Tag Archives: Aston Martin

News

When Renault Meets Aston: Laurens van den Acker and Marek Reichman Swap Keys

It’s barely past sunrise when Laurens van den Acker, Renault Group’s design supremo, bounds out of a Rafale at Aston Martin HQ. He’s running on little sleep after a predawn flight to the UK, but you wouldn’t know it. “This is like Christmas for me,” he grins, moments before taking the keys to a V12 Vanquish from his old friend Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s chief creative officer.

Reichman, in turn, takes the keys to something altogether smaller and sunnier: a bright yellow Renault 5. On paper, it’s a mismatch. In practice, it’s a fascinating collision of worlds—the kind of car swap you only get when designers, not accountants, call the shots.

A Vanquish Dream, a Hot Hatch Reality

The duo set off into the Warwickshire countryside, where Aston routinely fine-tunes its cars on a diet of lumpy cambers, tight corners, and potholes that could swallow a Twizy whole.

For van den Acker, the experience borders on spiritual.
“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this type of acceleration before,” he says, still laughing as if the Vanquish’s V12 tickled him rather than tried to rearrange his organs. “You feel the adrenaline pumping, and the car just invites you to go faster. I thought I’d be intimidated, but it just wants you to come play.”

Reichman, meanwhile, wrings surprising joy from the pint-sized Renault. “It was really good,” he admits. “Responsive, fun, even a little wheel screech at one point. If you see an opportunity, you can take it. The Vanquish behind me probably helped.”

Cross-Pollination at 7,000 RPM

Design directors rarely get to sample cars outside their own segment. When they do, they can’t help themselves—they drive with one eye and inspect with the other. Reichman admits he spent as much time studying the R5’s material transitions and screen integration as he did hustling it down the B-roads. Van den Acker, for his part, treats the Vanquish as both fantasy fulfillment and a benchmark: “For us, Aston Martin is a reference in design. It’s the whole brand experience.”

Despite the gulf between their products, both men agree we’re living through a “golden age of car design.” With new competitors from China, electrification reshaping proportions, and consumers expecting premium execution at every price, the arms race is hotter than ever.

Mainstream vs. Luxury: Same Game, Different Budgets

Reichman has spent two decades shaping Aston Martin’s form language, racking up more than 50 production cars, one-offs, and specials. Van den Acker, by contrast, has overseen Renault, Alpine, and Dacia—brands that sell in high volume and tight budgets but now carry a design coherence he’s proud of.

“The level of car you can get for the money now is incredible,” he says. “With the Renault 5 we pushed to the last five percent of detail. It’s like Formula 1: that last bit has the biggest impact.”

Reichman nods. “At Aston, we might spend the budget on carbon fiber. At Renault, you might tool plastic differently. The shape is what matters—the rest is about where you allocate the money.”

It’s a reminder that whether you’re sketching a €20,000 hatchback or a €300,000 GT, the essential challenge is the same: create desire.

Old Friends, New Roads

The chemistry between the two is obvious. They first met in California in the early ’90s, part of a wave of young designers lured by surfboards, barbecues, and big dreams. They later crossed paths at Ford in Detroit, where their competitive streaks spilled over into a legendary football match that left Reichman with a scar courtesy of van den Acker’s uncompromising attack. “He should have been sent off,” Reichman jokes. “Deserved,” van den Acker admits.

Now, decades later, they find themselves on parallel but opposite trajectories: one drawing dream machines in Gaydon, the other shaping icons of the street in Boulogne-Billancourt. Both insist they’d happily swap challenges. Reichman fancies designing a Twizy as much as a Valkyrie; van den Acker, meanwhile, still dreams of penning a sports car. “Give me a package,” he says, “and it would come naturally.”

Parked side by side at Caffeine & Machine, the Vanquish and Renault 5 attracted equal amounts of attention—proof that charisma doesn’t always correlate with cylinder count. “Popular cars need to be flexible,” van den Acker says. “But whether it’s a Renault 5 or an Aston Martin, people know when it’s right and when it’s wrong.”

That’s the unspoken bond between two friends from opposite ends of the automotive spectrum: respect for the craft, the competition, and the sheer joy of a good drive.

And judging by the grin still plastered across van den Acker’s face, the Vanquish delivered exactly that.

Source: Autocar

News

Aston Martin Plots Roman Expansion with New Boutique Showroom

Few brands can pull off the combination of heritage, luxury, and pure theater quite like Aston Martin. And now, the British marque is doubling down on its European ambitions with a fresh expansion in Italy—this time planting its flag in the heart of Rome.

Later this year, the Eternal City will gain a new attraction of its own: a boutique Aston Martin showroom designed not just to sell cars, but to serve as a statement of intent. This sleek new hub will handle both sales and service, while a full-fledged dealership is scheduled to open in 2026. For Aston, Italy isn’t just another market—it’s one of the brand’s top five in continental Europe, and one where design, craftsmanship, and performance resonate on a cultural level.

To make it happen, Aston Martin has tapped Maldarizzi Automotive S.p.A., a retailer with a reputation for white-glove service and a flair for luxury partnerships. The Rome outpost will join a strong national network that already includes Milan, Verona, and Bologna, giving Aston Martin a tighter grip on a country that lives and breathes beautiful machines.

Portfolio at Full Throttle

The timing couldn’t be better. Aston Martin’s product range has never been stronger—or broader. The reimagined Vantage and its Roadster sibling have brought sharper dynamics and a more modern interface to the brand’s entry point, while the DB12 and DB12 Volante usher in a new generation of GTs that lean heavily into both power and tech. On the SUV front, the fire-breathing DBX707 continues to carry the “supercar of SUVs” mantle.

But the halo comes from the future: the Valhalla, Aston’s first mid-engined plug-in hybrid hypercar, set to begin deliveries in Europe before the end of 2025. The car promises to inject a Formula 1–inspired edge into Aston’s lineup and signal just how far the company is willing to go to stay relevant in a rapidly shifting luxury market.

Customization remains another trump card. Through the Q by Aston Martin program, customers can co-create their dream machine, right down to the smallest stitch or paint hue. In Italy, where individuality and flair are part of the culture, that kind of bespoke approach plays directly to the crowd.

Strategic Partnerships and Market Moves

The Rome expansion isn’t the only play Aston Martin is making. In Northern Italy, Gino S.p.A. has just acquired the Verona operation, complete with showroom and service center, as part of a broader plan to reinforce the brand’s footprint. These moves underscore Aston Martin’s commitment to strengthening its dealer network, while ensuring that its growing portfolio of cars is backed by equally polished service experiences.

Design Still Reigns Supreme

For all the horsepower, hybrid systems, and Apple CarPlay Ultra integration (yes, Aston is finally catching up on tech), the brand knows its real ace in Italy is design. At a Milan Fashion Week event, Aston’s Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman made it clear: beauty and craftsmanship remain the pillars of the brand’s philosophy. In fact, Aston Martin’s obsessive focus on form has helped push its average selling price to a record €268,000—proof that customers are willing to pay a premium for rolling works of art.

“Every Aston Martin is born from the fusion of design excellence and engineering innovation,” Reichman said. “Our customers don’t just buy a car; they acquire a work of art that reflects their personality.”

Rome, Meet Aston

It’s hard to think of a better stage for Aston Martin’s Italian push than Rome, a city where style is eternal and beauty is currency. The boutique showroom may just be a prelude, but it signals something bigger: Aston Martin isn’t just selling cars here—it’s selling culture, lifestyle, and a chance to drive something that looks as at home outside the Colosseum as it does tearing down the Autostrada.

In the end, this is less about volume and more about presence. For Aston Martin, Italy isn’t simply another market. It’s a proving ground where passion, design, and performance collide—and where the brand intends to shine brighter than ever.

Source: Aston Martin

NEW CARS

Sixty Years of Sky: Aston Martin Marks Volante’s Diamond Jubilee

Aston Martin’s Volante nameplate has carried the marque’s grand tourers into open skies for six decades. Now, Q by Aston Martin—the brand’s in-house bespoke arm—has dialed up the celebration with a pair of drop-tops that lean into history while rewriting the present. Enter the Vanquish Volante 60th Anniversary Edition, the fastest convertible Aston Martin has ever built, and the DB12 Volante 60th Anniversary Edition, the world’s first so-called “super tourer” without a roof. Each is limited to just 60 examples.

The Brutalist: Vanquish Volante

If you like your Aston Martins loud, unapologetic, and nuclear in thrust, the Vanquish Volante is your car. Under the clamshell hood lives a 5.2-liter twin-turbocharged V-12 producing a staggering 835 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. That’s enough to sling the two-seater to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and carry it all the way to a 214-mph top speed. Numbers aside, this makes it the most powerful and fastest production convertible Aston Martin has ever offered.

The Vanquish Volante is about presence as much as pace. The elongated proportions are punctuated by bronze accents—the vaned grille, side strakes, and 21-inch wheels all anodized to quietly announce that this isn’t just another Aston. Q’s detailing manages to look tasteful and aggressive in equal measure, something most aftermarket tuners only dream of.

The All-Rounder: DB12 Volante

While the Vanquish chases numbers, the DB12 Volante is built to do what Aston Martins have always done best: blend high-speed ability with everyday usability. Its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, hand-built in the UK, produces 671 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. The 0–60 run takes 3.6 seconds, and top speed lands just shy of the Vanquish at 202 mph.

This is Aston Martin’s pitch for the world’s first “super tourer,” and the car lives up to the billing. The DB12’s 2+2 layout, ride refinement, and roof-down serenity make it a car you could drive to dinner in Monaco on Friday night and then across the Alps on Saturday morning. Its K-fold roof deploys in 14 seconds and stows in 16, operable up to 31 mph, so spontaneity remains part of the brief.

A Legacy Carried Forward

The Volante name first appeared in 1965 on what’s now known as the Short Chassis Volante—just 37 were built. That set the tone for decades of limited-production convertibles aimed squarely at drivers who wanted the same Aston mystique, only louder and windier.

These anniversary editions double down on that heritage with interior treatments that are as rare as the engineering. Think tri-tone leather schemes in Centenary Saddle Tan, Ivory, and woven hide, Dark Walnut open-pore veneers, and bronze detailing throughout. Even the embroidery is bespoke—an etched 60th Anniversary logo stitched into the seatbacks.

Q by Aston Martin: Bespoke, Not Optional

Q’s role here is more than just paint chips and seat piping. The service lets buyers create something unique—whether that’s anodized finishes, exotic veneers, or one-off touches only a handful of people will ever see. The anniversary cars are designed to showcase that capability, but they’re also a reminder that Aston will build nearly anything you ask for, short of an F1 car.

Strictly limited to 60 examples of each model, the Volante 60th Anniversary Editions are slated for first deliveries in late 2025. They’re equal parts rolling sculpture and performance weapon, a pair of cars that neatly capture Aston Martin’s split personality: one brutal, one balanced, both achingly beautiful.

As Jolyon Nash, Aston’s Chief Commercial Officer, puts it: “Volante is one of Aston Martin’s most evocative names, representing six decades of the ultimate open-top driving experience.” These two cars are the distillation of that promise, built for the tiny sliver of people who can afford to own history—and drive it at 200 mph with the top down.

Source: Aston Martin