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Tag: Aston Martin

  • Aston Martin at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

    Aston Martin at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

    • An incredible line-up of Aston Martin sports cars has been assembled to supply velocity with verve at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed, including Valkyrie, Valour, Valiant, Victor and Vantage
    • Aston Martin Valiant will make its global debut at Goodwood and two-time Formula One® World Champion Fernando Alonso will take the wheel on Friday
    • The 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place 11-14 July

    [source: Aston Martin]

    Gaydon, UK: Aston Martin will supply velocity with verve at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed (11 – 14 July) when Valkyrie, Valour, Valiant, Victor and Vantage headline the marque’s line-up of ultra-luxury sports cars heading up the famous Goodwood Hillclimb.

    The Festival of Speed, held at Goodwood every July is a highlight of the British summer season. The event has become an unmissable pilgrimage for lovers of speed who travel from across the world to revel in the sights and sounds of the world’s finest sports cars, driven by the racing stars of the past, the present and the future.

    Visitors to this year’s Festival are in for some high-octane thrills, courtesy of Aston Martin, as they witness the global debut of Aston Martin Valiant, one of just 38 ultra-exclusive, track-focused, road-legal special editions, created following a personal commission by Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team driver, two-time Formula One® World Champion Fernando Alonso, who will drive the new car on Friday at Goodwood. Embodying Aston Martin’s commitment to build pure driver’s cars, Valiant is sure to be one of the stars of the show, especially in its Muncher-inspired specification, which is a nod to the legendary Aston Martin Le Mans race car.

    Joining Valiant in the Supercar Paddock and on the Goodwood Hillclimb is a truly eye-watering line-up of Aston Martins.

    Valkyrie, Aston Martin’s game-changing hypercar is back. The crowd-pleasing, head-turner made its dynamic debut at Goodwood in 2021 and is now the inspiration for the new Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH-hypercar that is set to return the brand to the top echelons of sports car racing in 2025.

    Next up is Valour, created to celebrate the 110th anniversary of Aston Martin. With it’s bespoke 6-speed manual transmission, uniquely mated to a 5.2 litre Twin-Turbo V12 for maximum driver engagement and timeless classic appeal, Valour is the last of an era.

    The one-of-a-kind Aston Martin Victor, described by Top Gear as “the hypercar the eighties never had” was created by the brand’s unique personalisation service – ‘Q by Aston Martin’ – with a manual gearbox and, naturally, a V12 engine. The Festival of Speed provides a rare opportunity to see this unique car in action on the hillclimb and up-close in the Supercar Paddock.

    Launched just a few months ago, the new Aston Martin Vantage is Aston Martins truly focused sportscar. The latest car to take the vaunted Vantage nameplate is continuing the brand’s tradition of creating potent front-engined, rear-wheel drive sports cars, engineered to deliver maximum thrills with maximum confidence. Vantage is the heartbeat of the Aston Martin brand and this new model exemplifies the brand in every way.

    The new Aston Martin Vantage will also be represented in the motorsport paddock by the one-off Official FIA Safety Car of Formula 1® and by the new-for-2024 Vantage GT3 race car, which competes across the globe in series including the FIA World Endurance Championship.

    Joining all the ‘V’ models at Goodwood, is the World’s first Super Tourer, the Aston Martin DB12 – the first of the new generation of sports cars. Also on display in the First Glance paddock is the new DBX707, showing off its striking new interior design, complete with new, state-of-the-art infotainment system, developed in-house at Aston Martin.

    Marco Mattiacci, Global Chief Brand & Commercial Officer said: “The Festival of Speed is the highlight of the season for those who worship at the temple of speed. We are proud to play a part in this incredible, annual celebration of speed and this year we are delighted to offer up quite the array of Aston Martin sports cars and also the brand-new spec of DBX707. We look forward to this event every year as it is a great opportunity to showcase our brand to true connoisseurs of sports cars.”

    The 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed gets underway on July 11th and runs through until July 14th.

  • Aston Martin Racing Green Takes Pole Position as Brand’s Most Popular Color Choice Following F1 Success

    Aston Martin Racing Green Takes Pole Position as Brand’s Most Popular Color Choice Following F1 Success

    • Racing Green becomes the most popular Aston Martin colour choice 
    • 24% of new car buyers choosing one of the company’s nine shades of green
    • New data shows spike in new car orders in Aston Martin Racing Green following the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® team’s first podium of the 2023 season 
    • Aston Martin has an iconic association with the colour green, from its early heritage in motorsport to today’s AMR24 challenger

    [source: Aston Martin]

    Gaydon, UK – Aston Martin’s iconic Racing Green (racinggreenmetallic; metallic UNI; AST1140; Aston Martin) has officially become the most popular colour choice amongst new car buyers, for the very first time.

    As the eyes of the motorsport world turn to Bahrain for the first Grand Prix of the 2024 Formula 1® season, new retail data shows that nearly a quarter (24%) of Aston Martin customers are selecting one of the marque’s nine exclusive shades of green for their dream car, with the official Aston Martin Racing Green colour now the number one choice, ahead of traditionally popular paint colours such as Xenon Grey and Magnetic Silver.

    Aston Martin Racing Green was introduced by the marque to celebrate its return to the pinnacle of motorsport in 2021 and proved an immediate hit with customers. Representing around 7% of new car orders in the immediate 12 months following Aston Martin’s return to the grid, the trend has consistently increased year-on-year, with 12% of new Aston Martins now adorned in the official Aston Martin Racing Green colour – almost twice as many as the second most popular exterior option, Xenon Grey (6.8%).

    Fernando Alonso’s historic first podium for the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team at last year’s season-opener in Bahrain delivered a 29% increase in website traffic, while the team’s strong start to the 2023 season supported a spike in customer orders for Aston Martin Racing Green sports cars in April 2023.

    Marco Mattiacci, Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer of Aston Martin said: “Aston Martin was born out of racing, so 111 years on, it is fitting that this iconic brand sits at the pinnacle of motorsport, supercharging our ultra-luxury and high-performance credentials while engaging a passionate community.

    “Our presence on the grid has propelled the brand onto the global stage, but also captured the imagination of loyal and new customers who are specifying more cars in green than ever before. Just as James Bond made the Silver Birch paint tone synonymous with DB5 and the brand more broadly, 60-years on, Aston Martin’s on-track success is putting Aston Martin Racing Green at the forefront of customers’ minds when purchasing their Aston Martin.”

    Helped by Aston Martin’s main F1® livery colour and the company’s refreshed brand identity, demand for different shades of green has soared across its high-performance product portfolio. Aston Martin now extends its core colour palette to nine green variants, up from four offered at the beginning of 2021, prior to Aston Martin’s return to F1®. For discerning customers looking for a more exclusive palette of colours, the Q by Aston Martin bespoke division has helped customers specify cars in 30 unique shades of green, as well as providing match-to-samples capability for those wanting something entirely exclusive.

    Boosted by the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® team’s success in 2023, claiming eight podiums and 280 Championship points, the global platform of F1® is attracting a new breed of customers to Aston Martin. 72% of buyers of the racing-inspired Vantage F1® Edition model launched in 2021 were new to the Aston Martin brand, while market research indicates that 88% of luxury car buyers interested in Formula 1® are more likely to buy an Aston Martin because of the brand’s involvement in the sport. In Aston Martin’s largest commercial market, the United States, 98% of customers also said that the brand’s F1®association makes their cars more exciting to drive.

    In the 2023 season Aston Martin experienced a 20% increase in online configurations sent to dealers on race weekends, compared to non-race weekends. This was supported by becoming the first manufacturer to allow customers to digitally specify their dream car in the surroundings of a Formula 1® pit garage in Silverstone as well as on the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit.

    Aston Martin’s iconic association with the colour green began many decades ago, following a tradition established in the early days of motorsport that teams would race in national colours, or in the case of British manufacturers, a colour that became known as British Racing Green. Since then, Aston Martin race cars have competed in various shades of green before resting on the now familiar green which adorns its Formula 1® cars on the grid.

    Further building on the synergies between road and track, earlier this month, Aston Martin boldly launched its new Vantage sports car and Vantage GT3 racer on the same day as the marque’s new AMR24 Formula 1® challenger was unveiled ahead of its competitive debut at the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend.

    -ENDS-

    Note to editors:

    • 2023 data is based on Aston Martin retail sales for 2023 model year core products (March 2023 – October 2023) including those specified in exterior colours of Aston Martin Racing Green and Satin Aston Martin Racing Green.
    • Comparisons since Aston Martin’s return to Formula 1® are based on retail sales of Aston Martin core products in Aston Martin Racing Green and Satin Aston Martin Racing Green from March 2021 – October 2023.
  • Aston Martin Unveils its First Ultra-Luxury Flagship, Q New York 

    Aston Martin Unveils its First Ultra-Luxury Flagship, Q New York 

    • Experience unmatched British tailoring with unique craftsmanship and highly tuned intensity at the Home of Aston Martin in Manhattan
    • Aston Martin’s first ultra-luxury flagship location on 450 Park Avenue, in the heart of New York City
    • Q New York provides an exclusive and immersive entry into the thrilling world of Aston Martin
    • Offering an ultimate blend of digital and physical car configuration, the new location brings the very highest levels of the Q by Aston Martin bespoke service 
    • Flagship opening builds on Aston Martin’s long-standing commitment to luxury craft and the growing trend of personalisation

    [source: Aston Martin]

    New York City, NY – Where Savile Row meets Park Avenue. Aston Martin proudly opens the doors to Q New York, its first ultra-luxury flagship on 450 Park Avenue, in New York City.

    The new location brings the highest levels of the iconic British brand’s bespoke service, Q by Aston Martin to North America for the very first time, providing the most sophisticated luxury specification experience available anywhere in the world.

    The first-of-its-kind landmark location forms a key pillar of Aston Martin’s ultra-luxury brand and customer experience strategy, with the commitment to provide the very best possible environment for its most discerning clients to create their own intimately personal Aston Martin.

    Conscientiously designed to immerse onlookers into the thrilling world of Aston Martin, visitors on Park Avenue are greeted by a unique window installation of epic proportion, named the ‘Champagne Frame’. Created with one of the largest single panes of glass ever installed into a New York building, the grand window frame looks into the stars – Aston Martin’s most iconic models – which are carefully illuminated by an impressive 2,100 bulb chandelier – spanning 40-metres (131-foot). Meanwhile, the use of mosaic tiles and commanding dining tables helps define the new flagship, bringing the best of British to one of the most prominent streets in the world.

    The new location will serve as a showcase and launch venue for Aston Martin’s latest products, from unique special builds to limited-edition models and newcomers to Aston Martin’s breath-taking portfolio. From today, the flagship proudly displays the all-new DB12 in North America for the very first time, in addition to the era-defining Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro hypercar.

    Q New York offers an ultimate blend of digital and physical car configuration. As part of a custom-made appointment, clients will be able to visualise their personalised Aston Martin on a 10.5 metre (35-foot) x 3.5 metre (10-foot) LED wall capable of providing an ultra-high definition, 360-degree view of any Aston Martin in real-life size. Sitting at the intersection between the physical and digital worlds, Aston Martin’s intention is to provide such a realistic configuration that clients feel as though they could open the door to their car.

    Use of the most innovative Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology will facilitate a seamless, high-end customer specification service, allowing clients to combine the sensorial touch and feel of physical colour and trim samples with live configuration on screen.

    A live video link from Manhattan to Aston Martin’s design studio in Gaydon, UK, enables real-time communication with the brand’s renowned designers and the Q by Aston Martin team, providing the most bespoke and sophisticated commissioning experience available outside of a personal visit to headquarters.

    Offering a concierge experience, carefully curated high-end dining and overnight travel experiences will also be available for those seeking to extend and elevate the experience of creating their own Aston Martin.

    Q by Aston Martin represents a key pillar of Aston Martin’s ultra-luxury strategy, giving clients the ultimate sense of freedom and expression when customising their cars. Whilst a long-standing part of Aston Martin’s DNA, this bespoke service facilitates the growing trend of personalisation across the luxury goods segment.

    Recent years have seen significant growth for the Q by Aston Martin division with a record number of Aston Martin units sold with bespoke touches and elements in 2022, representing a 51% year-on-year increase. Notably, the Americas is the fastest growing region for Q by Aston Martin, with 92% year-on-year growth in 2022.

    Special and limited-edition models have supported this growth, following the introduction of specific Q by Aston Martin: Collection options. These carefully-selected collections are fully costed and visible on the Aston Martin configurator, acting as a significant gateway to introducing customers to the world of Q by Aston Martin and demonstrating the possibilities of this most intimate of services.

    Q by Aston Martin: Commission, the very highest level of the bespoke service, takes customers on an even more exclusive journey that involves a personal collaboration with the Aston Martin design team. This provides an unrivalled opportunity to create a truly bespoke, individual car, with customers known to invest upwards of 30% of the car’s original retail value to add their own mark and achieve a truly bespoke creation.  

    Located on one of the most prominent corners of Midtown Manhattan, Q New York unites both the handcrafted and high-tech nature of Aston Martin, showcasing the very best of British craftsmanship and engineering against the backdrop of an immersive specification experience, thanks to state state-of-the-art technology.

    Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin said: “The opening of our first flagship Q location, in our largest commercial market, is the latest distinct expression of Aston Martin’s shift to an ultra-luxury brand. It demonstrates our ambition to drive global growth and create elevated customer experiences to match our owners’ passion for Aston Martin.

    “We recognise the growing trend of personalisation across the luxury goods segment and see huge value in investing in our customer experience to create the best specification experiences available anywhere in the world. With a 92% increase in Q by Aston Martin take-up in the Americas last year, this is the perfect time and the perfect place for us to open our very first global flagship location.”

    The design principles of the space are built upon quintessentially British architecture, including extensive use of mosaic tiles, chandeliers, beautifully framed grand windows, fireplaces, and mantel pieces, as well as large scaling dining tables.

    Ensuring the space reflects the latest design trends befitting of 21st century Manhattan, an extensive level of attention has been paid to adapting materials and furnishings, all of which are underlined with a conscious awareness of sustainable materials and practises, in line with Aston Martin’s Racing. Green. sustainability strategy. 

    Marek Reichman, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Aston Martin said: “Creating wondrous places, spaces and experiences are important design statements for us. And just as we belong in Formula One as British makers of ultra-luxury high-performance sports cars, Aston Martin belongs in New York City. It’s a place where dreams come true.

    “We have created Q New York as a landmark across the Atlantic where our customers can collaborate with our designers to make their own lifelong Aston Martin dreams come true.

    “This is our version of creative performance design and precision craft at their finest – with sights and sounds, shapes and forms, and vivid colours and textured materials – all presented using the latest technology to provide customers with the engaging Aston Martin experience that they deserve.”

    Q New York is now officially open at 450 Park Avenue, with appointments available to be scheduled by any Aston Martin dealer.

  • Only Fully Aluminum-Bodied Aston Martin V12 Zagato in Existence Goes on Sale

    Only Fully Aluminum-Bodied Aston Martin V12 Zagato in Existence Goes on Sale

    • Incredibly rare car is also one of only two pre-production coupes built from a limited run of just 64 models
    • Owned by Aston Martin until 2016, then bought by a high-profile collector, it has been the subject of a full recommissioning by the Gaydon-based supercar maker
    • Beautiful aluminium body features traditional Zagato styling cues, including a ‘double-bubble’ roof and short overhangs
    • Finished in Aston Martin Racing Green and currently for sale at Bell Sport & Classic’s dedicated showroom in Hertfordshire

    Markyate, Hertfordshire, UK –  Bell Sport & Classic is delighted to offer for sale an incredibly rare, limited run Aston Martin: a one-of-one fully aluminium-bodied V12 Zagato.

    Originally unveiled at the 2011 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the DB4GT Zagato, the V12 Zagato went on to win the ‘Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes’ before going into a limited production run of just 64 cars.

    All V12 Zagatos are special, but the model at Bell Sport & Classic is unique. Not only is it one-of-two pre-production versions, built to tour the world as show cars for prospective clients at exclusive events, but while all other cars in the limited run feature a hand-crafted aluminium and carbon skin, this car’s body is made solely from the lightweight metal.

    Owned by Aston Martin itself up until 2016, this right-hand-drive example was due to go to Zagato to form part of the design house’s own collection. However, a very special Aston Martin client – and the car’s only owner – persuaded the company to let him purchase it, and before it was delivered to him, underwent a full recommissioning.

    Originally painted Titanium Grey, it was refinished in Aston Martin Racing Green and the interior retrimmed, while Aston Martin engineers are also rumoured to have fettled the 5.9-litre V12 engine to give it a little more power than the standard car’s 510bhp. Under the bonnet, it also features the original plaque denoting its pre-production model status.

    Featuring design elements seen on previous cars from the Milanese carrozzeria such as the ‘double-bubble’ roof and short body overhangs, inside the hand-trimmed leather features the quilted Zagato motif, which is carried across the door cards and seats accompanied by a matching leather bag set. It also comes with a book detailing its recommission, further adding to its appeal.

    Tim Kearns, Managing Director, Bell Sport and Classic said: “We are very pleased to offer for sale this truly unique Aston Martin V12 Zagato. All of the cars in the limited run of 64 are, of course, very special indeed but this outstanding example is one of only two pre-production cars and the only fully aluminium-bodied model ever made. It has been treated to a meticulous recommissioning by Aston Martin itself and would be a wonderful addition to any collection.”

    About Bell Sport & Classic
    Bell Sport & Classic brings together a highly experienced world-class team to offer unrivalled expertise and authenticity across the sales, service and restoration of the world’s most revered classic and modern classic supercars, specialising in Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini.

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