Aston Martin Vantage

#245, Young reporter Mason Bloom joins TheWeeklyDriver.com

Mason Bloom has experienced a lot as a young automotive enthusiast. His father owns a Porsche 911 and his father’s friend owns an Aston Martin Vantage. Bloom drove the latter at age 12. The Porsche and Aston Martin experiences solidified Bloom’s passion for high-performance vehicles. It also ignited his interest in writing about his experiences and the always-compelling automobile industry. Bloom, 16, a sophomore at Aptos High School (located on the central coast of California), is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I talk with the journalist about his automobile interests and those of his peers. We also talk with him about his writing talents. Bloom, recommended by Dave Kellogg (my long-time editor

Read more

2021 Aston Martin Vantage: stunning, fast, flawed

There’s no way around it. Something’s not right with the 2021 Aston Martin Vantage. And what would James Bond have to say about it? Sean Connery as Agent 007 was often portrayed escaping from criminals and saving the world while driving an Aston Martin. But how could anything but perfection be the vehicle of choice for the epitome of espionage elegance? Bond film aficionados know the secret agent often drove an Aston Martin DB5 in films, although the tuxedo-wearing purveyor of cool drove other models, including the Vantage. 2021 Aston Martin Vantage: Pricey Options As awkward as it may read, the Vantage is the British carmaker’s entry-level vehicle with a top-line price of about $200,000. The MSRP is $147,000 and

Read more

#163, The Weekly Driver Podcast’s Cars of the Year

Welcome to the 14th annual Cars of the Year list, selected by TheWeeklyDriver.com. This year, co-host Bruce Aldrich and I announce the top-10 list on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Bruce and I individually picked 10 vehicles from the nearly 40 cars and trucks in 2020 models I reviewed and Bruce drove. Neither of us was surprised. Our choices for cars of the year were nearly identical, including our No. 1 choice, the 2020 Corvette Stingray. Unlike many publications, we wait until the end of the year to announce our selections. A year’s perspective is important. Cars of the Year Here are The Weekly Driver Podcast’s choices for 2020 (with prices), followed by cars of the year

Read more

2020 Aston Martin Vantage: James Bond sports car cool

The video is in black-and-white, the quality marginal, the premise pure action and preposterous fantasy. But it’s James Bond driving an Aston Martin DB5 in the movie Goldfinger, and after 56 years it’s still fun to watch. Perhaps only equaled in brand association by Volkswagen in the hippie movement, Aston Martin is secret agent 007’s getaway car. James Bond, played by Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, drove many other vehicles during the series’ 25 films. None represent the character’s automotive prowess more than his Aston Martin chase scenes throughout the years. The latest film “No Time To Die,” was delayed from a spring release to November because of the coronavirus. It will feature four Aston Martin vehicles to commemorate the

Read more

PREVIEW: 2015 Aston Martin Vantage S Roadster

Aston Martin will globally debut its 2015 V12 Vantage S Roadster and the carmaker’s Design Prototype 100 (DP-100) will make its North American debut during the Pebble Beach Automotive Week beginning August 14. The V12 Vantage S Roadster is equipped with the latest 565 horsepower Aston Martin AM28 6.0-liter V12 engine. It features state-of-the-art Bosch engine management, which allows the car to reach 201 mph and accelerate 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. When it arrives in markets around the world later this year the new sports car will become the luxury British marque’s most potent, fastest and fastest-accelerating series production roadster to date. Developed in-house by the Design team at Aston Martin, DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo is a new, virtual-only

Read more

Aston Martin Vantage S 2011 debuts

Bridging the gap between road car and race car, the 2011 Aston Martin Vantage S is influenced by the 2011 Vantage GT4 race car. The GT4 takes advantage of the Vantage’s immensely rigid bonded aluminium chassis, providing the ideal platform for a race car. Minor racing safety modifications including an FIA approved roll cage and racing ‘bag’ petrol tank along with weight saving measures are made to the standard road car to convert it into a class winning race car. In 2010, it won its class at the Dubai 24 Hours following this up with further endurance race wins at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, Silverstone 24 Hours and Spa 24 Hours. It also won its first major international championship victory

Read more