Aston Martin leaks topless DB11 images

22 September, 2016

 

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Aston Martin has teased images for a 2018 Volante D11, and we’re excited

In August just gone, we made our way to the Aston Martin DB11 unveil. A NZ$365K, plus on-road costs, was justified by its technology, beauty, and power. Knowing that it’s powered by a newly designed 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine, it’s sure to be the most powerful ever, with 600hp and a stump pulling (not that you would) 700Nm of torque. This equates to a gorgeous tourer that will top out at 322kph and jet to 100kph from a standstill in just 3.9 seconds. After 103 years in the automotive game, it’s safe to assume that they know a thing or two by now. 

Just recently, Aston Martin dropped three images onto their Facebook page — three images of a DB11 with a soft-top. Printed on the side of the vehicle was ‘Opening Spring 2018’.

Aesthetically, the DB11 Volante looks to feature the same DB11 rear end we’ve already seen, but they didn’t photograph the front of the vehicle, leading us to speculate there might be a few subtle changes. 

The Volante will no doubt be a little slower than the coupe DB11, and a little more expensive, too. We’re expecting Aston Martin to release official images in the coming months, so we’ll keep you posted. 

Escort services – 1968 Escort 1100 Restomod

The Escort started off as a 1968 1100 cc two-door sold-new in Britain. At some point it was retired from daily duty and set aside as a pet project for someone. When that project began is unclear, but much of the work was completed in 2014 including a complete rotisserie restoration.
By the end of 2014, it was finished but not completed. Its Wellingtonian owner bought it sight unseen from the UK and it landed here in early 2020. It was soon dispatched to Macbilt in Grenada North, Wellington for them to work their magic.
Macbilt had two instructions: to get the car through compliance for use on the road; and to improve the vehicle and finish the project so it drove as well as it looked. Looking at the car now, it has an amazing presence and stance. It can’t help but attract attention and a bevy of admirers.

Lunch with … Cary Taylor

Many years ago — in June 1995 to be more precise — I was being wowed with yet another terrific tale from Geoff Manning who had worked spanners on all types of racing cars. We were chatting at Bruce McLaren Intermediate school on the 25th anniversary of the death of the extraordinary Kiwi for whom the school was named. Geoff, who had been part of Ford’s Le Mans programme in the ’60s, and also Graham Hill’s chief mechanic — clearly realising that he had me in the palm of his hand — offered a piece of advice that I’ve never forgotten: “If you want the really good stories, talk to the mechanics.”
Without doubt the top mechanics, those involved in the highest echelons of motor racing, have stories galore — after all, they had relationships with their drivers so intimate that, to quote Geoff all those years ago, “Mechanics know what really happened.”