1933 Chrysler Six Instruction Book Code Co, Royal & Imperial Eight Third Edition on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster arrives with 565bhp – the quickest Aston Roadster ever

The new Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster arrives The Aston Martin V12 Vantage S – revealed in 2013 – has lost its roof and turned in to the quickest open-top car Aston Martin has ever produced. The Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster gets the same 5.9 litre V12 as the tin-top model, which means a 0-60mph of 3.9 seconds (0-62mph 4.1s) and a top speed of 201mph, both figures just below the coupe but enough to make this the fastest production Aston Roadster ever. The V12 engine also offers delicious lumps of torque, with 457lb/ft – and most of that available almost from tickover – all delivered to the back wheels through the Graziano 7-speed automated manual ‘box.

Aston Martin Rapide coming home

Aston Martin Rapide - homeward bound It took Aston Martin what seemed like forever to get their four-door supercar – the Aston Martin Rapide – in to production, and even then they didn’t build it themselves. When they were busy planning production of the Rapide the world’s economy was buoyant, credit was a piece of cake and Aston Martins were flying out of the showroom. But the new economic reality bit in 2008 and sales fell at Aston Martin, but by then the plan to get the Rapide built at Magna Steyr in Austria was unstoppable so, despite Aston Martin workers twiddling their thumbs as Magna Steyr built Rapides, there as nothing to be done.

Watch a Triumph Spitfire engine assemble itself

Chris Herridge bought an engine for a Triumph Spitfire on eBay. He then proceeded to take 3,000 photos as he disassembled and rebuilt it, possibly destroying his camera but gaining a shiny new SU-equipped Triumph engine by the time he was done -- eleven months later. We get the video above despite having taken no part in the labors.