WI : Mercedes bought Aston Martin?


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Some years ago there was a great deal of speculation and rumor that Mercedes-Benz were mulling over buying Aston Martin.

What if this actually happened?
How would both companies, especially Aston Martin evolve from this?
Would the 'Lagonda' brand make a comeback as part of some Mercedes model based range?
How would the opposition react to this development?

Much obliged!
 
Such a shame. For a company that wanted to position itself as a British Ferrari, you can't go around using other people's engines , especially if they're off the shelf. Other company's resources for infotainment: fine. But not the engine. It's the heart of the car.
 
Such a shame. For a company that wanted to position itself as a British Ferrari, you can't go around using other people's engines , especially if they're off the shelf. Other company's resources for infotainment: fine. But not the engine. It's the heart of the car.
Ferrari won the 1956 World Championship using a Lancia engine, so nothing is really sacred. (All is fair in love and racing)
And they can always say they are using AMG engines, not just plain Mercedes engines.

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The Lancia D50 was bought by Ferrari, who continued to develop it and make it their own. We're talking here about off the shelf AMG engines. If they were bespoke, rather like BMW built a bespoke V12 for the McLaren F1, I'd be happier about it. It's also a shame that Aston couldn't show off what they're capable of with their own in-house V6.
 
Such a shame. For a company that wanted to position itself as a British Ferrari, you can't go around using other people's engines , especially if they're off the shelf. Other company's resources for infotainment: fine. But not the engine. It's the heart of the car.
Not sure off the shelf Mercedes is such a step down from two Ford Mondeo V6s welded together, tbh.

Ferrari at least have all the F1 activity plus the FCA partnership to help them get tech. Aston is smaller than Ferrari and basically have no other partnerships, so for them to develop a standalone emission compliant new engine seems like a potential company killer.
 
The Lancia D50 was bought by Ferrari, who continued to develop it and make it their own. We're talking here about off the shelf AMG engines. If they were bespoke, rather like BMW built a bespoke V12 for the McLaren F1, I'd be happier about it. It's also a shame that Aston couldn't show off what they're capable of with their own in-house V6.
Bentleys have WV engines and the new continental is build on the same platform as the Panamera.
I would still buy a Continental if someone gave me a few million euros tomorrow (pause to check the euro millions numbers, no, not this week)
At least this time Aston are using good parts, not old jaguar bits like when they made the DB7 back in Ford days.
Aston is a great brand, but it always went from one bail out to another and is no stranger to using somebody else's engines. The DB2 used a Lagonda engine and was better for it.
 
The Lancia D50 was bought by Ferrari, who continued to develop it and make it their own. We're talking here about off the shelf AMG engines. If they were bespoke, rather like BMW built a bespoke V12 for the McLaren F1, I'd be happier about it. It's also a shame that Aston couldn't show off what they're capable of with their own in-house V6.
Ferrari ruined the D50 rather than develop it. The D50 was a low polar moment of inertia car (something Ferrari only developed with the 312T) with a stressed engine and they placed weight on the back and added extra frame members to brace the engine. The car that was a Mercedes challenger in 1955 was overtaken by Vanwall and Maserati and couldn't win a single race in 1957.
The D50 was the most advanced racing car in the world in 1955 ( the Mercedes was the best engineered) and Ferrari unadvanced it ruining its handling.
 
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Bentleys have WV engines and the new continental is build on the same platform as the Panamera.
I would still buy a Continental if someone gave me a few million euros tomorrow (pause to check the euro millions numbers, no, not this week)
At least this time Aston are using good parts, not old jaguar bits like when they made the DB7 back in Ford days.
Aston is a great brand, but it always went from one bail out to another and is no stranger to using somebody else's engines. The DB2 used a Lagonda engine and was better for it.
I'm afraid I hate the idea of Bentleys being posh Audis under the skin - guess that's just me. But yeah, I'd have one too if I had the money 😂

DB7 was basically Aston's version of the cancelled Jaguar F type (XJ41). The Jaguar bits in the Vantage (so the AJ37) were pretty good as far as I understand.
 
Not sure off the shelf Mercedes is such a step down from two Ford Mondeo V6s welded together, tbh.
But heavily modified with help from Cosworth and unique to them as well. It would just be nice for Aston to use something more unique but again, that's just me.
 
I think realistically the days of the small independent builder are done. Either it’s basically kitcars/prototypes or you have to have a big firm standing behind all the tech developments, emissions controls, warranties, liability and working capital requirements.
I saw a video ages ago with an Aston owner going through his car showing all the bits which were Ford/Volvo/Jaguar with either the label peeled off or an Aston sticker slapped over, pretty sure it’s the same with Bentley, Rolls, Bugatti etc.

At least with BMW, Mercedes or Audi/Porsche as the source there are some quite fancy bits in the bargain bin.
 
Not sure off the shelf Mercedes is such a step down from two Ford Mondeo V6s welded together, tbh.
The Mondeo V6 engines you mentioned were actually Mazda-based that was also derived from a 1980s-era Mitsubishi V6 in turn, hence the images below:

Mondeo V6 (OTL):
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Mazda V6 (OTL):
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Couldn't find a 1980s Mitsubishi V6 motor but instead I found this:
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2000s Mitsubishi V6 (OTL)

Perhaps, it would have been honestly hilarious for Mitsubishi Motors in ITTL to take over Mazda (from Ford) and Aston Martin (AM) around 1986 while the first one was under the control of Chrysler, especially when the latter used to benefit from Peugeot's handling technology (while Mitsubishi sold Chrysler's Aussie branch in [OTL] 1979) meant that Aston Martin under Japanese control would prevent itself from being sold to the Germans, Italians or the French whilst Toyota and Honda took their responsibilities to own shares in Lotus Cars (Toyota) and Leyland via Rover (Honda).

Just as in OTL, the Brits were used to fight them (Germans) between World War one and two, anyway Aston's logo look like this so this might explain why it would have been not a wrong decision to trade VWs, Mercs or Bimmers for a Japanese rocket like Mitsubishi (since they built the Starion in OTL): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reichsadler_Deutsches_Reich_(1935–1945).svg.

And also in ITTL, what would Mitsubishi have to do with Mazda and Aston even when there's Nissan (Datsun) for help?
 
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