Aston Martin Recalling over 1,000 U.S. Vehicles Over Safety Concerns

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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Britain Officially out of Recession... Rusty Old Aston Sells for Over £200,000 / US$300,000

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

Edo Competition Transforms Aston Martin DB9 to DBS for Russian Client

Reason says that if you're wealthy enough to buy an Aston Martin DB9 and for whatever reason you want to upgrade to a DBS, you either replace the first one or simply add the second model to your collection. But that wasn't the case with an unnamed Russian owner of a five-year-old DB9 who approached Edo Competition to turn his car into a DBS.

The German tuning house agreed and after six months of work, the DB9 had been transformed into a DBS... replica. The conversion involved replacing the car's steel body panels with lightweight carbon fiber pieces, and adding new 20 inch wheels and numerous aerodynamic parts, such as a carbon fiber front skirt and rear diffuser.

The DB9's interior was also refinished. Edo Competition says that the choice of materials and colors was left to the customer, who, in this case, went for an Alcantara/leather interior with carbon fiber inserts and metal accents. A new high-end audio-system completes the interior makeover.

Rather than just performing cosmetic changes, Edo Competition upgraded the mechanicals and customized the car according to the wishes of its owner.

The modifications to the DB9's 5.9-liter V12 engine bump output from 470 to 550-horsepower allowing the DBS replica to sprint from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in around 4.1 seconds and top out at 320km/h (199mph) instead of 295km/h (183mph).

A programmable control unit for the exhaust system, an upgraded adjustable sport suspension and a new braking system with 405mm disc and 6-piston calipers up front and 380mm discs and 4-piston calipers at the rear, complete the transformation of the DB9 to a DBS replica.

Engine Specs

Engine V12 cylinder engine
Power 550 hp / (404 kW) at 6,800 rpm
Max torque 600 Nm at 5,500 rpm

Performance Specs

Top speed 320 km / h
0-100 km / h approx 4.1 s

edo competition's 550HP Take on the Aston Martin DBS

Apparently edo competition doesn't think 517 horsepower is enough to propel Aston Martin's DBS around. "Not quite enough," as they put it. To remedy the situation, edo did a number on the ECU and breathing situation.

For people new to the tuning concept, that means new air filters, high-flow catalytic converters, and a new remote controlled exhaust system. Result: 550 horsepower and 600 Nm / 442 lb-ft of torque (+30 Nm / 22 lb-ft).

"This is enough power to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.1 seconds and continue on to a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph)." I'll bet it is.

About the RC exhaust:

"[It] comes with a programmable control system that monitors backpressure inside the exhaust and opens the 70 mm butterfly valves when a pre-determined level of backpressure is exceeded.

The unique advantage of this system is that it provides good torque at low engine speeds without sacrificing top end horsepower...The driver can adjust the sound of the DBS at any time using a remote control."

The wheels are 21 inches, and it obviously it comes with an adjustable sport suspension; nothing new there. What's new is the brakes.

Remember those 6-egg-omelet-sized brakes on Koenigsegg's Agera? 'edo competion' has taken it to a full dozen: 6-piston calipers clamping 405mm discs up front. That's 15.9 INCHES. 380mm discs - usually more than enough to use up front on megasuperhypercars - do stoppage out back with 6 more pistons each.

The car pictured here is just a corporate example of what edo can do to the DBS. Remember, the sky's the limit (rub fingers together to simulate having money).

- By Phil Alex