So this is one of those perks that comes with being an Aston Martin customer. We gotta say, the amount of money you shell out for any one of those British supercars sure comes with some pretty cool extra benefits like participating in the company’s very own "track day" at Monza.
Specially held for customers and a select number of enthusiasts, Aston Martin spared no expense in making the event as lavish and extravagant as it could possibly get. There were driving tutorials where participants could choose from a wide range of Aston Martin vehicles, including the DBS, the V8 Vantage S, the Virage, and the Rapide. Participants also got the chance to rub elbows with some of the folks from Aston Martin, all while enjoying what looked to be a delicious feast of Italian cuisine.
All in all, Aston Martin’s "track day" seemed like a perfect way to spend 24 hours of our lives. After all, if you can spend one day indulging yourselves in delicious food, good company, and free-to-drive supercars, then we’ll chalk that up as a day well spent.
The Aston Martin DB2/4 Cabriolet is one of the most exclusive models Aston Martin has ever built. Out of the 565 units built between October 1953 and October 1955, only 12 were built in rolling chassis form for independent coachbuilders. If that isn’t exclusive enough, only eight of those 12 units were sent over to Carrozzoria Bertone where the Italian luxury coachbuilder smoothed on the body. The vehicle seen in this image is the fifth (Chassis number LML506) of the original eight and will be auctioned off at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 1, 2011.
Its original owner was high society elite, Edith C. Field, who succeeded in winning third place at the 1955 Pebble Beach Concours. Since the mid 1950s, this particular Aston Martin has been through the hands of four owners, including its current owner. As of late, the Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe has been fully restored to its Concours state with over £200,000 - or $288,000 at the current rates - invested in its complete restoration. Bonhams expects the ultra exclusive sports car to sell for £500,000 - 700,000, or $721,000 - $1,000,000 at the current rates.
UPDATE 07/06/2011: The 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe actually sold for £606,500 ($975,000).
Hit the jump for full details on the 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe.
The automotive and fashion world collide quite a bit to make some of the coolest, albeit expensive, vehicles for the uber elite. The latest collaboration between the two is Aston Martin’s "Cygnet & colette" model built in conjunction with Parisian fashion authority, colette. The special edition will only be built in a limited run of 14units, each hand-crafted via the company’s ultimate personalization service. The price? A staggering €48,995 ($69,325 at the current rates) compared to the £30,995 ($43,856 at the current rates) of the standard Cygnet. Something tells us the extremely limited number was a good idea.
The Cygnet and collette will be painted in a Lightning Silver paint with exclusive colette blue styling details, including a race collection inspired front bumper and bonnet livery, mirror caps, and diamond turned road wheels. The silver of the exterior is being combined with a Bitter Chocolate themed for the interior.
Next to these special colors, the limited edition Cygnet will also get an onslaught of features, including stainless steel hand formed and engraved door handle badges and "Cygnet & colette" branded hand enameled boot badging manufactured by Thomas Fattorini. The city car will also receive quilted Alcantara sun visors to complement the quilted leather door and seat inserts and hand trimmed, quilted colette blue leather occasional cushions for the rear seats. Other notable features include "Cygnet & colette" branding on satellite navigation start up and a unique "Cygnet & colette" key ring machined from solid aluminum with blue enameling.
It looks like the V12 Zagato Racer won’t be the only Aston Martin model participating in the Nürburgring 24-hour race in Europe and the Spring Mountain 24 hours in Nevada. The Rapide will also be making its presence known at the race, first to demonstrate the durability of Aston Martin’s four door sports coupe, then to help raise money for charity. Surely this has something to do with the fact that the company has been experiencing slow demand for the luxury sports sedan and has since chopped production for the Rapide from 2,000 units all the way down to 1,250 per year. Since they took care of cutting costs - Step One - we’ll do our part in helping them out with Step Two: Marketing.
Julian Jenkins from Aston Martin the Americas, said: "Since its launch, the Rapide has been popular with customers looking for an exclusive sports car with a combination of exhilarating performance, handcrafted style, and added four-door practicality. As well as raising money for Heart for Japan, this 24-hour initiative will give us an opportunity to showcase the endurance capabilities of the Rapide which in turn demonstrates its everyday usability and durability."
"We’re truly excited to participate in this challenge. Since the Rapide made its racing debut at last year’s 24-hour race at the Nurburgring, we wondered how a street version would compare if driven continuously for a day over a closed circuit. Seeing how close we can get to the race distance covered last year will be an excellent measure of the car’s real-world performance."
The Rapide is going to need all of the publicity it can get in order to jumpstart the vehicle’s reputation once again. It shouldn’t be too difficult, though. We are talking about an Aston Martin after all.
Rumors about a partnership between Aston Martin and Maybach first appeared at the end of last year when we reported that the two companies would team up for a luxury sedan. Now, AutoCar reports that the two companies are set to bring a concept car developed together to the Frankfurt show in September 2011.
While neither Aston Martin nor Maybach would comment on this rumor, it is believed that the concept to be displayed in Frankfurt will be a luxury car with a high-quality interior finished to the hand-crafted standards of a British luxury saloon.
This news shouldn’t really surprise anyone considering Mercedes needs to decide by the end of June which partner they will choose to develop replacements for the 57 and 62 saloons. This type of partnership is mutually beneficial because Aston Martin can bring its interior design skills to the table, particularly the use of traditional materials in conjunction with hi-tech features, and Mercedes can share its new alloy body technology and engines for third-generation Vantage and DB9 models.
