Aston has always been about more than engineering. I think people are rightly reacting to a Toyota engine, not because it lacks engineering, but because the Toyota brand is the polar opposite of Aston Martin.

Cars at this level are equally, if not more about history, Provence, soul, tradition. If it was all just about tech and number we would all be driving GTR's.

 

He gets it.

Mikey, about the S2000, yes, I have driven it. Fantastic -- above 6000 rpm. Completely uninspiring under that. Didn't you turbocharge yours?

 

Perhaps you can enlighten me.

Define soul as it relates to a car or engine.

 

Guys, this forum always devolves when someone brings up soul. Call it soul, call it character, call it something else, but it does exist and its very special once a manufacturer finds it.

I am very sure the LFA engine has soul. A very special character that eggs the driver on, a way of generating power that sync's with the human operating it. Few engines do this. Most just make power in a specific power band. A truly unique engine goes beyond that. It finds a connection with the human on the other end. It makes you drive a certain way. A way that makes you happy.

An engine with soul is to internal combustion, what music is to random noise.

The hardest thing for any industrial designer/engineer is to create something that TRACENDS it's functional requirements and communicates with the meat on the other end.

Each of us will connect differently. There isn't one engine or manufacturer that has a monopoly on SOUL. It is elusive and rare.

I do however doubt the character of the LFA is consistent with Aston.

 

I would take kind exception to your opinion (hey we all have them) and especially this last line. You couldn't give me a GT-R. YMMV.

Speedraser- in all fairness, let's not forget today's Jeep Grand Cherokee is built on the MB ML Platform... with a beefed-up front-end and such with Jeep components... and now MB has come out with a better ML so as to not be beat at their own game by Jeep, with their own platform no less... lol.

 

What an interesting perspective here...

Categorizing something about a car that we don't know will even exist, whether or not is going to have something (soul) that is not defined by two people the same...

You guys must be either clairvoyant, or prejudice (literally - preconceived opinion without actual experience). Which one are you?

 

1Blink, not really sure I understand your point regarding the GTR. My point was if all you cared about was having the latest tech and the best numbers, then a GTR would be the best choice. BUT, it's not, because cars are about more than that.

We make emotional connections with the tech.

Sooooo, a GTR, while technically and numerically brilliant. Possibly even the best car for sale at the moment, IS NOT the car for all of us.

I think you might actually be agreeing with me.

 

@JasperGTR, that's actually MY point. Cars are not logical. Even if the Toyota engine is amazing, I don't think MANY people will accept it because it's not deemed Aston enough.

Precisely because Toyota is a brand that shares none of the values of Aston Martin. Just like they would not accept a Chevy V8, or a Honda motor.

It's not just about engineering. Aston owners want to feel like they are driving something that is bespoke and raiding the parts bin of the people who make the Corolla fractures that illusion. The LFA motor though technically brilliant has no pedigree, no racing heritage. None of the credibility the big AMG engines give Zonda, McLaren etc.

For the record I do believe the LFA has soul. That engine is likely one of the best available at the moment. In its current state it would have a very different character to available Astons. The 9000 rpm redline is not what Aston is currently about. Though it would be fun to see how it reacts in a Vantage.

 

Very well said.

 

I would argue Mercedes based engines with Aston tweaks would have even more "soul" than the current ford motor. Look at PAGANI, they use AMG engines and have lots of souls (if not more than anything else on the road).

I do agree that almost all Japanese engines have virtually no soul, just like no japaneese instruments have no character. For anyone who has played on a Steinway Grand Piano vs a Yamaha grand piano, there is literally no comparison.. They are worlds apart. Same applies to anything else they do. It's a cultural trait (and I don't mean that in a bad way, they are who they are). To the Japaneese, everything is a precise mathematical equation. In cold hard math, there is no emotion, no passion, no soul ... It's just numbers. Math is predictable, math is reliable, there is no subjectivity to it. Their motors are an exact reflection of that philosophy of quantitative analysis & comparison.

 

Guys, the concept of the "soul" is very easy. All you need is this in Aston. (5 second mark)

 

Stereotype much?

 

Astons have soul... They say it on start up .. Power ... Beauty...soul! lol. Seriously though I can understand what the guys are a talking about here, the Aston v12 is a thing of beauty and in my estimate having that connection with the engine and other aspects of the car (such as chassis, coachwork, and style to name a few) and involving the driver, and making the entire experience special. Aston is a very long standing brand, they will celebrate their 100th birthday in 2013, it's that presence, length of lineage, history, provenance, and brand character all of which make the cars so special... I think it's all summed up in how the car makes one feel, in terms of the driving and the ownership experience.

This said, my favorite engine is japanese (albeit Honda vs toyota) ... The little bitty v8 turbocharged powerplants that were making 1200 hp used in Senna's mclaren F1 car of the early 90's! That engine had soul .... As did the turbocharged Metzger 3.6L engine from Porsche in the venerable GT 1 leMans dominator! Incidentally my second favorite engine... It too had gobs of soul!

 

Senna's Honda/McLaren no?

 

That's correct... I was talking about japenese engines catagorically...charecteristics on things like engineering vs attributes such as Philosophy and soul I'll edit my post... You're right