Aston Martin may not be filling the Internet’s news sites with updates and new cars almost every day but for some people, they believe that the car brand is certainly taking its time and working on its updates slowly, surely, and silently. And that may be for a good purpose for when they have completed their goal, they should be able to work on their press release and announce to the public the finished product of their months of silence.
We have learned a couple of months back that Aston Martin already had opened the very first design studio which was purposefully built. It was created in their headquarters in Warwickshire and it is already running and is operational. At present, The Auto Channel had reported that they were going to be launching a new project for their brand and that would be through the building of a new test center which they would be able to utilize. The report continued that Aston Martin would be putting in the foundation of the new test center in Germany’s Nurburgring race circuit.
At present, reports have it that the planned test center for their vehicles has already had the foundations put in and work is already going on. A building already in the area would be improved and transformed so as to be able to have their test center ready and available for use by May this year. That would only be a couple of months away but if Aston Martin would be focusing on this project right now, they may complete the test center ahead of schedule.
“When we open the Aston Martin Nürburgring Test Centre at the end of May this will be our second major new facility in less than 12 months since the company entered new ownership. The Nürburgring has played a vital part in improving the performance and durability of all modern Aston Martins. Our new test centre will allow us to further increase the performance of our cars and to share something of the unique Nordschleife experience with our customers,” Dr. Ulrich Bez, chief of Aston Martin, shared.
With the new test center operation by May, Aston Martin may be able to check out all the parts that they vehicles would be having - from the engine to the MSD Pro-billet distributor to the catalytic converters and to everything else in between - without much hassle. The joys of owning a facility such as this.
Aston Martin is the sleek sports car popular for starring in the action block buster James Bond franchise. The sexy silvery gray Aston Martin DBS for instance, was the James Bond car in the 2006 movie, Casino Royale. Although Aston Martin wowed all of us being James Bond’s car, it didn’t hit the blockbuster in the car market like the movie did. In August 2006, Bill Ford, who handed the reins over to Mulally last year, put Aston Martin up for sale, saying the money-losing brand may be "an attractive opportunity to raise capital and generate value."
Ford Motor Company succeeded in selling the Aston Martin Division last March, when the deal was made to a consortium of big time investors lead by racing executive Dave Richards. The group also included John Sinders, a famous Aston Martin collector and two other Kuwaiti firms of Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co.
"The deal gets Ford liquidity it desperately needs to help restore its higher-volume product lines, and it leaves Aston Martin in good hands, as well." Dave Healy, an analyst at Burnham Securities was quoted as saying before the Dearborn automaker put its luxury brand up for sale.
In a statement before the sale, Ford CEO and President Allan Mullaly said, "The sale of Aston Martin supports the key objectives of the company, to restructure to operate profitably at lower volumes and changed model mix and to speed the development of new products,"
Ford announced in March that it would receive $848 million and retain a $77 million stake in Aston Martin.
The transaction of the maker of the Aston Martin catalytic converter was completed in the second quarter of this year. Becky Sanch, Ford spokeswoman confirmed that they have not completely given away the sports car division because the automaker retained a stake by receiving preferred stock from Primrose Cove Ltd., the holding company of the group that acquired Aston Martin.
On Tuesday Ford received $931 million in cash and preferred stock for its sale of a controlling stake in the popular luxury brand.
Ford’s Jaguar and Rover divisions, also part of the Ford Premier Auto Group are also being prepared for disposal as Ford continues on its plan to bounce back from its recent financial troubles.
At the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, Aston Martin introduced a revised version of the company’s critically acclaimed DB9, which includes significant enhancements to standard specification.
Changes include a revised version of Aston Martin’s 6.0 litre V12 engine to deliver improved power and torque. Peak power of 470bhp (350kW) - increased by 20bhp (30Nm) - is now reached at 6,000rpm, resulting in a power to weight ratio of 267bhp per tonne (199kW/tonne) - an increase of 11bhp per tonne over the existing Aston Martin DB9.
Peak torque of 600Nm is delivered at 5,000rpm, providing even more accessible power for the driver, as well a greater performance feel overall. Accordingly, top speed is now 190mph (306km/h) and the benchmark 0-60mph time improves by 0.3 seconds for the Touchtronic transmission - which benefits from a new valve box and integrated transmission controls to achieve quicker gear shifts - to 4.6 seconds and by 0.1 seconds to 4.6 seconds for the manual gearbox.
The latest Aston Martin DB9 also incorporates a series of chassis developments for both the Coupe and Volante derivates. Bilstein dampers are introduced in addition to revised upper suspension arms and retuned suspension bushes to deliver improved ride quality; aiding greater refinement in the Volante and an enhanced sporting feel in the Coupe. The Aston Martin DB9 Volante also benefits from revisions to the front shear panel which increases torsional rigidity by 10%, further improving refinement.
The Aston Martin DB9 manages to combine all facets of style, quality and usability of a traditional Aston Martin without relying on retrospective detail or design. Therefore, auto parts styling changes to the revised Aston Martin DB9 are subtle, reflecting the car’s timeless design and understated elegance.
Auto parts exterior styling changes include the introduction of a new standard 19” 10-spoke alloy wheel, new door mirrors and a revised anodised aluminium five-bar grille. In the cabin changes include a new centre console constructed from die cast zinc with a painted iridium silver finish and the introduction of a new Emotion Control Unit (ECU) - first seen on the DBS in 2007. The ECU - constructed from glass, polished stainless steel and polycarbonate - replaces the key used previously for the DB9.
The innovative Aston Martin DB9 introduced an exciting new era for Aston Martin. The 2+2 sports car set new standards in its class due to its astonishing combination of technology, agility and design. The car marked the beginning of a new era for Aston Martin and became the first car to be hand-made at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Gaydon, Warwickshire.
Sales of the Aston Martin DB9 started in spring 2004, and to date, more than 10,000 examples have been produced and delivered to customers around the world - surpassing the DB7 as the most successful Aston Martin of all time.
Deliveries of the updated Aston Martin DB9 begin during quarter two 2008, with prices from £113,950 for the DB9 Coupe and £122,950 for the DB9 Volante.
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