Aston Martin V12 Vantage and a Retromobile preview

[Wouter Melissen]

Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,

Despite the grim state of the automotive industry, the upcoming Geneva Motor Show promises to be one of the best yet. This week the ever growing list of exciting releases was expanded with the production version of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage. Powered by the same V12 engine as the range topping DBS, the compact Vantage model should provide plenty of driving thrills. It will be displayed alongside the production version of the Rapide four door saloon.
We will of course be in Geneva to capture all the excitement for you but first we will travel to Paris for Retromobile. Opening its doors tomorrow, the annual show always produces some very special displays despite its relatively small size. These are provided by manufacturers, clubs, dealers and auctioneer Bonhams. This year we particularly look forward to the Vanderbilt Cup winning Alfa Romeo Tipo 12C 36 and the magnificent Mercedes Benz W165 that was driven to victory in the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix. Bonhams' auction is highlighted by a fine collection of Bugattis including the barn-find Type 57S Atalante and the very early Type 13 and Type 18. To get you in the mood we have assembled a list of some of our favourite machinery that has been displayed in the past few years.
Much like the barn-find Bugatti this year, the Auto Union Type D to be auctioned in 2007 grabbed the attention of the world media. Set to break the world record, it had to be withdrawn prior to the sale over new information that surfaced on the car's identity. It is nevertheless a genuine example and Retromobile provided a rare opportunity for enthusiasts to examine it up close. The museums of the Fiat Group always sent out something special and provided the stands of the French clubs with the Alfa Romeo 2000 Sportiva in 2004 and one just two surviving Lancia D50s in 2005. The stand we always look out for the most is that of Swiss classic car dealer Lukas Huni. Last year he brought out Juan Manuel Fangio's 1957 'Ring winning Maserati 250F and a few years earlier offered the super rare Pegaso Z102 BS 3.2 Touring Spyder. Surprises like this Jaguar XK120 Ghia Supersonic and Bugatti EB 110 SS Le Mans can be found around every corner.
A full report of this year's Retromobile and associated auction will be published early next week, of course illustrated by a packed gallery.

Enjoy the links:

2009 Aston Martin V12 Vantage - Images, Specifications and Information

2009 Retromobile Preview

1954 Alfa Romeo 2000 Sportiva Coupe - Images, Specifications and Information

1938 - 1939 Auto Union Type D - Images, Specifications and Information

1994 Bugatti EB 110 SS Le Mans - Images, Specifications and Information

1954 Jaguar XK120 Ghia Supersonic Coupe - Images, Specifications and Information

1954 - 1955 Lancia D50 - Images, Specifications and Information

1957 Maserati 250F Lightweight - Images, Specifications and Information

1953 Pegaso Z102 BS 3.2 Touring Spyder - Images, Specifications and Information

Regards,
Wouter Melissen

[LeonOfTheDead]

great update as usual, the Alfa and the Jagur are fabulous.

just one thing, would it be possible to create a pdf file for the reports, as for that for the Retromobile preview, for SMs?

[Wouter Melissen]

just one thing, would it be possible to create a pdf file for the reports, as for that for the Retromobile preview, for SMs?

It's on the todo list.

[LeonOfTheDead]

It's on the todo list.

thumbs up then

edit: on a second thought, if the names of the images would be composed by the name of the car and not by the number of the page, it would be really really appreciated, but I guess that's something related to how the site is built, maybe.

[Ferrer]

Just a small correction on the other wise excellent Pegaso article.

Joan Jover didn't die in the '53 Le Mans crash.

[Kitdy]

Interesting EB 110 SS Le Mans article. I have a question about the engine. I see it's 3.5L which is the displacement that F1 engines used at this time (I think) - was it based off of an F1 engine? Is it based off of anything or is a clean sheet design?

[LeonOfTheDead]

Interesting EB 110 SS Le Mans article. I have a question about the engine. I see it's 3.5L which is the displacement that F1 engines used at this time (I think) - was it based off of an F1 engine? Is it based off of anything or is a clean sheet design?

designed from scratch iirc