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REPORT: Aston Martin Cygnet adds a smart set of clothes to the Toyota iQ
Filed under: Concept Cars, Economy, Aston Martin, Toyota 
Toyota iQ-based Aston Martin Cygnet Concept - Click above to enlarge
With a nod to our current global economic and environmental issues, super GT maker Aston Martin has reportedly announced the world's first super luxury supermini. Having blown their development budget on the V12 Vantage RS, Rapide and One-77 hypercar, they turned to an unlikely partner for some help: Toyota. Aston Martin has taken the Toyota iQ 3+1 commuter and given it a tailored suit from Savile Row. The result is the new Aston Martin Cygnet you see above. In case you're wondering, a "cygnet" is a baby swan, not to be confused with an ugly duckling.
Although technically just a concept, word has it that the vehicle will be put into limited production and sold exclusively to existing Aston Martin owners, at least initially. There's a full press release after the jump, but the Cygnet should sell for around £20,000 (around $33k USD) when it goes on sale late next year. The car will retain the iQ's unique 3+1 seating but will be tailored to the individual customer's needs when it is assembled in Gaydon. Think of it as a move to "1-down" BMW's MINI brand. We only have the one photo for now, but from what we can see it doesn't look as unfortunate as we might have expected with Aston's distinctive grille, hood cutouts, side vents, and of course, the winged badge. Still, you have to wonder what this sort of thing might do to the Engish company's brand equity, no? Follow the jump for the presser. Thanks to everyone for the tips!
[Source: Toyota via Autocar]Continue reading REPORT: Aston Martin Cygnet adds a smart set of clothes to the Toyota iQ REPORT: Aston Martin Cygnet adds a smart set of clothes to the Toyota iQ originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments | Spy Shots: This is your Aston Martin Rapide
Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Aston Martin  A Car magazine reader has photographed the Aston Martin Rapide looking like it could have come off a dealer lot. The snapper also peeped the inside, which he said has a full-length console a la the Mercedes CLS to create four distinct seating positions. Aston has, however, said that those rear seats are for "children or two adults on shorter journeys." The slinky black number also sports a serious set of pipes out back that we expect to put out a beautiful soundtrack. And thank goodness the car has a hatch like the Vantage, which means -- in a first for current Aston Martins -- it could have a proper trunk. Like the kind you can actually put things in.
[Source: Car]Spy Shots: This is your Aston Martin Rapide originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments | AB visits the 24th Annual Huntington Beach Concours
Filed under: Time Warp, Aston Martin, Pontiac, Celebrities, Event Alert 
2009 Huntington Beach Concours - Click above for high-res gallery
We returned from a secret mission in Alaska just in time to make it to one of our favorite smaller concours, the Huntington Beach Concours d'Elegance in Central Park this past weekend. Not quite as prestigious as the L.A. Concours we covered from the Rose Bowl, it's always an eclectic show, with everything from hot rods to supercars, pre-war classics to bikes. In fact, Big Dog and Nimbus Motorcycles were featured this year. Pontiac and Aston Martin were the featured automotive marques, but there were a healthy showing of Mini enthusiasts as well for the car's 50th anniversary. Not quite as many as the number at Silverstone last month, but there were about 50 of them in every color and configuration you could think of. Lots of Ferraris, muscle cars, Corvettes and motorcycles as well.
This concours always attracts mostly locals, but this year, that included seven Borgward Isabella owners! We're not sure we've ever seen more than one in any single show before so this was a bit of a treat. And there was at least one representative of each bodystyle: saloon, estate, cabriolet, and coupe. The Master of Ceremonies was local car presenter Dave Kunz and the Grand Marshall was Jim Wangers, "Godfather of the GTO," on hand to celebrate Pontiac. Although we couldn't make it on Saturday, the previous day's Grand Marshall was our MINI-mad friend, Fireball Tim Lawrence, who was at the show on Sunday as well, just not marshaling as grandly.
Highlights included the Judson-supercharged MG TD Mille Miglia, Ferrari 400 SuperAmerica, Lusso and Europa, Barbie-pink Mini, International Karate Champion Harley, BMW 501 V8, Pegaso 102, Jaguar XK120R, '31 Cadillac Convertible Coupe, Marco Rigassi's '32 Highboy, a tangerine AMX, and the Schwinn Stingray Super Deluxe and Apple Krate. Other sentimental favorites included the '81 Lancia Zagato, two Subaru SVX sports coupes, two early Mazda RX-7s, and a trio of '80s GM ragtops. It was another fun, family-oriented show that had us smiling about being car people.
All photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.
AB visits the 24th Annual Huntington Beach Concours originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments |
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