OK, words don’t even begin to describe our reaction to the news that Aston Martin is considering rebranding the upcoming Toyota iQ city car as a Aston Martin. No joke. We’re like not even joking. Multiple sources are reporting that Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, is seriously considering introducing this badge-engineered Toyota into the Aston lineup. In a press release describing the Cygnet concept, Bez describes it as “akin to an exclusive tender to a luxury yacht … allow[ing] us to apply Aston Martin design language, craftsmanship and brand values to a completely new segment of the market.”

Winning Peugeot Race Car

After several years of clear dominance, Peugeot finally broke Audi’s grip in the top LMP1 Class at the 24 Hours of LeMans last weekend. This is not terribly surprising given Audi openly admitting a year ago that their R10 racecar was aging fast and without several durability issues, including a faulty headlight by the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, Audi would have not won last year either. However, Audi had hoped that the new R15 they had unleashed for this year would be sufficient to keep Peugeot at bay. They were wrong.

Thanks to a resourceful Car Magazine reader, this completely undisguised Aston Martin Rapide bears its soul months ahead of the Frankfurt motorshow this Fall. No word on the chess set though. Click through for more pics of what Lamborghini didn’t have the balls to follow through with.

Now that the calendar reads ‘2009′ and summer is upon us, we can already begin shutting the book on the first decade of the new millenia. All the cars that will be produced have either made it to dealerships or have half a dozen reviews already printed in some magazine collecting dust on your shelf.

This decade closes much like the 1960s, in an atmosphere of uproar and protest, with rumors of war and peace and revolution at hand. The auto industry has experienced a second Golden Age, bigger and grander than the first, and has again sunk into crisis, darker and dimmer than the one Baby Boomers remember. And enthusiasts young and old fear that a similar fate awaits them in the coming years with news of outrageously stringent CAFE standards, and fear-mongering legislators fuel anxieties that we’ve already seen the best cars of the next thirty some odd years.

So it is that we turn back to this decade already a bit nostalgic. Here lie the future legends, the autos of myth and lore. With the future unclear, we ask ourselves which cars made the glorious 2000’s the decade we will all miss more than we know?

Chinese Geely GT

Ten years after Ford acquired Volvo, it is being reported that a possible sale to either China’s biggest privately owned carmarker, Geely Holding Group Co., or two other potential bidders is picking up momentum.  For all of Ford’s recent success in light of the economic downturn, the automaker appears to be willing to sell the Swedish subsidiary for less than a third of what it paid a decade ago.   

Scheduled to hit next year as another contender in the relatively new 4-door supercar ring, the Aston Martin Rapide has taunted us yet again with the release of a new teaser images. Aside from the obvious structural differences, the Rapide differs very little from the famed DB9 and shares both its underpinnings and a slightly revised version of its powerplant. Slightly more powerful than its 2-door brethren, the Rapide’s version of the DB9’s 12-cylinder engine will receive a 20 unit boost in performance to 470-horsepower mated to Aston’s 6-speed Touchtronic transmission.

Although Aston has yet to set a specific launch date, sources have confirmed the Rapide will arrive in 2010. Original estimates predicted production numbers would be limited to a mere 500 cars, but Aston Martin has set the number slightly higher at around 1,000 units, expected to be priced at around $200k each. Fortunately, for those affluent performance enthusiasts who balk at a $200k family hauler, the ugly ass Porsche Panamera is expected to debut around the same time with a price tag of roughly $100k less.

2009 Aston Martin DBS

There are luxury cars and there are sports cars; and surprisingly few that can be called both.  Mostly this is the result of luxury items being a detriment to a vehicle’s weight.  This explains the spartan interior of a Lotus or the plastic-like cheapness that dogged Italian sports cars for many years.  Besides being one of the most iconic cars in the world, the Aston Martin DBS manages to straddle the line between both characteristics and is truly worthy of being called a luxury sports car.

What is essentially a $100,000 option to the DB9, the $270,000 DBS offers more than just a gussied up face to the roughly 300 owners lucky enough to own one.  Althought the DBS does share its lightweight aluminum chassis with the DB9, the heart of the DBS beats with a 6.0 liter V12 engine that produces, quite angrily, 510 horsepower.  This power translates into a 0-60 mph time of 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 191.  Not that it should matter with this sort of car, but a byproduct of this power is a 12 mpg rating.  However, unlike other high-end sports cars that scream their speed out to the world, the DBS projects a grownup, almost conservative British visage that is extremely attractive without being obnoxious about it.

Unveiled to a stunned, somewhat horrified audience at the Geneva Motor Show last week, the Aston Martin Lagonda Concept now appears slated to transform from an ugly pipedream into an ugly reality. According to Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez, the new Lagonda could begin production in as little as three years, hitting the market in 2012/13. Built on the same platform currently underpinning the Mercedes-Benz GL class, the new Aston Martin Lagonda is, by standard definition, an SUV, but attempts to reconcile its massive 20-foot-long body with the traditional styling of W.O. Bentley’s Lagonda LG6. Beneath the pre-war inspired hood, the Lagonda Concept is powered by a standard gasoline V12 engine, but Bez says they are already exploring both diesel and hybrid powertrain options.

To those unfamiliar with the history of the Lagonda, the Concept variant appears to be a truly ugly specimen utterly void of rhyme or reason. While we’ll admit we agree with the ugly assessment, now that the initial shock has faded, we’ve begun to develop a begrudging respect for the throwback Aston. Mercifully absent of any noticeable William-Towns-circa-1976 influence, Bez expects the new Lagonda to revive the original theme of cutting edge design and unparalleled innovation, opening new doors (no pun intended) for the Aston-Martin brand as a whole.

If the Lagonda XUV concept unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show is any indication, there is a very valid, legitimate reason why Aston Martin laid the original Lagonda to rest – it’s ugly as sin. We’re usually predispositioned to enjoy any vehicle bearing the Aston Martin badge, but this is simply a bridge too far. Although we realize a major cornerstone of the Lagonda’s legacy was its “unique” design and cutting-edge technology, we refuse to believe that in the 20 year gap between the death of the original and the birth of the monster pictured above, Aston Martin couldn’t find a way to make the Lagonda at least marginally attractive. Utterly hideous Chrysler 300-reminiscent design aside, the Lagonda’s one redeeming virtue is found beneath the hood where Aston Martin claims they will place a V12. Power ratings for the 12-banger have yet to be disclosed, but to compensate for the incredibly lacking exterior, we expect the Lagonda to be capable of full flight.

Check out more photos after the jump

Slated to debut in the flesh in March at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, the new Aston Martin V12 Vantage broke cover a little early this week giving us our first glimpse of the most powerful Aston Martin yet. Powered by a 6.0L V12 engine producing 510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS), and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque, the V12 Vantage tops out at 190 mph and is capable of sprinting from 0-62 mph (0-100 kp/h) in 4.2 seconds. Explained Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, “This is the ultimate performance interpretation of the Vantage range, combining our most agile model with our most powerful engine. It represents the definitive driving package; providing spectacular performance to ensure a dynamically thrilling and everyday usable driving experience.”

Painstakingly built with individualized, high-tech attention, the production of the V12 Vantage will be limited to only 1,000 units, deliveries of which will begin during late summer/early fall of 2009. Pricing will not be announced until the V12 Vantage’s formal debut at the Geneva Motor Show, but if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.

Full gallery and press release after the jump