World Auto News & Reviews

Originally, the Aston Martin Cygnet was only planned for the European market. Reports now suggest that the rebadged Toyota iQ minicar will be coming to the United States in 2012 – but that’s not all.

Besides the regular 1.3L gasoline engine based Cygnet, an electric-version with a 60-mile range will arrive sometime in 2013.

Same purchasing rules apply so you’ll need to already an Aston and pay an extra $35,000 for the gasoline Cygnet.

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Celebrating four years of competing in the Nürburgring 24-hour race, Aston Martin has unveiled a special edition model called the V8 Vantage N420. Extra standard equipment, reduced weight and unique colour options set it apart from the regular car.

The N420 is powered by the standard V8 Vantage’s 4.7-litre engine, producing 420bhp. Official performance figures are unchanged, though the new model sheds 27kg in weight thanks to more extensive use of carbon fibre.

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The famous Aston Martin DB5 sports car driven by Sean Connery in the 1960s Bond movies Goldfinger and Thunderball is for sale for the first time

The Aston Martin DB5 is going under the auctioneer’s hammer on 27 October and is expected to fetch at least £3.5 million (NZ$7.5 million)

The car with number plate FMP 7B has been under the ownership of US radio broadcaster Jerry Lee since 1969. He had bought it from the factory for US$12,000 (NZ$17,600).

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Ugur Sahin Design, the firm behind the (still upcoming?) Z03 which was to be built by Mallett, decided to update Aston’s lineup with a design study called the Gauntlet.

The intent was “to design a car which is technically almost identical to the existing production Aston Martins while defining a design character that outmost respects the impressive history of the brand and combine the timeless lines of the past Aston Martins with the modern interpretation of the existing styling.”

Here’s how I see it: a car like the DB9, but with a coach-built look and feel.

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Here is a perfect way to start of the hump day of the week – 120 new high-res photos of the new 2010 Aston Martin Rapide (yes, you can thank us in the comments section after the jump).

Check out photos of the new 2010 Rapide sedan in all of its exterior colors including Hardly Green, Magma Red, Quantum Silver and Silver Blonde.

Refresher: Power for the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide comes from a 6.0L V12 engine making 470-hp and a peak torque of 443 lb-ft. Mated to a Touchtronic 2 6-speed gearbox with electronic shift-by-wire control system, the Aston Martin Rapide can go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds with a top speed of 188 mph.

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