autos sport

British sportscar maker Aston Martin has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a safety recall 1,090 DB9, V8 Vantage and DBS vehicles built between 2007 and 2008.

In a letter sent by Aston Martin to the NHTSA, the British carmaker reported that the camber bolt that holds the front bottom suspension arm was not made to specification and "could crank along its shank" (shaft).

According to the company, this would allow the lower control arm to move freely, affecting the driver's ability to steer, and thus increasing the risk of a crash. The letter went on to say that drivers may hear a metallic rattling sound if the lower control arm had loosened in such a fashion.

An Aston Martin spokesperson told Bloomberg news that the defect was detected through company testing, not through any customer complaints. He went on to say that the driver would still be able to steer, but may notice 'looser handling'.

To rectify the defect, dealers will replace the affected camber bolts free of charge. Aston Martin has notified the NHTSA that the safety recall will begin on or before October 18th of this year.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: NHTSA / Bloomberg

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When you think about it, the £160,000 (US$247,000) Aston Martin DBS is a little too common. Sure it's a beautiful machine with a monster V12 under the hood, but everyone and his mother has one these days. Now, what the car connoisseur needs is something a bit rarer; something that's unique. A vehicle with real motoring history coursing through its corroded veins. A fixer upper, even.

Fortunately - for one buyer at least - such a car exists. At Barsons' British Heritage Sale at Sandown Park, a very rare Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk III drophead coupe went up on the auction block with an asking price of £80,000-£100,000 (US$123,000-US$154,000). Not too extravagant; one could easily afford a spanking-new Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster or Coupe for that measly amount.

By the conclusion of the sale, however, this particular DB2/4 had fetched the rather more Barsons'-esque price of £206,866 (US$318,875). The Aston, once owned by company founder David Brown and which had spent the better part of thirty years under a tarpaulin, fetched twice Barson's top estimate.

Barons' Managing Director Laurence Sayers Gillan was quoted: "It was an amazing lot that attracted a huge amount of attention and exceeded all expectations."

And with the auction making around £700,000 (US$1.08 million), Sayers Gillan was no doubt laughing all the way to the bank. Recession? What recession?

Also auctioned off – albeit at far more mundane prices – were a very special '66 Lotus Cortina (£40,250 / US$62,000) and a '57 Daimler Conquest Century convertible (£29,000 / US$44,700). One can only speculate on the condition and pedigree of these vehicles given their "humble" sale prices.

By Tristan Hankins

Only a few days after we showed you a set of spy pictures of the revamped DB9, Aston Martin went ahead and released the first photos and info on both the Coupe and Convertible (a.k.a Volante) versions of its best-selling sports car. For the 2011MY, the V12-powered DB9 gets a minor nip and tuck along with some mechanical and equipment enhancements.

The most prevalent changes have been made cosmetically to the front end with a new front bumper featuring a re-shaped lower intake, a bright finish radiator grille and reworked headlight bezels. The re-sculptured side sills, silver brake calipers, 20-spoke diamond turned alloy wheels and clear rear light lenses round off the external revisions.

For the record, the camouflaged DB9 showcased in the recent spy photos featured more styling changes including (but not limited to) Rapide-like headlamps and a new rear bumper design, which could very well mean that Aston Martin is working on a more comprehensive facelift for the car in the near future.

Under the sheetmetal, Aston Martin's engineers replaced the DB9's passive damping system with a new [standard] Adaptive Damping System (ADS), said to offer enhanced ride comfort together with sharper handling when switched to Sport mode.

A revised Bluetooth microphone system, new tire pressure monitoring system and the addition of a new Double Apex alloy finish trim and Bang & Olufsen hi-fi options, complete the list of changes for the 2011MY.

Aston Martin said that production of the revised DB9 is already underway, with deliveries set to start in July. Prices in the UK start from £122,445 for the DB9 Coupe and £131,445 for the drop-top DB9 Volante.