All posts by Francis Mitterrand

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2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Convertible

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The Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Convertible is a new car from the British manufacturer that has officially arrived on the market. It is the world’s most powerful front-engine convertible, and deliveries are expected in Q3 2025.

Aston Martin has equipped the Vanquish Volante with a roof with a K-fold mechanism, which can be opened in 14 seconds and closed in 16 seconds. Removing the fixed roof has reduced rigidity, so engineers have added chassis reinforcements, which make the Volante 75 percent stiffer laterally compared to the previous DBS Volante. The suspension features Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers to make the ride comfortable.

The cabin is equipped with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment system screen, which uses Aston Martin software. Music lovers will enjoy the standard Bowers & Wilkins sound system with 15 speakers, and for those who want more, Aston Martin’s Q division offers numerous interior customization options.

The Vanquish Volante is powered by a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 engine with 824 hp and 1,000 Nm of torque, enough to propel the 1,930kg car from 0-100km/h in just 3.4 seconds. It is 95 kg heavier than the Coupe, which is also reflected in the acceleration of +0.1 seconds.

When it comes to price, Aston Martin has not yet announced how much the Vanquish Volante Cabriolet will cost. However, it is expected to be slightly more expensive than the coupe, which costs £334,000.

Source: Aston Martin

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2026 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Convertible
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Ford will offer a manual transmission for EVs

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Manual gearboxes are slowly going out of use, and Ford made sure to offer fans of this form of transmission its experience in electric cars. The American manufacturer has registered a patent in the US for a simulated manual transmission lever.

The patent, called “Shifter Assembly For Electric Vehicle”, was published on March 20 and describes a classic gear lever, which is fixed to the floor like in the old Ford Mustang. However, instead of connecting to the manual transmission, the lever only transmits signals to an electronic controller, which changes the engine torque. More precisely, the driver moves the lever as if changing gears, while the electronics imitate the pauses in power to create the feeling of a manual transmission of a car with an internal combustion engine.

Better connoisseurs of the automotive industry will remember that Hyundai previously offered a similar effect in its Ioniq 5 N model with the help of paddles, while Toyota is testing an electric car with a clutch simulator and even the ability to turn off the car. However, Ford has taken a different approach, installing small motors in the base of the gear lever, which provide resistance for a full experience.

This idea emerged two years ago, and whether it will be implemented and used for production cars is currently unknown.

Source: Ford

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8 new Chevrolet Corvettes stolen from the factory

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In July 2024, Chevrolet introduced the new generation Corvette ZR1 as the most powerful and fastest Corvette ever. A few days ago, 8 copies of this model were stolen from the General Motors plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

After arriving at work, the employees did not notice that the cars were stolen. The thieves cut through the fence and drove the cars, and some of them were left in the parking lot of the Lowe’s Home Improvement store.

One of the police officers noticed a Corvette with factory stickers in a neighborhood 14 minutes drive from the factory, and called the factory. After checking, it was determined that 8 Corvettes were missing. An investigation was launched and 21-year-old Deantae Walker of Westland, Michigan was arrested, who, in addition to stealing the car, was also charged with fleeing from police and resisting arrest. Police are still searching for his accomplices.

The reason why the thieves chose this location is still unknown. One of the customers took a photo of the red Corvette, and the police arrived and returned several stolen cars to the factory, while others were later found.

Source: Mark Thomas via Facebook

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