There is no arguing with the fact that Aston Martins are absolutely gorgeous machines. They are also absurdly fast. But if you live in a crowded city like Manhattan, London or Tokyo they are utterly impractical. Like most exotics they can be hard to see out of and who wants to risk getting entangled with a bus or delivery truck? The crew at Aston Martin are now working on the solution.

The Cygnet by Aston Martin is a urban car concept that would give Aston owners a more practical alternative for when they need to head into the city center. The Cygnet is based on Toyota's recently launched iQ micro-car. While Aston doesn't have any confirmed production plans for the Cygnet yet, it could be offered in the future as an accompaniment to "standard" Astons, much like a dinghy for a yacht.

If only we could afford a "standard" Aston Martin on a blogger budget.

[Source: Aston Martin]

Rapper, producer, designer, and tastemaker Kanye West could obviously have any watch in the world. The one he chose is a customized all-black Rolex Submariner by Swiss firm Black-Out Concept (above), on a black nylon NATO spec strap. Kanye made a decision a while back that Rolex would be his signature watch brand, but he wanted to add his own twist; Black-Out's version was perfect. "It looks hard, it looks really cool," he explained in naming the watch one of his 10 style essentials. "It's a new take on a classic watch." He also likes the fact that they take a Rolex and literally "paint it black" (coat it, actually).

Black-Out Concept was founded in 2007 by Fabrice Letellier in Geneva. An avid watch collector, racecar driver and all-round exotic car enthusiast with the means to indulge his passions, the idea was born when Letellier had some of his supercar collection given a matte black treatment, i.e. blacked-out. Next he decided to do the same with his Rolex, and soon some of his fellow car and watch aficionados followed suit. Obviously there was a market for it. Letellier contracted with one of Geneva's best watchmakers to perfect the black out process for timepieces, which is done using two low-friction, scratch-proof finishes used by the military, PVD and DLC (diamond-like carbon).

Black-Out also creates customized blacked-out cars, including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley and Aston Martin; the Black-Out package on the latter (see the gallery) costs about $40,000. They do customized matte black motorcycles as well built on a Harley-Davidson base, blacked-out Vertu Ascent cell phones - basically anything you can think of that would look better in all black. In addition to the Submariner they also black out several other Rolex models, including the GMT II, Daytona, Milgaus, and Deepsea, as well as other brands like Panerai, Bell & Ross and Audemars Piguet. Letellier has his own high-end watch brand in the works as well.



Of course, Black-Out aren't the only ones to offer blacked-out Rolexes; we've written before about Bamford & Sons' $30,000 PVD Daytona and other models, as well as Jacques Picard's $18,000 DLC Deepsea. (No, we don't know who thought of it first.) Black-Out doesn't actually sell watches, however, they customize yours at a cost of €5,000, or about $7,000, which includes Fed-Ex'ing to and from Geneva, and a set of three different straps including the NATO. So you can in fact get the look of the far more expensive models for much less - if you pick up a used Submariner in the $5,000 range - yet still have a watch that's every bit as exclusive, not to mention Kanye-approved. You can contact Black-Out's U.S. representative Christian Ginet at blackoutconcept@mac.com for more info.

A new supercar tour of Switzerland and Austria has just launched called First Class on the Road. On the two-day journey you can switch between a Lamborghini Gallardo, Aston Martin DB9, BMW M6 and a Weismann MF3, with stops at top luxury hotels, restaurants and spas along the way. The Swiss tour begins at the historic Palace Luzern on the lake in Lucerne, while the Austrian jaunt starts at Schloss Fuschl on Fuschlsee Lake, a stone castle built in 1450. Local guides lead you on six-hour drives through the "sweetest hairpin turns, the sharpest inclines and the most breathtaking picnic spots."

[via UrbanDaddy]

Christian Slater's vintage Aston Martin is among the lots on offer at Bonhams' Collectors' Motor Car Sale at the S.A.S. le Prince de Monaco Motor Museum in Monaco on May 18. The car is a 1984 Aston Martin V8 Volante, finished in gray with a matching gray leather interior, that the Hollywood star bought in Los Angeles in 1997, a few years after he starred in True Romance. The Aston is estimated at €40,000 - €50,000, or about $50,000 - $65,000. Slater's Aston is a steal compared to the auction's top lot, the 1928 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Mille Miglia Speciale, one of only three in existence, which is expected to fetch up to $1 million.

Classic car collectors in England have come to know Bonhams' auction at the old Aston Martin factory in Newport Pagnell as a significant event on the calendar. Always packed with a mouth-watering selection of classic Astons and Lagondas, the Works Service auction has raised some £14 million in sales over the past ten years. But this year the prospective bidders are in for another surprise: protestors.

Aston Martin moved its production facilities to a new factory in Gaydon two years ago, leaving the old historic Newport Pagnell facility to its classic maintenance and restoration division. But the Works Service only needs so much space, so part of the compound is earmarked to be converted into a Tesco supermarket. Historic automobile enthusiasts find this disgraceful, and intend to bring it to the attention of the marque's devotees this Saturday when they arrive for the auction, which will feature a rare 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante expected to fetch over half a million dollars. Follow the link for more information.

It's been nearly nine months since Aston Martin first starting taunting performance car aficionados with teaser shots of its upcoming One-77 supercar. Finally, the first completed vehicle has made its way out of the marque's factory in the United Kingdom and over to the shores of Lake Como in Italy where it took part in the Concorso d'Eleganza. Apparently, it was rather well received.

Aston's brutally-styled beauty took home the Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes, garnering 30% of the total number of votes cast at the event in the process. Not only were the event's attendees the first to gaze upon a fully assembled One-77, they also got to hear it run for the first time ever.

Here's the best news: thanks to the wonders of YouTube, we all get the chance to hear the baritone grumble of Aston's carbon-ensconced 7.3L V12 engine. Interested? Click on past the break for the video.


[Source: Aston Martin]

On Saturday May 9th Bonhams will celebrate its 10th Anniversary auction sale at the Aston Martin Works Service facility, at the marque's spiritual home in Newport Pagnell, UK. The sale is dedicated solely to the Aston Martin and Lagonda marques, and Bonhams work closely with the Aston Martin Owner's Club who also schedule their annual International Concours d'elegance over the same weekend. Over the past decade Bonhams has sold over £16 million worth of Aston Martins and related automobilia, making them the worldwide leader in this sector.

Last year, they sold a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Coupé for £1,079,500, a new world auction record for the model. Aston Martin Works Service is offering a "premier client package" to those looking to celebrate the 10th Anniversary sale in true style. The package includes reserved parking, entrance with catalog, morning refreshments, a delicious luncheon served in the marquee and priority reserved seating in the saleroom. Tickets are limited to 100 and cost £155 per person.

This is a big year for both famed British auto marque Aston Martin and one of our favorite brands, classic London-based men's clothing company Hackett, official partner of the GT1 works Aston Martin Racing team. In June Aston Martin aims to win this year's Le Mans race outright, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of racing legend Carroll Shelby's stunning overall victory at Le Mans in an Aston Martin DBR1, with its incredible new LMP1 racecars. Hackett provides official Aston Martin Racing Team clothing and sells a range of licensed apparel and accessories, including the super-stylish Hackett Aston Martin Racing Moto Plan biker style jacket (above) for £300.00, bearing the number 59 for Shelby's 1959 victory.

Hackett, founded in 1979, is a classic British clothing and accessories brand which "caters for the head to toe needs of men of all ages who wish to dress stylishly and to whom quality is more important than the vagaries of fashion." The brand takes its inspiration from the traditions of British dress without being old fashioned and as such its products are "evolutionary rather than revolutionary." As founder Jeremy Hackett says, "our clothes wear in not out". In addition to a total of 29 shops across the UK, Spain and France, Hackett is now represented in 15 European countries, Hong Kong and Dubai.

The Le Mans race "epitomizes the true values of racing; endurance mixed with the thrill of speed and a certain savoir faire," Hackett notes. The two Aston Martin Racing LMP1 cars vying for victory this year will sport the iconic Gulf colors of light blue and orange, colors with a fine tradition at Le Mans as well as being immortalized by Steve McQueen in the famous film Le Mans. In addition to Aston Martin, Hackett also sponsors the London Rowing Club and the British Army Polo Team.

Jeremy Hackett is also known as "Mr. Classic," the title of his regular column for the London Independent on Sunday, which airs his witty, incisive views and observations on fashion and style. In 2007 he published a compilation of his columns accompanied by lavishly photographed style tableaux. Mr. Classic the book is a must-have for any man who takes sartorial matters seriously. As the publishers describe it, Hackett "takes us on a Grand Tour of an appealing world of Bentleys and polo, bicycles and picnics, bow ties and Sussex Spaniels, top hats and bespoke luggage." That's the world The Classicist wants to get lost in, no doubt.

Investment Dar, the Kuwaiti investment group that owns a controlling interest in Aston Martin, is in talks to sell a stake in the company that could pave the way for new ownership, the Financial Times reports. Investment Dar paid Ford over $900 million for its majority stake in Aston Martin back in 2007, but the economic downturn has forced it to reconsider the position. The group has received several expressions of interest in a stake in the famed marque as a part of the company's plans to restructure its debt, sources tell the newspaper. Aston's sales volume in the UK, which accounts for about a third of the worldwide total, fell 25% in the year through October, forcing the company to cut its workforce by one third. Plans for restructuring are expected to be finalized by March 16. Nonetheless, Aston unveiled some new models at this week's Geneva Motor Show, including the DBS Volante and limited edition V12 Vantage (above).

When we next see Agent 007 hit the big screen, this car may well be his new ride. After providing Bond with an Aston Martin DBS coupe during the last two movies, Aston Martin will introduce the DBS Volante at next week's Geneva Motor Show. In order to preserve the voluptuous profile of the DBS with the top down, Aston has opted to stick with a fabric top rather than a bulkier retractable hard-top. The top can be stowed away in just 14 seconds even when the car is moving at speeds up to 30 mph. Once the top is down or up, the 510 hp V12 can push the DBS Volante up to speeds of 191 mph! Inside the cockpit the driver and passenger will as always be ensconced in the highest quality hides and veneers. The DBS Volante will be delivered starting in third quarter of 2009.


[Source: Aston Martin]

The Lagonda nameplate stretches back all the way to 1906, when it was first introduced in Middlesex by an American named Wilbur Gunn. The automaker continued offering luxurious automobiles until it was taken over in 1947 by fellow British automaker Aston Martin. Since September of last year, we've been expecting that a new Lagonda would be displayed at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, and now that timing has been confirmed.

Expect a four-door saloon that carries traditional Aston Martin design touches. There has been some talk that the new Lagonda may be based on the most current Mercedes-Benz S-Class chassis architecture, but that's yet to be confirmed. There is also reason to suspect that the new Lagonda could share underpinnings with the upcoming Rapide sedan, though possibly in a modified crossover form since it wouldn't make much sense to offer two models that would compete for the same sales. We'll know for sure in early March.

[Source: AutoExpress]

There are some things we'll never get tired of. Like new top-of-the-line supercars from Aston Martin. The British sportscar manufacturer never seems tired, either, of one-upping itself, and to that end is descending on the lakeside Swiss city of Geneva in two weeks with the production version of the V12 Vantage.

Originally previewed at the same show two years ago, the V12 Vantage takes the company's "entry-level" V8 Vantage model and, as you might have guessed, drops in a V12 engine in its place. Along with the power upgrade, Aston has taken out a lot of excess weight, helping the 510-horsepower sportscar run from 0-60 in just a tick over four seconds, en route to a 190 mph top speed. Only 1000 examples of the V12 Vantage will be made, but unfortunately none will be making it over to American shores, so the closest you may get for the time being to seeing one is in the gallery below, so check it out.

Aston Martin and famed Architect Lord Norman Foster have won a competition to re-design London's iconic double-decker buses, which were discontinued three years ago. The mayor of London hopes to have the new buses up and running in time for the London Olympics in 2012. According to the AP, in the Aston / Foster model (above), "Passengers sit on reconstituted leather upholstery while gazing through a glazed roof coated with solar panels to power heat and air conditioning. The rounded bus also boasts wood flooring and a saloon-like lower deck that the architect hopes will create 'a tactile living room feel.'" Critics of the plan have pointed out the cost of the chic new conveyances could amount to $160 million a year.

If you've got a weakness for Aston Martin cars then this is an accessory to put on your holiday list. The Sabelt for Aston Martin Racing shoes are casual racing shoes in soft calfskin and suede with a curved design and inserts of silver lamé fabrics that echo the sleek lines of the cars. Sabelt has been working for the Aston Martin Racing squad for almost three years. The shoes come in colors ranging from bright to subtle. The pair shown above sells for 139 euros.

[via Classic Driver which is giving away a pair of black-on-black shoes to one lucky reader]