Aston Martin Styling Connection?

[Momosc]

I'm surprised to see no mention of Aston Martin styling cues on the S550. Does Ford still own Aston Martin? If you look at a picture of a Vantage next to the new Mustang, the greenhouse is almost identical, as is the swelling of the rear quarters to the wheel wells.

Don't get me wrong, I've always thought the Vantage was one of the world's most beautiful cars and am very happy to see these cues applied to the American muscle theme of the new Mustang. Am I the only one who sees this?

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[Mriley]

Actually it's been said many times, you are just late

The mention of Aston Martin styling cues have been thrown around since at least as early as chazcron's renders. He even did a comparison next to a Vantage IIRC.

 

[TampaBear67]

I've made this connection several times myself

I Agree, it gives it a VERY Upscale Feel...

 

[TampaBear67]

From the Grabber Blue Thread

Which is why it would look so good on the S-550

This also isn't the first time...

An Aston Martin DB-9 or DB-S is also My Dream Car but the 2015 is not the first time a Mustang and an Aston Martin have looked like they could be related...

 

[Momosc]

Got it!

Actually it's been said many times, you are just late

The mention of Aston Martin styling cues have been thrown around since at least as early as chazcron's renders. He even did a comparison next to a Vantage IIRC.

Ok, right! That's just me being late to the party. By the way, the misspell on my thread title was totally unintentional! I've always loved the Aston Martin marque.

 

[OppoLock]

The similarities are unmistakeable, but then again you have to realize that design trends (in combination with safety regulations) dictate a lot of design choices.

There's no getting around that these two share similar placement of design cues, but I doubt that most, if not all, of the S550's design had even a bit of influence from Aston's offerings. They share basic elements, like a fast roofline, long hood, short rear deck, and even have similar character lines in some areas, but the execution is different. Not to mention that many of these elements are conservative decisions (meaning that they're widely established as attractive elements at this point).

For example, deeply sculpted surfacing has been trendy for quite some time now, like the S550's. Placement of the now-prerequisite shoulder line and lower character lines is widely practiced. A slit-eyed/angry set of headlamps with an angular, horizontal shield grille have proven to be attractive for a while. The amount of bevels is par for current trends, and an upswept rear quarter window has been reproduced on tons of cars now.

What I'm getting at is that the Mustang follows the basic modern template of sporty car design, but the elements themselves are executed in a uniquely Ford/Mustang-esque way.

 

[Mark's M]

The car shares it's design heritage via its connection to the Callum brothers. Moray Callum is currently the executive director of design for Ford. Long ago he contributed to Aston and Jag design but since about 2000 he worked for Mazda and then back to Ford 6 or so years later. Moray is the brother of Ian Callum who is currently the chief design director for Jaguar and the former designer of the Astons which you guys have shown in the above pics. And back about then, Ford and Aston were one big happy (sort of) family. Get the connection now? I met the both of them at the NAIAS years ago. They're two peas in a pod and share the same flair...which is stunning. The new Mustang has subtle cues of Aston and Jaguar all over it while still retaining the Mustang presence. Ain't no better a combo than this IMO.

 

[Fenderaddict2]

They've always shared a similarity IMHO.

 

[TampaBear67]

They've always shared a similarity IMHO.

Ironically that Aston's Design was inspired by the 69 Mustang Fastback.

 

[Tony Alonso]

Does Ford still own Aston Martin?

AM was sold in 2007.

 

[Twin Turbo]

The car shares it's design heritage via its connection to the Callum brothers. Moray Callum is currently the executive director of design for Ford. Long ago he contributed to Aston and Jag design but since about 2000 he worked for Mazda and then back to Ford 6 or so years later. Moray is the brother of Ian Callum who is currently the chief design director for Jaguar and the former designer of the Astons which you guys have shown in the above pics. And back about then, Ford and Aston were one big happy (sort of) family. Get the connection now? I met the both of them at the NAIAS years ago. They're two peas in a pod and share the same flair...which is stunning. The new Mustang has subtle cues of Aston and Jaguar all over it while still retaining the Mustang presence. Ain't no better a combo than this IMO.

This, this and this again

Finally got to meet Moray at the 50th banquet in Vegas. What a gent...........and he told us he's looking forward to taking his Triple Yellow S550 around the Scottish highlands when he gets it


Here he is with Stan, the little Hotwheels mascot from our club

 

[MyRed97]

AM was sold in 2007.

Not quite. Ford did sell off the majority of AM from the PAG, but still owns about a 15% stake in the company.
"Under the terms of the sales agreement, Ford retained a $77 million stake in AM- not enough to have any say in it's operations, but enough to retain a modicum of the prestige associated with the marque."
- American Icon by Bryce Hoffman
:ford:

 

[Tony Alonso]

Not quite. Ford did sell off the majority of AM from the PAG, but still owns about a 15% stake in the company.
"Under the terms of the sales agreement, Ford retained a $77 million stake in AM- not enough to have any say in it's operations, but enough to retain a modicum of the prestige associated with the marque."
- American Icon by Bryce Hoffman
:ford:

Hmmm....and how is this stake leveraged? Of course, there are the 2 brothers...

 

[Fenderaddict2]

Also prior to the AMG announcement and future implementation, Aston's recent engines have come from Ford Germany.

 

[Tony Alonso]

Also prior to the AMG announcement and future implementation, Aston's recent engines have come from Ford Germany.

Thanks!

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