2012 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible Sport - First Drive Review

It was a peaceful and elegant scene, the bright sunlight glinting off the top-down Maserati GranTurismo convertibles parked on the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia in Trieste. Passersby admired the gorgeous cars, one of Pininfarina’s masterpieces. Then a legion of uprated 4.7-liter V-8s ignited with a snarl, and peace and elegance were the last things on our mind.
About that wonderful engine, fitted in the top-spec GranTurismo Convertible Sport. Purists still lament the fact that Maseratis, which were long defined by powerplants that developed peak power at low rpm, are now equipped with high-revving buzzsaws bought from its former arch-rival, Ferrari. But the GranTurismo Convertible Sport's 444-hp variation of the 4.7-liter V-8 is sure to create a few converts.
It’s an evolution of the regular GranTurismo convertible’s 433-horse 4.7-liter with less internal friction thanks to a revised oil sump and slipperier coatings for the valve tappets and cam lobes; this upgraded version also powers the GranTurismo MC Stradale coupe. Compared to its lesser sibling, the droptop Sport exhales through a freer-flowing exhaust, the main purpose of which seems to be to create as much beautiful noise as is legally allowed. It’s aided in that pursuit by active valves that open at 2500 rpm when the transmission is in its Automatic Sport mode. We predict the V-8 will haul the 4600-pound droptop to 60 in 4.8 seconds.


Fantastico Automatico
As in the U.S.-market MC Stradale and the Quattroporte Sport GT S, power flows through a six-speed, torque-converter automatic supplied by ZF. But don’t lament the fact that there’s no hard-core gearbox; the automatic has been extensively reworked for duty here, and offers Normal and Manual Sport modes in addition to the aforementioned Automatic Sport, as well as launch control. Gearshift times are improved by up to 50 percent, it blips the throttle for downshifts, and, in Manual Sport mode, it doesn’t downshift when you hit the kickdown switch or upshift unless you tell it to. There’s more: You can call for a lower gear if there’s any leeway whatsoever before redline (most transmissions won’t let you downshift unless the resulting engine speed is farther down the tach from redline) and the exhaust flaps are always open in Manual Sport. This automatic is so good that you'll hardly miss a dual-clutch transmission—or the Euro-market MC’s single-clutch automated manual. Of course, you might miss a proper clutch-pedal manual gearbox, but Maserati doesn't offer one anymore.
Chassis Changes, Too
Underneath, the front and rear springs and anti-roll bars are stiffer on this derivative, the dampers are modified, and the ZF Sachs–sourced "Skyhook" damping system has been re-tuned. On twisting roads, the Sport handles well and generally does what you ask of it, but there’s simply no masking the car’s two-ton-plus weight or its somewhat uncommunicative steering. The body flexes more than it should, too. To be sure, the GranTurismo Convertible Sport is an enjoyable companion in nearly every situation, but it’s less full-bore sporty than its sinister looks and capital-S “Sport” badge might let on. So when a well-driven Audi R8 Spyder closes in on you from behind, our advice is to just let it pass. Take solace in the fact that the Audi will never sound as glorious as the Maserati, or seat four as comfortably (or at all).
There are a number of competitors: BMW's new 6-series droptop, the soon-to-be-new Mercedes-Benz SL, the Porsche 911 cabriolet, the Audi R8 Spyder, and, of course, the Jaguar XK and its distant cousin, the Aston Martin V-8 Vantage roadster. The Maserati acquits itself well by informal comparison: It’s more spacious than most (even if the trunk is tiny), it’s not outrageously expensive by the standards of the segment, it offers incredibly luxurious accommodations, and it just might have more character than the whole bunch combined. Those qualities ought to satisfy most anyone—trident purists included.

 

Source : Caranddriver.com

Ford Mustang Exotica Hides an Aston Martin Vanquish V12 Under its Hood [with Video]

We’re pretty sure that, during the time Aston Martin was under the ownership of Ford, the thought of stuffing an exotic V12 powerplant under the bonnet of a Mustang must have crossed the mind of a few company engineers.
And while we never saw something of the sort officially from Ford, an independent custom shop actually realized the idea with the 2005 Ford Mustang 'Vanquishd' show car that was presented at the 2006 SEMA aftermarket gathering.
Built by Western Motorsports, this one-of-a-kind Mustang gets a 6.0-liter V12 engine with 600 ponies from a 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish. Power is sent to the chunky rear wheels through a 6 speed manual Tremec T-56 transmission.

Sir Stirling Moss Buys an Aston Martin Cygnet for his Wife

You would never think that an Aston Martin would need any sort of marketing push from a personality like Sir Stirling Moss, but to play around with our own words, up until recently, you would never think that Aston Martin would actually try to sell a hugely overpriced city car that’s a rebadged Toyota model…
In any case, the British racing legend is one of the first customers to receive the Aston Martin Cygnet, which he purchased as a birthday gift to his wife, Lady Moss. Appropriately, there was a photographer in hand to capture the gift-wrapped Cygnet.

2013 Aston Martin DB9 Spy Photos - Cars News 2011

 

It’s often pointed out that Aston Martins all pretty much look alike. We know that, you know that, and the people who make them must know, too. But an Aston also looks like a Jaguar, a concept with which the team who cloaked this DB prototype appears to have had some fun.

To wit: The car seen here has a Jag-like grille opening—they’ve even gone so far as to put a round faux badge in the middle of the grille. Closer inspection, however, shows that the mouth’s extra width is being covered by some taped-on parts. The LEDs added to the 2011 DB9’s headlights remain, although the lighting units have been partially covered to further the Jag-lookalike goal. When the not-an-Aston ruse falls apart: The car was photographed at AM’s Nürburgring-side facility. Oops.
More telling of future DB changes are the revised fascias front and rear, which appear to have more of an airflow-redirecting purpose. In the rear, there’s a central diffuser element, as well as air vents flanking the exhaust outlets. Larger hood vents are set farther out near the edges of the bonnet. The car’s beautiful, Aston-characteristic shape now has flatter haunches, which is one of the few signs that this is not just another mild refresh—well, at least it will be a less-mild refresh than Astons usually get. And the number plate has moved from the decklid to the rear bumper, finally making it legal for DB9 drivers to haul that PVC pipe back from the home center with the trunk open.

When it was introduced for 2004, the DB9 was the first Aston to make use of the company’s aluminum VH platform. Given this car’s molasses-grade styling evolution and the fact that all current Astons (except for the Cygnet) make use of the platform, we don’t expect those underpinnings to change. A next-gen car could retain the DB9 badge, Aston could enter the four-character-name realm with DB11, or it could draw from the marque’s past, as is the case with the recently reborn, DB9-based Virage.
Whatever the car is called when it’s unveiled sometime next year for the 2013 model year, you can expect a more-powerful V-12 underhood, two real seats up front and two that amount to a parcel shelf in the rear, and a shape that—for better or for worse—is unmistakably Aston Martin.
Source : Caranddriver.com

Aston Martin V12 Zagato Given Green Light for Production, Priced from £330,000 / $528,000

It’s official; Aston Martin has not only confirmed plans to build a strictly limited number of the new V12 Zagato show car, but it is also accepting orders with first deliveries expected from the second half of 2012.
Production of the British firm’s new supercar model, which is the collaborative work of Aston Martin and Italian design house Zagato, will be limited to 150 examples that will be hand assembled at Aston Martin’s global headquarters at Gaydon.

Aston Martin to Bring the V12 Zagato to the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Only a few weeks after making its public debut at the Villa D’Este Concours and winning the design award for concept cars and prorotypes, Aston Martin’s new V12 Zagato raced at the Nurburgring 24-hour race. Now, the British automaker is bringing the stunning model, which was created by the two companies to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary DB4GT Zagato, to the Goodwood Festival of Speed.