Ha Ha yes I loved that car too I had a poster of it on my bedroom wall when I was a kid. The Prost/Senna era of formula1 was the best!!

 

I still haven't heard a definition for soul. I've seen some stuff about heritage, pedigree and history but that makes no sense because soul is a human term and all humans have a soul....even newborns....even those born in less than ideal families and circumstances.

Here's what I call soul as applied to a car.
It is a car with a distinct set of characteristics unlike any other car.
I've had 4 Lexus over the last 12 years. They all have a couple weird characteristics that I haven't seen in other cars I've had. Every so often they shutter at the first start of the day. The brakes have a weird reaction when wet. Every so often the rpm's drop while at a stand still. There are a couple other items but you get the point.
I've had lots of cars. Had 3 Infinit's. 3 different models. They all had great handling and brakes for their class.
Had 2 Camaro's. Both had drivetrain issues.
Benzes seem to have lots of electrical issues but their engines drive like butter. All are comfortable to drive.
Jags feel like a cat about to pounce.

I could go on and on but these are examples of automotive soul.

I've never driven an Aston Martin and know nothing about it characteristics. Someone who has driven several over different model years will have to tell us what those characteristics are. Then we will be better able to discuss if a Toyota engine will affect those. A higher revving engine could but not necessarily change the soul. A base 911 is a higher revving engine than the 911 Turbo. That doesn't change the soul of 911's. It's other characteristics like that funny ticking noise all 911's make (if they all make a funny ticking noise). That's soul....if no other car makes that same funny little ticking noise.

 

. . . and you never will. It's pretty undefinable, both in the car context and the human context.

 

@ice350

How's this?

Create something that TRACENDS it's functional requirements and communicates with the meat on the other end.

Or

Impart a level of humanity to an inanimate object. It's a parlor trick, but an important one. How do you give something that is not alive a sense of "life".

It's the difference between:

Calories and cuisine
Noise and music
Moving and dance
Words and literature
Musicians and artists

A prodigy is technically brilliant, but may still not be an artist if they might still lack soul. And a person with soul might may not be that technically proficient, but their work will be legend.

Just because you can't quantify it does not mean it does not exist. In fact it's exactly why it exists and why it is so powerful. Soul is the ultimate unobtanium. It can't be measured, or boxed in. I feel like you are wanting the mathematical equation that proves a joke is funny. That's not really the point.

We won't all find Soul in the same places and some of us can't find it anywhere.

 

Aston Martin's have Soul, their charecteristic is that they drop panties! So much so in fact that the godfather of Soul, James Brown, would be proud! !

Laugh a bit guys...it's Monday

 

I agree with Sunir. I participated in the last protracted discussion of "soul" and quickly realized there's no winning the debate. Can't we all just get alo..., I mean, agree to disagree?

 

Sorry, no where near the ball park.

I'm going with Sunir....panty dropping power. Lexus engines qualify for that!

 

Agree.

I said it in an earlier post. Once the conversation comes up, some people just don't get it. And that's their right.
It's like a joke they don't find funny, no amount of discourse will let them see why others are laughing.

 

When you dissect a joke, it dies on the operating table.

 

Super charged with 10 psi boost @ WOT
It was ALOT faster than my Vantage S
It had more power on the low cam than a stock S2000 - much more driveable!

I'm trying to decide what I do with the Vantage - let RSC or Bamford Rose lose

From what I know of the factory testing I suspect engines are already on dynos and design work on the CAD systems

 

I don't disagree with anything here... Except the part about an LF-A having a soul. I'd argue that until the end of time, and we'd both be right.

I believe that you are 100% correct in thinking that Aston owners may not welcome a Toyota engine. My issue is 'why not?'.

I understand your point about the different characteristics between the LF-A engine (9000RPM's) and the normal Aston engine (large displacement, loads of torque). My suggestion is that Aston Martin is most likely aware of what its customers want, and I fully believe that Toyota (or Mercedes, or BMW, or McLaren, or Ford, Chevy, Kia, etc...) is fully capable of building an engine to their specifications (or offering parts so that Aston can finish with whatever they want). It's not an issue of a Vantage revving to 9000RPM's, but whether or not Toyota can produce enough torque from a V10 (or V12, or diesel, or whatever other of the MANY technologies a large company can offer) to satisfy Aston Martin themselves. I'm sure before any partnership is established, Aston is going to make sure this will benefit them (obviously). If not, they move on to another company, until they might find themselves back to where they started.

Saying that because a company produces a Fiesta, doesn't mean they can't construct a Ford GT. Or if a company produces a V6 Panamera sedan, that they can't make a 918 Spyder. Or because a Boxster doesn't have a soul, doesn't mean a GT3 can't have one.

 

This is really easy guys...James Brown, godfather of soul, shares the same last name as Aston's co founder, David Brown...therefor the car has gotta have soul!! feel me?! Oh yea get down!!!

Why do I keep making jokes, because it's fun and also becuase you guys are going down a path to which there is no conclusive answer, but rather a feeling, or an opinion based on your viewpoint and individual experiences...best way to deal with it is have a laugh and agree to disagree... lol!

 

DB....owner, but certainly not a co-founder. They would be Bamforth and Martin.

 

Don't worry, I got it.

Others read wayyyyyyy too much into it.

 

I stand corrected