Aston Martin V12 2013 News

The British-based prestige sports car maker is recalling about 75 per cent of its cars built since late in 2007, after discovering a Chinese supplier was using counterfeit plastic in the accelerator pedals.The recall covers all left-hand drive cars that rolled off the production line since November 2007 and all right-hand drive ones since May 2012, in which there is a risk the pedals may break. The DB9, V8 Vantage, DBS,  Rapide, Rapide S, V12 Vantage, V8 Vantage S and Virage are included in the recall, but the latest Vanquish is not.The recall means thousands of wealthy and celebrity owners around the world will have to return their cars -- including the DBS driven by Daniel Craig in the James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace and a V12 Vantage Roadster he was loaned for his 45th birthday last year.Documents filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration state that a company called Synthetic Plastic Raw Material Co. Ltd. of Dongguan supplied the counterfeit plastic to Shenzhen Kexiang Mold Tool Co. Ltd -- the firm that makes the pedals for Aston Martin.The recall affects 156 cars in Australia, the owners of which are being contacted. "Aston Martin is writing to owners and working through the process of replacing those as quickly as practical," an Aston Martin spokesman said. "However there have been no accidents or instances of the pedal failing here." Aston Martin has announced it will move production of the part to the UK. 

Aston Martin, celebrating its centenary this year, has confirmed it has signed a Letter of Intent to form a wide-ranging technical partnership with Mercedes-Benz tuner AMG. A formal alliance deal is yet to be made though both parties are confident a definitive agreement can be reached before the end of the year.The proposed deal will provide Aston Martin with access to AMG’s vast array of performance technology, namely its bespoke engines, but also to certain electrical systems. The firms confirm that their respective engineering teams will also work together to optimize the implementation of this technical partnership.For the privilege, AMG’s parent company Daimler will receive a stake of up to five percent non-voting shares in Aston Martin, joining existing shareholders in the British sports car manufacturer such as Investment DAR, Adeem Investment and Investindustrial.Rumors of such an alliance date back several years but heightened recently when it became known that Italian firm Investindustrial, which has ties with AMG from a marketing deal with its former subsidiary Ducati, was investing in Aston Martin.Interestingly, the two firms have only mentioned V8 powertrains, even though AMG also manufactures some of the best V12s on the planet and already supplies them to rival firms, one of which is Pagani. It may mean that Aston Martin’s V12 engines could continue to be sourced from Ford.In a statement, Aston Martin production development boss Ian Minards said, “Aston Martin sources cutting-edge technology from key suppliers around the globe and the opportunity to include content from AMG in our next-generation sports cars is, clearly, good news.”Those next-generation sports cars Minards is referring to will be a new range of Aston Martins, whose styling has already been previewed by the CC100 Speedster concept unveiled earlier in the year. The first of the new models is expected to be a replacement for the V8 Vantage.AMG CEO Ola Källenius said of the alliance, “This is proof of AMG’s technological and performance expertise and a real win-win situation for both sides.” Further details will be announced in the near future.www.motorauthority.com 

Teasers are usually a thing we tolerate more than we enjoy--they do give us hints of what's to come, but they also ruin the surprise. In this case, however, we've been intrigued by the possibility and, now, enticed by the reality: the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S.SpeedA new AM28 6.0-litre V-12 engine powers the 421 kilowatt V12 Vantage S, enabling a top speed of 330km/h. 0-100km/h times haven't been released yet, but something below four seconds is likely a safe estimate. Torque is up from the standard V12 Vantage's 569 Newton metres as well, to 619 Newton metres of torque in the S. Perhaps more importantly, measured torque at 1,000 rpm is up from 439 Newton metres to 509 Newton metres.Some of the updates that improve the AM28's performance include hollow cam shafts and CNC machined combustion chambers.All V12 Vantage S models get the Sportshift III automated manual transaxle (AMT). Updated from the version in the V8 Vantage S, the V12 Vantage S's gearbox provides quick, affirmative paddle shifts while saving 25kg over the six-speed manual gearbox.Completely new to the Vantage range is the three-stage adaptive damping system. With "Normal," "Sport," and "Track" modes, the system can range from relatively plush to firm and agile at the press of a button. Throttle response, gearshift speed and timing, and exhaust note are also controlled by these modes.The exhaust system itself is derived from that of the One-77 hypercar, saving weight and space compared to the previous V12 Vantage exhaust.Electronically-controlled hydraulic power steering (via a ZF-sourced Servotronic system) also joins the party, with a 15:1 steering ratio. The electronically-controlled steering is also tuned to match each of the three adaptive damping settings.StyleThe exterior of the V12 Vantage S is mostly familiar, and that's mostly fantastic, as the standard V12 Vantage, and the Vantage family, for that matter, are quite comely. Sharpening the look for the V12 Vantage S is accomplished with black carbon fibre or titanium silver mesh accents, a new grille insert inspired by the gorgeous CC100 Speedster Concept, alloy ten-spoke wheels, and a subtle graphics package including a black painted roof and partially painted trunk panel.Inside, the new V12 Vantage S gets revised Sport seats, with a choice of Luxmill or semi-aniline leathers, optional Alcantara upholstery, and an optional Carbon Fibre Interior Pack. The carbon pack adds carbon fibre trim elements to the door pulls, dash, and black pedals.As Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin put it, "The new V12 Vantage S is our most extreme Vantage to date--engineered to bring race car performance and technology to the open road... It is our most powerful engine in a beautifully tailored suit. It is elegant, yet brutal, and it is at the same time easy to control. It has everything that sums up Aston Martin: power, beauty and soul!"www.motorauthority.com