Friday, December 24, 2010

RPMGO Car Blog

RPMGO Car Blog


Aston Martin Announces Three DB9 Special Editions

Posted: 23 Dec 2010 08:08 AM PST

Aston Martin DB9 Morning Frost

Thanks to the success of the DBS/V12 Vantage Carbon Black and the DBS UB-2010, Aston Martin will roll out three special editions of their high-acclaimed DB9 model. These new DB9 editions will offer juxtaposed options, according to the press release.

The Morning Frost DB9 will have luxury specifications which will give the car an "extra sense of sophistication resplendent in a pearlescent white exterior with a befitting metallic bronze leather interior." On the other hand, the other two special editions will enhance the sporty look of the DB9. The Quantum Silver and the Carbon Black editions, inspired by the last James Bond movie – Quantum of Solace, will come with a 6-speed Touchtronic II automatic gearbox as well as a re-mapped sports exhaust which will guarantee a very evocative sound. In addition, the cars will roll on very special 19-inch 10-spoke forged gloss-black painted diamond-turned rims.

Aston Martin DB9 Carbon Black

To complete the sport specifications of these two edition, Aston Martin has added graphite tail pipes, black grilles, semi-aniline leather roof lining, real polished glass switchgear, coarse silver stitching and perforated seat inners.

The Morning Frost special edition of the Aston Martin DB9 will also be fitted with the Touchtronic II transmission which is mounted on the transaxle, offering the car the perfect 50/50 weight distribution. The Morning Frost will be equipped with 19-inch 10-spoke silver diamond-turned rims, magnum silver grilles, silver black calipers as well as metallic bronze leather headlining along with perforated seat inners and a Piano Black-colored center dashboard.

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Aston Martin Announces Three DB9 Special Editions

Quick Look – 2012 Iconic AC Roadster

Posted: 23 Dec 2010 06:12 AM PST

2012 Iconic AC Roadster

When you first look at the 2012 Iconic AC Roadster you will most likely say that this is another knock-off of the legendary Shelby Cobra, but with weird headlights and taillights. Along the years there have been many cars that tried imitating the original Cobra, but few of them really managed to offer a glimpse of the original model and even fewer brought something new to the table.

The looks of the car aren't that impressive and we can say that they don't do the car any justice at all. The profile of the car isn't something you haven't seen before, quite familiar if you ask us, but if you had the possibility to peel back the uberlight carbon fiber skin, you would catch a glimpse on the custom CNC-milled parts, the high quality finishes and very clever engineering solutions, something that you will not see quite often in the production cars developed now. A few of the ingredients that make the car very exclusive are the purpose-built steering box, the steel chassis with carbon-fiber tub as well as the pushrod-actuated inboard shocks. The intakes of the AC Roadster suck the air from the high pressure zone behind the front wheels of the car and vent out near the wheels in the back in order to cool down the brakes.

2012 Iconic AC Roadster

The suspension control arms are simply put a work of art and are rifle-drilled in order to allow the brake fluid to run inside of them. There are a bundle of special aeronautics-grade 12-point fasteners and besides the fact that they look very nice in comparison to the bolt you find on normal cars, they were designed in order to maximize the surface area for the even distribution of torquing force.

Some of the engineers that worked on this car also did their share of the work on the 2005 Shelby GR-1 coupe concept and on the Ford Camilo Pardo-designed GT40 showcar, both of them being a work of art.

From the side, you will notice the dainty doors and the massive side pipes which give the car a really raw appearance. Of course, these aren't the highlights of the car because the massive Ford SVO-sourced 7.0-liter V8 is the center of attention of this truly unique piece of engineering. The engine was assembled by Nascar engine builder Ernie Elliot, and it looks breathtaking. You won't find there the simple crate motor as it is too ordinary and quite frankly, boring. You will however catch a glimpse of the proprietary cross-ram fuel injectors that were especially developed for the Iconic AC Roadster. We forgot to mention the most important aspect of the engine; it is capable of producing an outstanding number of 825 hp and an incredible 660 pound-feet of torque. All of this power is shielded by the 2,400 pound of the car, making the Iconic truly worthy of its name.

2012 Iconic AC Roadster

According to the people that developed the car, the AC Roadster is capable of doing the 0-60 mph sprint in less than 3 seconds onto a remarkable top speed of over 200 mph. The driver is able to take full control of the car as the Iconic AC Roadster has no stability or traction control, not even anti-lock brakes. Speaking of brakes, the car is fitted with 14-inch carbon-ceramic Brembos. The car rides on 18-inch 275/35 wheels at the front and 19-inch 325/30 wheels in the back, all wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 run-flat tires.

The impressive engine is linked to a 6-speed Tremec manual gearbox that requires a very firm hand, but the gears can be accesses very easily without any efforts.

The price tag of this beauty is $500,000 and Iconic plans on selling 100 units next year. The company is planning to use the more affordable aluminum rather than the very light and very expensive carbon fiber. Taking into consideration the enormous amount of high-quality work invested in the car, the company will most likely lose money on each sold example that will be manufactured at the factory located in Livonia, Michigan.

2012 Iconic AC Roadster

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Quick Look – 2012 Iconic AC Roadster