two CEOs fared in riding the race cars of their contemporary.
Jaeger LeCoultre had launched the AMVOX 5 World Chronograph in 2007 and since then we have seen lots of special editions based on it. And today is time for a new one: the new AMVOX 5 LMP1 - a chronograph designed as a tribute to the Aston Martin LMP1 racing car.
The new AMVOX LMP1 features dial colors in blue, gray and orange as with the LMP1 race car and the hours and minutes hands are made from rhodium with white Superluminova. The new AMVOX 5 comes with a Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 752 which runs at 28,800 vph has a 65-hour power reserve, 279 parts, 41 jewels and a pink gold oscillating weight. The case is made from high-tech ceramic and titanium and measures 44 mm x 15.2 mm. The back is engraved with Jaeger-LeCoultre and Aston Martin logos.
Jaeger LeCoultre will create only 250 units of this beauty, as for the price we don’t know it just yet, but for sure with be more than we can imagine.
Out of sight, out of mind. Some things apply to this age-old adage, but not the Aston Martin One-77.
As the crown jewel of the British automaker’s auto line-up, the One-77 holds great esteem as the finest and most expensive car Aston Martin has ever produced. Only 77 models of the car will be released, all of which are hand-crafted. The allure of the supercar was more than enough reason for National Geographic to dedicate an entire episode of their ’MegaFactories’ series solely on the One-77.
In the episode, MegaFactories took a closer look at the highly skilled manufacturing process of the One-77, complete with all the intricate details that come in building a supercar that uses both modern technology and traditional hand-craftsmanship to come out with the finished product.
As the most powerful Aston Martin ever built, the One-77 is powered by a naturally aspirated 7.3-liter V12 engine that develops a total of 750 horsepower with a 0-60 mph time of just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 220 mph.
Check out the entire episode of MegaFactories’ feature on the holy grail of all Aston Martins, the mighty One-77.
Mighty, mighty, Aston Martins are always fun tuning subjects, especially if they come in the package of a DB9 Volante.
Already possessing a 6.0-liter V12 engine that produces 470 horsepower and 442 lb/ft of torque with a 0-60 mph sprint time of just 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 190 mph, the DB9 Volante was treated with a new tuning program courtesy of Britain’s very own, Project Kahn.
Known for their expertise in British vehicles, Project Kahn has tuned an Aston Martin or two in the past. This particular program for the DB9 Volante carries a bevy of modifications, including a new matte Pearl Grey finish, a new set of 20" RSV Kahn lightweight wheels, a new suspension set-up, and new, red brake calipers on the outside. Inside, the DB9 Volante receives a new leather finish with matching cream stitching, Pearl Grey trimming, and an overall new design on the sports car’s dials.
The performance figures remain unchanged, but don’t expect that to be a turn off on the package. On its own, the DB9 Volante is a masterful machine by itself. Project Kahn’s dress-up only adds more flavor to an already delicious program.
