Aston Martin has been rather busy of late, even though the rest of the motoring industry is usually in hibernation during this time of the year. The exciting upcoming developments from the Gaydon-based manufacturer include the opening of a new design centre, the Vantage V12 RS concept and a new partnership with Danish electronics firm Bang & Olufsen.
The development of the 2 700-m2 design-centre, which is adjacent to the Gaydon plant in the UK, took just twelve months from drawing board to completion. It was built using the latest construction technology, making extensive use of structural wood and large glass surfaces. This new building provides working space for the design team, colour development work and specialist trimmer. The public foyer has been designed to be used as both a gallery and VIP area for launches and private viewings, complete with a projection and speaker system by … wait for it…Bang & Olufsen
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Along with the opening of the new design centre, Aston Martin has also unveiled its V12 Vantage RS supercar concept– designed to go head-to-head with the Ferrari 599 GTB. The 1 600 kg Vantage RS borrows the 410 kW V12 from the DBRS9 racecar and is said to take only four seconds to sprint to 100 km/h from standstill, while reaching a top speed in the region of 320 km/h. Priced higher than the Ferrari 599 and DBS, it’ll take a lot more than the carbon-ceramic brakes to justify the Vantage RS’ price tag – even though it is believed that when the Vantage RS goes into production late 2008, it will be an exclusive limited edition.
Aston Martin’s new partnership with Bang & Olufsen aims to “revolutionize the luxury automotive sector” through the use of B&O’s neighbourhood-disturbing audio system’s. B&O also provide an R8 000 surround sound system in the Audi A4 and an even more expensive example in the Q7 and R8. If the partnership goes on to include such systems in the entire Aston model line-up, one has to wonder where the engineers would find the space for 14 loud speakers in a coupé…
