The best part of this news, is that this most likely rules out any type of Daimler partnership and that'll keep me driving Astons for many years to come.

 

Comparing Ford to Mercedes in terms of engine technology is like comparing NASCAR to Formula 1, literally.

Light years difference.

 

I don't have strong opinions on either side of this fence but it seems to me that this pretty much entrenches the status quo. Have to say that doesn't fill me with confidence that there are progressive and dynamic changes coming to the brand.

Are we going to 'gap up' based on this deal? Catch up to the competition performance and technology-wise? Dare I say surpass? Yes I know, it's not all about performance and I certainly didn't buy my car based entirely on performance numbers. But I think we can all recognize the slow ebb in performance levels bw AM cars and those made by a number of their competitors.

I guess only time will tell and I recognize that there may very well be strategic aspects of this deal that will only be revealed in the fullness of time.

AM is a business and I suppose we can only trust that senior management feels this deal will keep the company healthy and viable for years to come. Ultimately that is predicated on the creation of cars that people like us will want to buy. Fingers crossed ...

 

Ridiculous, over the top analogy. Ford's engine tech is as modern as any MB engine tech.

 

Certainly many will see this lack of a deal with someone to provide a technology boost as a failure. Others will see it as preserving the purity of the brand. People buy Morgans also after all.

What is clear though is that Aston can only go so far on yesterday's engines and transmissions, and that is what they are serving up.

The tuners will have a good business though. They should like it.

 

i do find it somewhat ironic that many on here are happy that the purity of the Aston Martin brand is maintained by sourcing engines from a *no offense* redneck marque rather than a more prestigious company like Mercedes. of course, the new Coyote 5.0L is a beast. random tangent: i'll be damned if i ever consider buying a car that plays engine noise through the speakers rather than letting me hear my own triumphant destruction of fossil fuels (Mustang GT, BMW M5, etc).

personally, i already liken my 4.3L to an AMG engine. in fact i made the exact comparison only a couple months ago when giving Sunir a ride in my V8V. the revs build slowly and deliberately, the power is there, the noise is amazing. i think getting engine blocks and engine development expertise from AMG would have been ideal. i don't want to open my hood and see an AMG engine looking back at me. but if AMG's engineers were to teach AM a thing or two, i'd be fine with that. at the end of the day, we all know AM could get more power out of their engines. imagine a car with the looks and driving characteristics of an Aston Martin but with the undeniable power of an AMG. for those that are happy with automatic transmissions, AMG's are supposed to be quite good. (personally, i refuse to give up my manual!)

if the new deal with Ford is just a continuation of the current deal - supplying engine blocks and space in a factory (i think that's about it), then there is no extra development to be gained from Ford (or Mercedes, of course) and we'll just keep seeing the same incremental bumps in power that we have been for the last decade.

 

I am ECSTATIC that AM will remain closer to it's current culture than dilute the brand with kraut sterility.......even if this somewhat stifles their ultimate competitiveness. Look at Jaguar......that's my point, I can't even stand to look at one cause it's not BRITISH anymore. Aston will continue to develop new technologies their own way on their own timeframe and that is what makes them unique. I will likely be with them for a long time just don't change the formula too much too quickly. This is not and hopefully never will be a car that is too available to the unwashed masses, ie: baby beamers, baby mercs, any Lexus, Infinity, etc.

 

I'm in the preserves-the-purity camp. IMO, the current engines are so far removed from the Ford/Jaguar "base" that they are AM engines -- and that's critically important to me. No other car uses the V12. The 4.3 V8 shared nothing with the Jaguar engine except that the basic block was cast to the same specs, but it was then machined differently. The 4.7 is still further removed from the Jag unit. If something similar were done with AMG, that would be fine, but an AMG engine (even if "modified" or "tailored" or whatever to AM -- in the manner of the Audi/Bentley V8) in an AM is not something I'd be interested in.

We don't know any details of the new engine deal, but I haven't seen anything that says there will be no new technology. Ford's current technology is bang up to date, and maybe AM will gain access to it, or use some of its new investment money to update its tech.

Telum, I'm with you -- no way I'd buy a car that fakes its engine sound. BMW et al should be ashamed.

 

i agree - i'd love for AM to be as true to its roots as possible. but i'm also a realist. in an age of ever-increasing CAFE and emissions requirements, the small boutique manufacturer gets squeezed tighter than anyone. when (not if) they get squeezed too tight, they die.

 

excellent point, all very true..........why would the fate of AM be any different today than it was 100 years ago.........they have adapted ENOUGH to stay in the game for 100 years so that's ok by me.............I should be so lucky.

 

I've told this story before but it's a good one ... was at an 'exotic cruise' and was grabbed at one of the rest stops by a guy who was driving a shiny new M5 ... told me that even though he had his windows up and I was two cars behind him, all he could hear was my car ... and he loved it ... I gave him a sympathetic look and said little ... poor guy ... I'm not even sure he knew that he was listening to a synthetic engine sound (when I wasn't around at least )

 

In an ever increasingly globalised world the push for mixing platforms and engines will increase. Happened to Porsche and VW, Chrysler and Mercedes.

Its also worth noting that some car manufacturers are jointly owned or have shares from middle eastern countries. Does that make them 25% Quatari or Saudi and to be avoided ??? I think not.

Whether anyone likes it or not it is happening and will continue to do so.

Personally I do not like Ford one single bit. Not because so much they produce engines I dont think have the quality or workmanship required for an Aston but because later this year they will deliver us this car which will dilute the great brand icon front grill for the mainstream - then when you get someone looking in the rear view mirror they will wonder.... Is it a Ford or an Aston !!!

 

Vergis - that car has been on sale in the US for a while now. there are two always parked outside my office, and yes i park my V8V within view of them whenever i drive it

but i'm going to counter your point about Ford's AM-ish grill by saying that AM is doing just as much harm to itself. The V8V has the most pronounced grill of any modern AM. the grill on the new Vanquish is barely reminiscent of AM. in fact, it looks more like a Jaguar XK grill than an Aston Martin grill. the grill on a V8V looks like it's snarling. the DB9/DBS had a softer grill. the Vanquish's grill is... disappointing at best. there's no detail, no flare, nothing whatsoever to make me take notice.

here are all three AM grills for comparison. look at the curve of the grill right in the top corners - where the headlights point.




the grill gets softer and softer. it's losing its character. this is AM's own doing, and it's very disappointing to see happen because the grill of a car is one of its most distinctive features. and although Ford might be copying AM's grill, AM isn't doing itself any favors by smoothing out the dramatic lines of their most recognizable feature.

 

On the topic of grilles, I'm not so sure about the decision to replace the classical slatted metal grille for the CF matrix grille on the new V12V S. One aspect of the car that I don't like.

 

if i ever get my hands on a V12VS, i'm retrofitting a slatted grille.

the matrix grille worked well on the CC100 because it's massive and dramatic, and all those things i said AM should be doing. but on the V12VS, it's too small to work properly.