Image taken by Bertrand Duperrin.
2009 Aston Martin V12 Vantage
Gaydon, Warwickshire, Wednesday 4 February 2009. Aston Martin will present the most potent production sports car in the marque’s 95-year history at the Geneva motor show on 3rd March. Based on the hugely successful V8 Vantage, the V12 Vantage will feature a 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS), and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque with a top speed of 190 mph (305 km/h) and 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time of 4.2 seconds.
The latest incarnation of the Vantage family has been designed to provide a unique character, appealing to different driver tastes and complementing the other models in the Aston Martin line-up.
The original V12 Vantage concept was unveiled to guests at the opening of the Aston Martin Design Studio in December 2007. Continuing the marque’s impressive record of bringing concepts to market in their original form, Aston Martin engineers have brought the V12 Vantage to market in an incredible 12 months.
Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said: “This is the ultimate performance interpretation of the Vantage range, combining our most agile model with our most powerful engine. It represents the definitive driving package; providing spectacular performance to ensure a dynamically thrilling and everyday useable driving experience.
“The V12 Vantage has a unique character, unlike our other cars. This will appeal to different people with different tastes, allowing more people to enjoy the Aston Martin experience.
“This also illustrates one of Aston Martin’s key strengths – the ability to act quickly and turn concepts and ideas into reality.”
Designed for the focused driver, every component of the V12 Vantage has been honed with pure driving enjoyment in mind. Benefitting from race-developed materials and components, and featuring lightweight carbon fibre; performance and agility have been tuned to perfection.
Visually enticing, the V12 Vantage expresses its performance potential through its purposeful stance created by enhanced aerodynamic and cooling aids optically widening the car. Equally inviting, the cosseting interior permits the driver to extract maximum performance ability from the car while also enjoying customary levels of Aston Martin comfort on longer journeys. High levels of power and torque are available at all engine speeds making the V12 Vantage responsive and tractable in any driving situation.
The V12 Vantage will be built at Aston Martin’s global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire joining the DBS, DB9 and V8 Vantage model lines which are built in the state-of-the-art production facility combining hi-tech manufacturing processes with traditional hand-craftsmanship. Production will be limited to between just 300-500 examples per year, making the V12 Vantage a truly exclusive driver’s car.
Deliveries of the V12 Vantage are expected to commence during quarter three 2009 with prices to be confirmed at the Geneva motor show.
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The Way to Arrive in Style
Limousine services caters all sorts of events whether limousine service for prom or wedding, airport limo, corporate meetings, government dignitaries assembly, or simply to tour around town or just about anything that requires stylish movement of people from place to place. Surely the only way to travel with no less than regal elegance and style is in a chauffeur driven Limo. To simply put an example: Riding a New York Limo is far more elegant than riding a taxicab in New York.
Limousines, or simply Limo, are unusually long vehicles for luxurious travelers. It is an automobile associated with the well to do or the upper class men and women of the society. But do you know that the term Limousine came from a place called ‘Limousin.’ Limousin is a rural region in France famous for tasty beef cattle, exquisite wines and the infamous French Oak Orchards. Also, Limousin meant a certain type of specialized country coat or cloak made of wool fiber from sheep or goat. Shepherds in the region use Limousin coat or cloak during cold nights for it provides superior warmth and comfort against the bitter cold weather.
Similarly, Limousine ride meant luxury, comfort, fame and, nowadays, safety. It provides the best possible comfort, warmth and privacy. Also, most, if not all, Limousine services come with exquisite wines readily available on their mini bar. Limousines, on most cases, have two to three major compartments. Typically, the partition between the chauffeur compartment and passengers’ compartment is a soundproof sliding glass window so that the chauffeur is not hearing conversations among passengers. A third compartment is dedicated to luggage.
Chauffeurs drive limousines. A chauffeur, although it literally means driver in French or anyone who drives a vehicle for a living, is somewhat ‘one-up’ than any land vehicle driver. Chauffeur, nowadays, connotes driving a luxury car and not just any car. In some places a plus premium or qualifier for a chauffeur, aside from state issued driver’s license, are other licenses which attest them to have reached certain minimum age and years of clean driving experience (meaning no record of accident involving vehicles whether minor or major).
There are several types of Limousines to choose from based on the taste, level of comfort and elegance you are looking for. There is the traditional, the stage and the exotic or customized limo. Limousines usually come in black or white color; though rarely there are also other colors like pink, magenta and blue. Aside from manufactured Limos, there are also vehicles converted to become limousines. Today, almost all types of sedan car can be converted, or stretched, into Limousine. There are auto shops that specialize on this job, catering the wishes of clienteles who wanted custom built Limousine. Nowadays, Limousines can be equipped with almost all sorts of features in the name of elegance, comfort and safety. From bulletproofing to mini bars and hot tubs to GPS navigation systems and other multitude of features customized to fit every whims and wants of those who can afford.