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Spell it with two Es and the name Beetle is intrinsically linked to Volkswagen. Drop that second E for an A, though, and you’re looking at another 60s icon altogether. While the VW might not hold much sway for music buffs, the Beatles and its individual members hold plenty of interest for car fans.

If it’s not John Lennon’s ’65 Ferrari 330 GT going up for auction, it’s a special one-off Mini painted by George Harrison. This time around, though, it’s Harrison’s Aston Martin that’s garnered our attention.

This 1964 DB5 belonged to Harrison back in the 60s and was just sold at auction for well above its estimated value. After a fierce bidding war under the auspices of Coys in London, the classic Aston went to an unnamed collector from Houston, Texas for £350,000 (equivalent to 7k at today’s exchange rates) – a good £150k (5k) more than expected.

At those prices, the new owner may be whistling “baby you can drive my car”, but is more likely to hide his love away in a climate-controlled garage somewhere. Follow the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading George Harrison’s Aston Martin DB5 sells for over half a million

George Harrison’s Aston Martin DB5 sells for over half a million originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aston Martins often prove capable of tangling with the likes of Ferraris and Lamborghinis. But one thing that sets them apart is that, while their Italian counterparts often place their engines amidship, Astons are always front-engined. Right?

Well, discounting their Lola-built LMP1 Le Mans racer, everything that rolls out of the factory in Gaydon – much as they did before at Newport Pagnell – has its engine up front, even with supercars as exotic as the One-77, V12 Zagato and Vanquish. That’s where HBH comes in.

The Danish firm, as we initially reported back in May and followed up on in July, takes its initials from the last names of its brain trust: Jesper Hermann, Christian Brandt and Torben Hartvig, who between them have a wealth of niche supercar experience to impart. For their latest project, the trio teamed up to produce the vehicle you see here: the Aston Martin Bulldog GT.

Aside from the engine being place behind the cabin, the Bulldog GT features unique aluminum bodywork that looks suitably Aston-like and accommodates placing the engine in the middle. And in case the 6.0-liter V12 lifted from the Vantage weren’t powerful enough, HBH has bolted on two superchargers to boost output up to 666 horsepower. That’s said to be enough for a 3.9-second run to 62 mph and a 186-mph top end, but we wouldn’t be surprised to find those numbers conservative.

Perhaps the most intriguing bit is that HBH is not just selling the car, but half of its production rights along with it. That means the buyer can choose whether to keep it as a one-off or put it into limited production and reap the rewards. Sounds like an interesting business model to us. Take a closer look at the finished product in our gallery of images and draw your own conclusions.

HBH reveals final design for mid-engined Aston Martin Bulldog GT originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Special orders departments are nothing new for upscale automakers. These specialized divisions allow carmakers to offer their customers a level of personalization over and above the usual catalog of colors and options. But what Aston Martin is doing with the new Works Tailored department goes one step further. Or should we say, one big step backwards into the company’s history.

With the new Works Tailored department, Aston Martin will give the owners of its vehicles – whether factory fresh, slightly used or veritable classic – the opportunity to have specialized work performed, including unique colors, materials and finishes, on any Aston no matter how old or new.

It’s part of an extensive expansion plan at Newport Pagnell – the historic home of Aston Martin that, until the 2007 move to Gaydon, was the company’s principal factory, and is now home to its Works Service department that has offered factory-level service to Aston owners since 1924. The plans also include a factory dealership to sell Astons old and new direct from the manufacturer. Follow the press release for further details.

Continue reading Aston Martin launches Works Tailored department at expanding Newport Pagnell

Aston Martin launches Works Tailored department at expanding Newport Pagnell originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Aston Martin rolls in to Frankfurt next month for the first auto show of the season, it will have the largest display the company has ever mounted at a car show. And among them will be a roadgoing version of the V12 Zagato that will see production.

Well, almost, but not quite. Aston will actually be displaying two examples of the coachbuilt special in Frankfurt, which are, as best we can tell, the only two it’s built to date. They’re called Zig and Zag, and they’re the two vehicles it raced at the Nürburgring to show what they were made of. Zig was built specifically to race and will be displayed in its full competition trim. Zag is the vehicle that wowed the crowds and the judges at Villa d’Este and was then converted to full race spec as well.

That second vehicle will now be converted back – in appearance, at least – to roadgoing trim to give us a glimpse at what the half-million-dollar coachbuilt supercar will look like when it reaches customers’ garages. It’ll also be the first time the car is shown at a major auto show, although we recently spent some time with it at Pebble Beach.

For a closer look at what to expect of the roadgoing version, take a gander at the pair of images released and the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Aston Martin to present roadgoing production V12 Zagato in Frankfurt

Aston Martin to present roadgoing production V12 Zagato in Frankfurt originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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