Aurelia Butler

The arrival of an open-topped DB12 is no surprise but still a welcome addition.The DB12 Volante’s power-operated fabric roof folds in just 14 seconds.With the roof up, the 671-hp V-8 gives a 202-mph top speed.As night follows day, so the open-topped version of an Aston sports car arrives shortly after the coupe. In this case, that means the entirely predictable, yet also entirely beautiful, DB12 Volante, which is the convertible version of the regular DB12 we drove for the first time last month in Europe.As with the coupe, Aston is describing the Volante as a “super tourer,” intended to combine the performance of a high-end sports car with the grand-touring capabilities of a traditional Aston Martin. Mechanically it is unchanged from the fixed-roof version, using the same twin-turbo 4.0-liter AMG-sourced V-8 engine making peaks of 671 horsepower and 590 pound-feet. The option of a V-12 engine is no longer available; Aston is reserving that for the forthcoming replacement for the DBS Superleggera. Full Details and SpecsYet even with only four liters of capacity and eight cylinders to call on, the DB12 Volante will still be toweringly fast. Aston claims it will be capable of a 3.6-second zero-to-60-mph time, which is just one-tenth slower than the corresponding time for the coupe. Both versions of the DB12 have identical 202-mph top speeds, although the Volante will only be able to hit that peak with the roof in place. According to Aston’s figures, the convertible is 240 pounds heavier than the coupe, meaning it should be around 4350 pounds when we get it on the scales.That RoofThe Volante’s roof is an eight-layer fabric top that hides entirely beneath the rear deck once lowered. Toplessness suits the DB12 particularly well, especially for those who aren’t especially fond of the black trim that extends rearward from the coupe’s greenhouse. The Volante loses that entirely, and the roof-down profile is compelling in its simplicity. Four convertible-top fabric colors will be available: black, red, blue, and black/silver. Aston says that the roof takes just 14 seconds to open and 16 seconds to close, with this possible at speeds of up to 31 mph.The Volante will be offered solely with an eight-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive, with reactions sharpened by an electronically controlled locking differential at the rear. Adaptive dampers are standard and claimed to have a 500 percent increase in “bandwidth of force distribution” compared to the ones used by the DB11 Volante. The new Volante will be softer than the coupe, having different rear springs and what Aston describes as a “dedicated damper tune”; it is also claimed to have 5 percent better torsional rigidity than the DB11 Volante. The most significant change for the DB12 Volante is the same as on the coupe, the arrival of a redesigned and higher-quality cabin featuring both improved ergonomics but also the use of a touchscreen interface rather than the cumbersome turn-and-click controller of the DB11. While the mechanical and structural transformation between DB11 and DB12 is effectively a heavy facelift, this is one area where the new Volante should feel like an entirely new car.The DB12 Volante will make its debut during Monterey Car Week this week and will go into production in time for the first buyers to take delivery before the end of the year. Official pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but we’re told to expect it to be somewhere around the $265,000 mark in the U.S. That’s a relatively modest increase over the $236,000 DB11 Volante, one that looks justified given the scale of the improvements that have been wrought. Senior European CorrespondentOur man on the other side of the pond, Mike Duff lives in Britain but reports from across Europe, sometimes beyond. He has previously held staff roles on UK titles including CAR, Autocar and evo, but his own automotive tastes tend towards the Germanic, owning both a troublesome 987-generation Porsche Cayman S and a Mercedes 190E 2.5-16. More

Rarer than a Porsche but more affordable than a Ferrari, the Lotus Esprit offers thrilling performance and exotic looks.This one has just over 21,000 miles on its odometer and has had a thorough recent servicing.With three days to go before the auction ends on August 15, bidding on the Bring a Trailer online auction is at $41,111.Car and DriverThe desire for a Porsche or a Ferrari is both broad and deep, but to lust after a Lotus is to throw logic and reason out the occasionally malfunctioning power window. To paraphrase Shakespeare, love is not love which bends with the tow-truck driver to remove; with a Lotus, periodic interruption of service is worth the way the cars get under your skin. Want reliable? Get a Camry. Want passion? Take a gander at this gorgeous wedge of English beauty, an all-black Lotus Esprit powered by a twin-turbocharged mid-engine V-8.Today’s pick from Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is a 1998 Lotus Esprit V-8 with just over 20,000 miles on the odometer (it’s a Canadian car, so that reading is actually 35,000 kilometers. Sorry). Bring a TrailerThe World’s Sexiest DoorstopThe original, wedge-shaped Esprit arrived in the late 1970s as the world’s sexiest doorstop, and received only two major refreshes over a 28-year production run. This mid-1990s version is fairly rare—in Canada, Lotus only managed to sell four of these in 1998; in the U.S. market, just 155 found homes—making it a far more exotic option than something like a 911 Turbo, but with performance that’ll have you nipping at the Porsche’s heels.From the C/D ArchiveWhen Car and Driver reviewed the Esprit V-8 in 1998 (linked above), John Phillips knocked the car for a balky shift action and heavy clutch and couldn’t help but note the aging platform. Still, there was no arguing with the performance supplied by the 350-hp twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-8.Though the new V-8 may not sound Ferrari-esque, it certainly inspires the Esprit to supercar velocities. Sixty mph now manifests in a spine-straightening 4.1 seconds—three-tenths quicker than the old four-cylinder Esprit S4S and seven-tenths sooner than the still-older Esprit Turbo SE. In fact, that zero-to-60 time places this Lotus only a tenth of a second behind a Viper GTS, which, of course, has the advantage of two more cylinders and 100 extra horse­power. The Esprit V-8 decimates the quarter-mile in 12.7 seconds at 112 mph—three-tenths and 4 mph better than the old S4S. And it rushes to 150 mph 10.3 sec­onds sooner than the S4S, placing this Lotus only one second shy of the 0-to-150-mph time of, say, a Ferrari 355. Bring a TrailerBring a TrailerAnd also, just look at it. This black on black with a nicely contrasting tan interior is like something Batman might drive. Assuming among his gadgets he also had a Bat Flatdeck and didn’t mind occasionally showing up to the Bat Signal half an hour late to find Commissioner Gordon pointedly looking at his wristwatch.Affairs of the HeartAll joking about wonky reliability aside, what a Lotus really offers what most British sports cars bring to the table: true ownership involvement. If the shift linkage of an Esprit needs finessing, and if the V-8’s lack of low-rpm power requires throttle management, then that’s just part of the driving experience. A Lotus needs you back, and on the right day and the right road, the driving experience is absolute bliss.Bring a TrailerThere’s really no way to explain the appeal further: if you know, you know. And if you know, this is an extremely desirable example of the irresistible appeal of a proper sporting Lotus. With four days to go, bidding is at $41,111. Click on over to Bring a Trailer to bid with your heart, not your head. Contributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More

REI and Airstream collaborated on an environmentally minded camper trailer last year called the REI Co-op Special Edition Basecamp.That model added eco touches to the standard Basecamp trailer, but, at first, Airstream only offered it as a 16-foot model.This year, Airstream has added a 20-foot REI trailer to its Basecamp lineup, which already includes a Basecamp 20 model that starts at $54,400. The EI Co-op Special Edition Basecamp 20X starts at $62,400.Camping and sustainability should go hand in hand, but sometimes it helps to make the connection explicit. That’s what REI Co-op and Airstream did last year when they introduced a special-edition camping trailer filled with post-consumer recycled materials and sustainably grown wood used to make the components. The duo has now introduced a 20-foot version of the special edition Basecamp travel trailer for those who thought the original 16-foot model wasn’t large enough.Called the REI Co-op Special Edition Basecamp 20X, the new, larger trailer can sleep four instead of just two. The extra room comes from the larger, 20-foot chassis and a front dinette set that converts into the bed. The bigger trailer also has larger holding tanks.The original REI Basecamp trailer was designed to answer the stream of requests that Airstream told Car and Driver it received from potential customers for an Airstream camper that could fit larger families and groups in the backcountry. Airstream did not provide C/D any sales numbers, but a company press release called the first REI Airstream “successful.””While we initially introduced the 16-foot version of the REI Co-op Special Edition Basecamp to gauge interest and gather insights, our long-term vision always included the introduction of a larger model,” an Airstream spokesperson told Car and Driver. “We wanted to establish a strong foundation with the initial release, allowing us to fine-tune the design and gather valuable feedback.”This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.The REI Co-op Special Edition Basecamp 20X starts at $62,400; that’s $9500 more than the 16-foot model. The non-REI Basecamp 20 starts at $54,400.REI and Airstream gathered feedback on what a partnership trailer should look like before the 16-foot trailer was announced. The result was a trailer with a rear door to make loading outdoor toys like kayaks, bikes and fishing gear easier than a traditional side door. The REI trailers also use sustainable materials including birch plywood and recycled polyester to minimize environmental impact. The trailers provide off-grid capabilities like a UV-LED and pre-filter water purification system of potable water and an optional composting toilet.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Contributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More