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In an interview with Aston Martin Chief Executive Andy Palmer, Car Sales, an Australian publication, found out that the new Vanquish is likely to get a manual gearbox. Going against the trend, the upcoming mid-engined car will of course get another transmission option but we are pleasantly surprised to hear of another sports car manufacture other than Porsche who would offer a self-shifting option to its customers. That said, Palmer did not specifically say ‘yes’ directly when he was interviewed. “I’ve already made a commitment that I want to be the last manufacturer in the world to offer manual sports cars and I want to honour that commitment,” Palmer remarked. The new car will be using an aluminum platform and a twin-turbocharged V6 with a small electric motor, and while the company hasn’t said how much grunt it will have, you can expect it to have around 800bhp or so.

http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2004_aston_martin_vanquish_zagato_roadster-1.jpg http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2004_aston_martin_vanquish_zagato_roadster-2.jpg http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2004_aston_martin_vanquish_zagato_roadster-3.jpg Zagato and Aston Martin: a strong alliance that goes back to the 60s with the legendary DB4 GTZ, continued in the 80s with the Vantage and Volante, and is now stronger than ever with the DB7 Zagato and AR1. At this year's Geneva Motor Show, Zagato is presenting the Roadster version of the Aston Martin Vanquish. For the first time, this Milan workshop is not giving an entirely new look to the production model, but is offering an interesting variation of the Vanquish, introducing new elements of style. While the Aston Martin DB7 Zagato and AR1 were initially presented to customers in the form of a limited edition, immediately sold out, the Vanquish Roadster is a concept proposed by Zagato with the backing of Aston Martin itself. Close cooperation between Nori Harada, Zagato's Automotive Chief Designer, and Peter Hutchinson, Design Manager at Aston Martin, has resulted in this new car introducing elements that are a sharp break with the Roadster segment. A totally unique design of the rear introductes a functional modular cover system. A hard top for winter, developed to not appear as an add-on but as an integral part that also takes in the rear. On warmer days of the year, its place is taken by a transparent hardened glass and an easily used soft cover. Developed by Zagato's engineers, this soft top is easily and simply mounted and, when not in use, is held in the luggage compartment without taking up much space. The car has a round rear light cluster, a tapered tail to best feature the wheelbox, a completely new rear bumper and a new transparent cover. The hardened glass, with its curvy 'double bubble' form, uniquely emphasises the relationship between the solid and void. It covers the luggage compartment immediately behind the seats which can be seen through the glass. Story by Aston Martin Lagonda Limited & Zagato, edited by Supercars.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9vhsFsyGQ0 If you think that forklifting an Audi R8 onto the roof of Fullerton Hotel was impressive, wait till you hear this. Aston Martin, in celebration of its 100th year since inception, dropped in a Vanquish onto the helipad of Dubai's Buri Al Arab hotel before showing if off to a group of dignitaries. At 321m, the Buri Al Arab hotel is the fourth tallest hotel in the world. It stands on an artificial island 280m from Jumeirah beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. Also as part of the British carmaker's 100th year celebration, the Vanquish, Rapide, V8 Vantage and DB9 will all be offered with a limited production Centenary Edition model with just 100 units. Since the star of this blog post is the Vanquish, its Centenary Edition comes with a special graduated paint finish, which adds 18 hours to the 50-hour paint process. Under the hood is a 6.0-litre V12 which makes 565bhp and 457Nm of torque. It sprints from 0 to 100km/h in just 4.1 seconds.

A 'custom-built' vehicle in a 'made-to-measure' suit by a great tailor based on a production vehicle of great prestige. This, very briefly, is the Bertone Jet 2 (the name is a tribute to the Aston Martin Jet created by Nuccio Bertone in 1961, based on the Aston Martin DB4 GT as a one-off). A Concept car developed from the Aston Martin Vanquish, the Bertone Jet 2 has the same mechanical lay out, the floorpan structure (the wheel base has been lengthened by 210 mm. to allow two rear seats to be added to the original version) and all the BIW elements 'under the skin' to limit investments and not alter the elements which are subject to homologation. Bertone Jet 2 expresses the concept of a modern 'custom-built' car. In other words a vehicle which, on the basis of a non-perceptible carry over nucleus, is characterized by a completely new body. In this sense the Bertone Jet 2 re-proposes, in modern terms, a product linked to the traditional history of Italian coachbuilders which dressed the most enchanting engines of the time in 'haute couture'. In recent years, the public has determined a marked division of the market in niche products. This diversification in demand entails massive economic investments for the manufacturers. The Bertone Jet 2 is an example of how Bertone could help the manufacturers to diversify their own range by preparing 'custom-built' vehicles, exactly as they did in the fifties and sixties, with all the quality and safety standards of a modern automobile manufacturer. The proposal expressed by the Bertone Jet 2 has been made sustainable from the manufacturer's point of view, thanks to a maximum synergy with the components of the original model. From the engineering point of view, Bertone has respected all the structural limits of the original vehicle, the modification of which would have entailed high levels of investment (which would not have allowed to contain the price difference of the custom-built vehicle). At the same time, the finished vehicle is characterized by a specific identity which is so strong that it can be presented as a new model. To the hypothetical final customer, the decision to work with limited investments could translate into a reasonable price increase, to justify the possession of an exclusive object, a vehicle for a few refined connoisseurs. The point of departure for the styling definition was the search of a Bertone identity with respect to the classic Aston Martin features. The car body, originating from sinuous lines and tight 'geometrical' features, is a synthesis of the two brand identities. The flowing shape follows a forward leaning belt line which rises towards the tail; a graphical treatment which enhances the physical power of the Bertone Jet 2 through flowing and natural phrasing. The idea of movement is resumed by a large transparent roof, which emphasizes the dynamism and the impetus of the vehicle. In the front part the classic Aston Martin grille remains, with additional air ducts to cool the disc brakes. The flush cover headlights propose an evolved graphic with respect to the original model. The rear view focuses on the vertical tailgate, the outline of which repeats the shape of the Aston Martin grille. The Bertone Jet 2 presents the classic interior configuration of the 2+2 coup

Anyone notice the new Peugeot 407 looks extremely like the Vanquish from the front ? A coupe version will bear even more similarity !