Hello Clarice: Take your first look at Kahn Design’s menacing WB12 Vengeance

By Andrew Hard August 13, 2015

Kahn TV: Preview of the WB12 Vengeance

What do you get when you take an Aston Martin DB9 — one of the most classically handsome cars on the road — and give it a distinctly sinister face? You get Vengeance, the WB12 Vengeance to be exact.

Kahn Design has been teasing its DB9-based sports car for some time, but now it’s time to see the car in the metal — Hannibal Lecter grille and all. A new teaser video has just been released for the vehicle, and it shows the coachbuilt stunner galloping around the U.K.’s Millbrook Proving Ground while designer and CEO Afzal Kahn looks on from the sidelines.

As we’ve seen in the photorealistic renderings of the car (shown below), the WB12 looks incredible. The DB9’s distinguished face has been replaced by something altogether murderous, and it’s the result of a new hand-formed aluminum body. “This is coachbuilding in its traditional sense,” said Kahn, “Taking a tried and tested product and working solely on the aesthetic. I’ve kept every aspect of the underlying car from the crash structures to airbags—mechanically it’s unaltered.”

1 of 6

Kahn Design WB12 Vengeance

Kahn Design WB12 Vengeance

Kahn Design WB12 Vengeance

Kahn Design WB12 Vengeance

Kahn Design WB12 Vengeance

Kahn Design WB12 Vengeance

Thankfully, the DB9 had a pretty potent powertrain to begin with — a 6.0-liter V12 with 510 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. We’re not sure exactly how much the Vengeance weighs — or how much it costs for that matter — but the standard Aston accomplishes 0 to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds before topping out at 183 mph. An official unveiling is on the way soon, and the first five examples are expected to be finished by the end of the year.

As for the car’s name, “WB” signifies “Wide Body,” while the “12” is a reference to the amount of cylinders occupying the engine bay. What does Vengeance mean? Well, fans of the original Star Trek series will recall the tagline for the 1982 film Wrath of Khan, which reads,“At the end of the universe lies the beginning of vengeance.”

Coincidence? I think not. Yeah yeah, I’ll leave my my lunch money on the desk.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…

Gaming

Take a first look at Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski’s arena shooter

boss key bluestreak first footage project

Boss Key Productions, the independent studio founded in 2014 by Gears of War and Unreal Tournament co-creator Cliff Bleszinski, has released the first footage of its upcoming arena shooter, codenamed BlueStreak.

The early, pre-alpha footage shows off a fly-through of one of the game's levels. The environment features a mixture of traditional Japanese imagery and science fiction: think samurai outfits, jade dragon statues, and souped-up assault rifles. It draws from a long tradition of Japanophilic sci-fi, tracing back to the early '80s with films like Blade Runner tying the rise of dystopian sci-fi to paranoia about Japan becoming the global economic power.

Cars

Are EVs safe? From battery fires to autopilot, here are the facts

Lucid Air electric car

While many people will be primarily concerned with EV range before buying their first electric vehicle, others are a little nervous about having a giant lithium-ion battery strapped to their car's undercarriage. Those things can catch fire -- just ask Chevy Bolt owners. But how much of a real danger is that? And should it prevent you from buying an EV?
What safety features do EV batteries have?
The major safety issue with lithium-ion batteries is their temperature. If they get too hot, they're prone to igniting. If they get too cold, they freeze and permanently stop working. Charge and discharge rates need to be carefully regulated too, or you'll get electrical fires. Over time, small imperfections in a battery's structure can lead to short circuits and reduced lifetime.

EVs have what are called battery management systems (BMS) to keep tabs on all of these variables. The BMS will generate warnings when needed and intervene directly by cutting off power if things get out of hand. EV battery packs also have thermal management systems. Typically, this is a closed loop of liquid coolant flowing alongside the battery cells, but air cooling and welding battery cells directly to the car chassis are also means of mitigating extreme heat.
How well do EVs handle a crash?
Since there's no engine at the front of an EV, the hood typically houses a frunk -- meaning a front trunk. This acts as a large crumple zone in the case of a head-on accident. One crash in Germany avoided casualties thanks to this inherent characteristic of electric vehicles. Crash tests bear this out. Popular EVs like the Tesla Model 3, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Nissan Leaf have all received overall five-star ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Cars

The locations of over 2 million Toyota cars were exposed for 10 years

Ever get the sense that you're being tracked? Well, if you're a Toyota driver, you may have been. Toyota has disclosed in a statement that the locations of 2,150,000 of its customers were at risk of breach between November 6, 20i3, and April 17, 2023.

Information that was at risk specifically included the vehicle GPS and navigation terminal ID number, the chassis number, and the location of the vehicle with time data. This information is related to Toyota's cloud-based Connected service, which is used to remind owners to get maintenance done, stream entertainment in the car, and help find owners during emergency situations. Users who used services like Toyota Connected, G-Link, and G-Book were potentially affected.