Aston Martin Virage Release at 2011 Geneva Auto Show

Aston Martin was release a new model, that is  Aston Martin Virage  and will make debut at 2011 Geneva Auto Show.The Virage has two body styles: a two-door coupe and a soft-top convertible. Aston Martin said in coupe form, the Virage is available as a 2+2 or 2+0 as an option.

The Virage’s mid-mounted 5.9-liter V12 makes 490 horsepower. It is linked to a six-speed automatic transmission. It accelerates from zero to 62 mph in 4.6 seconds and has a top speed of 186 mph. The EPA has not yet provided a fuel-economy rating on the Virage.The cabin gets a full leather treatment, with sports seats and walnut trim. Standard equipment includes cruise control, satellite navigation, Bluetooth, a premium audio system and iPod integration.

Power for the Aston Martin Virage and the drop-top Virage Volante comes from a 6.0L V12 making 490-hp with a maximum torque of 420 lb-ft. The engine is mated 6-speed Touchtronic II automatic transmission mounted on the transaxle helping with a 50:50 weight balance. The models also feature a newly developed Adaptive Damping System (ADS) that ‘reads’ the road to provide the best road holding, adapting to various conditions. Both come standard with Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes.

2010 Edo Aston Martin DBS

HQ Edo Auto Car : 2010 Edo Aston Martin DBS

HQ Edo Auto Car : 2010 Edo Aston Martin DBS

HQ Edo Auto Car : 2010 Edo Aston Martin DBS

HQ Edo Auto Car : 2010 Edo Aston Martin DBS

HQ Edo Auto Car : 2010 Edo Aston Martin DBS

2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage

Don’t get me wrong; I love Astons. They’re beautiful pieces of coach-building, featuring stunning exterior styling, flawless interior refinement, and hypnotic engine notes. In other words, an absolute dream ride for a nice Sunday cruise, but that’s it. Since I’ve been at Motor Trend, every Aston Martin I’ve driven has been great at being an exotic cruiser but always fell short when compared to exotic drivers. But that’s about to change with the introduction of the all-new Aston Martin V12 Vantage.

It took a while, but they finally did it. Aston took its smallest car and stuffed its biggest mill — a 6.0-liter V-12 producing 510 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque — into the engine bay. Aston Martin is claiming a top speed of 190 mph and a 0-60 time of 4.1 seconds for the V12 Vantage. The top speed sounds about right, but that 60 time should be better. I tested a V-8 Vantage manual a while back and recorded a time of 4.1 seconds 0-60 and a quarter mile of 12.5 seconds at 115 mph, and that car has only 420 horsepower. I’m guessing the 60 for the V-12-powered Vantage will be somewhere south of 4.0 seconds with the quarter mile disappearing in the low 12-second range.

Aston Martin was kind enough to invite me to a track day at Willow Springs Raceway recently – Big Willow, to be exact. At first I was excited, but the more I thought about it, the more concerned I became. My concern stemmed from knowing Astons Martins are not very good track cars, because they tend to get hot and lose their brakes quickly.

As with most, if not all, track days, no matter how much driving experience you have or think you have, the first laps you turn will either be as a passenger with an instructor, or with the instructor riding as passenger while talking you through the course. I got the latter, but after one lap, the instructor hopped out and I was set loose on Big Willow.