From AutoExpress:

"Aston Martin is building a ‘remarkable’ newcar to mark its 100th birthday in 2013. Head of design Marek Reichmann is putting the final touches to the Centenary model, which will be unveiled this summer.

In an exclusive interview, CEO Dr Ulrich Bez told us: “This will be an entirely new model. We have to do something remarkable to mark our centenary. It won’t be a DB9 with a Centenary Edition badge and it won’t be a limited edition like the One-77 supercar. This will be a mainstream Aston.”

We brought you spy shots of a DBS-based mule last week, and it’s believed this is the car Bez is referring to. Expect the 6.0-litre V12 to deliver 550bhp, for a four-second 0-62mph sprint time.

Dr Bez dismissed those who’ve criticised the similarity of recent Astons and called for more radical designs. “The best cars stand the test of time,” he said. “You need evolution in design, not constant change. Look at the Porsche 911.”

He pointed to the £1.2million One-77 supercar, Rapide sports saloon, Zagato and controversial Cygnet city car as examples of more radical Aston Martins.

The first-ever Aston was the 1915 Coal Scuttle, and readers have already inundated the Auto Express Facebook page with ideas for future Aston Martins."

 

Very interesting. I wonder what it will be.

 

lol I initially read that as the 'cemetery' model

 

Sounds like a tweaked DBS to me.

 

Maybe a few tweaks that can be applied to the V12V?? Wouldn't that be great!

 

The lines on that 'mule' they mention harkened back to the Vanquish IMO ... maybe it's an updated version of that?

 

Imagine they fitted a Twin Turbo or supercharged V12.
Will never happen, but one could hope.

 

Sure, as long as Aston doesn't come out with the V12V "S" or equivalent and make our cars obsolete!

 

My money would be on the DBS we've been seeing. That was registered with the licencing authority as a DBS, so we know its not a new DB9.

DBS, probably given a non-DB name. I think Bez has too much ego to put anyone else's initials on the car, so maybe Vanquish, maybe another name.

550 bhp is being quoted, but that doesn't seem to be trying very hard, so I'd guess 6.5 litres and around 600bhp.

 

Perhaps I'm being blasphemous but I wouldn't dismiss the possibility of a turbo model. Although Porsche had a turbo model in their model range before Bez ever took the helm there, he helped advance it to the point of both power and predictability in the 993 range. That model paved the way for the more recent incarnations of the 911 turbo.

The DB series has always been considered more of a GT car than true sports car and most Porschephiles hold the more recent turbos in the same regard.

 

Yeah. Me too.

 

My hope would be that we could retrofit (or is that upfit?) the improvements to keep the factory warranty and pump up some extra power. Kinda like the 4.3L V8V power pack. Doubtful, I know, but I can wish!

 

Yeah, I hear ya. Bolt on mods from the factory would be great. I'd love to squeeze out another 40 bhp. That way it would have more horsepower than the new Nissan Juke-R.

 

Yes, I think it will be a new Vanquish.

 

Whatever they do, I hope the new car has more than 550 bhp if it's to be the new Aston halo car. As expressed in the most recent evo:

"Judged against its closest rival - the 611 bhp Ferrari 599 - the DBS has always offered a mellowed, less frenetic driving experience. That makes the Aston a hugely satisfying super-GT. but with the 730 bhp Ferrari F12 just around the corner, the DBS is now comprehensively outgunned. The Carbon Edition's extra baubles are a temporary distraction, but what Aston Martin needs now is a new car with the firepower to take the fight back to Ferrari."

I don't think the car needs 730 bhp, but it needs to be closer than nearly 200 bhp short of it's rivals.