Aston Martin: Vantage News
02-02-2005 | 08:17 PM
#81
Thread Starter
Moderator Alumnus
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 16,399
Likes: 8
From: Washington DC (NOVA)
Originally Posted by srika
oh yea Aston Martin has 3 cars - the Vanquish S, V8 Vantage, and DB9. I had just never heard the AMV8 being referred to as DB8, hence the ensuing confusion. All is clear now.
02-07-2005 | 07:32 AM
#83
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 214
Likes: 0
From: sweden
Aston Martin's New Baby
This is from one the most respected MOTORMAGAZINE in europe ....EVO....
took a lot of time to scan and post....hope u guys like the article.....
i live in the north of sweden... i even saw this car i also saw the new porsche boxster....and some new volvos.... this is the only exciting thing that happens up here....
greeting :gheywave:
from one of the most coldest darkest place on earth
took a lot of time to scan and post....hope u guys like the article.....
i live in the north of sweden... i even saw this car i also saw the new porsche boxster....and some new volvos.... this is the only exciting thing that happens up here....
greeting :gheywave:
from one of the most coldest darkest place on earth
04-10-2005 | 11:05 AM
#90
Thread Starter
Moderator Alumnus
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 16,399
Likes: 8
From: Washington DC (NOVA)
2006 Aston Martin V-8 Vantage - - Accessible if you can access 120 grand. - - BY RAY HUTTON - - Source: CarandDriver.com
April 2005
Aston Martin for the price of a Porsche 911? That has been a tantalizing prospect for driving enthusiasts ever since a prototype of the
V-8 Vantage you see here was presented at the 2003 Detroit auto show. And toward the end of this year it will arrive in the U.S., the smallest and least expensive Aston of modern times.
It is not, however, quite the Carrera challenger promised by Aston CEO Ulrich Bez. Oh, the specification is appropriate and the performance claims are more or less in the ballpark-it's just that the price is nearer a 911 Turbo's. Aston is talking about $120,000.
Blame the hike on the weak exchange rate of the dollar. Aston doesn't talk about that but rather emphasizes the exclusivity of the marque and the small number of V-8 Vantages that will be produced.
So instead of wondering whether this would be the way out of a repetitive run of Porsches, consider the V-8 Vantage as what it is: a scaled-down Aston Martin DB9 discounted by $40,000.
When it was still a twinkle in the eye of parent company Ford, and before Bez arrived in 2000 to run the boutique brand, the entry-level Aston was to be mid-engined, the British equivalent of a small Ferrari. But the economics of that didn't look good, and Bez concluded that the only way a company of Aston's size could have three models all its own would be for them to share a common structure. Hence "VH," for what Aston calls a "vertical platform," made in bonded aluminum, which can be produced in a variety of sizes and still use the same suspension and chassis systems. Development of the DB9 and V-8 Vantage started at the same time in 2001. When Aston's flagship, the Vanquish, is replaced, it, too, will be reborn on that common VH structure.
Compared with the DB9, the V-8 Vantage is 12.3 inches shorter and has 5.5 inches cut from the wheelbase. It is strictly a two-seater, rather than a two-plus-two, but up to the door pillar, the cockpit has the same layout and dimensions. Construction is much the same except the side pieces of the underbody are steel rather than aluminum and are bonded to the rest of the aluminum structure. Unlike the DB9 chassis, which comes from supplier Hydro Automotive (that company also makes the Lotus Elise chassis), the V-8 Vantage hull is being made at Aston's palatial headquarters in Gaydon.
The big difference is under the hood, where instead of a 5.9-liter V-12 filling every nook and cranny, there is a compact 4.3-liter V-8 tucked way back, its rearmost cylinders under the windshield rail.
The V-8 started life as the Jaguar AJV8 but is different in almost every part and detail. Aston now has its own engine machining and assembly operation at the Ford plant in Cologne, Germany. The V-8 develops 380 horsepower and revs to 7500 rpm. Jeremy Main, director of product development, admits it could have more power, but the emphasis was on achieving a fat torque curve: 85 percent of its maximum 308 pound-feet is delivered at 1500 rpm.
Because this V-8 Vantage is some 400 pounds lighter than the 444-hp DB9, the performance of the two cars is close. Aston says the V-8 can go 175 mph (it claims 186 for the DB9), does 0 to 60 in 4.8 seconds (versus 4.5), and runs 0 to 100 in 10.5 (versus 10.3). Ah, says Main, but the difference is in the character of the cars, how that performance is delivered. Although Bez insists the DB9 is a sports car rather than a GT, Main describes it as primarily a high-speed touring car and says the V-8 Vantage is a genuine two-seat sports model, a dedicated driver's car that steers and handles with even more precision.
Keys to that are optimal weight distribution (49/51 front to rear) and center of gravity. The engine is mounted not only far back but also as low as possible, with the lowest point being the flywheel. That dictated a dry-sump lubrication system, with the oil tank and pumps located in front of the engine, above the steering rack.
The transmission is at the rear with the differential, a six-speed manual gearbox specially made in Italy by Graziano (a Ferrari supplier). It will appear in the DB9 as an alternative to the ZF six-speed automatic before the V-8 Vantage is available.
Main is sure the six-speed manual is the most appropriate for the V-8 Vantage. We went out on the road in the final "confirmation prototype." Its poise over bumpy English lanes was evident, the ride surprisingly comfortable for a firmly sprung sports car wearing ultra-low-profile tires on 19-inch wheels. Aston's baby is eager and makes a pleasingly angry noise at the top end of its rev range (there are flap valves in the exhaust to quiet it at the speeds prescribed by noise regulations).
The V-8 Vantage may be the size of a Porsche 911, but inside it is a typical 21st-century Aston. The instruments, the engine start button, and other controls are familiar from the DB9, but the standard specification does not include wood on the center console and uses a "technical" fabric for seat inserts and other soft trim parts in place of leather. A hatch allows easy access to the luggage space, which is limited to a total of 11 cubic feet by the fuel tank and roof-bracing struts that separate the trunk and the platform behind the seats.
And, oh, the styling: gorgeous, to our eyes. The shorter car is less sleek but more muscular than the sublime DB9, which won us over even though we had reason to question its reliability. We reckon Aston's problem with the V-8 Vantage will be satisfying demand. It plans to make a maximum of 3000 V-8s a year (along with 2000 DB9s and 300 Vanquishes).
In Britain, before the order books opened officially, a two-or-three-year wait list was predicted. It is easy to see why: The price may be way higher than the competition's, but this is the most accessible Aston Martin ever.
2006 Aston Martin V-8 Vantage
Vehicle type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 3-door coupe
Estimated base price: $120,000
Engine type: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 261 cu in, 4280cc
Power (SAE net): 380 bhp @ 7300 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 308 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Wheelbase: 102.4 in
Length/width/height: 172.6/73.5/49.4 in
Curb weight: 3600 lb
Performance ratings (mfr's est):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.8 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 10.5 sec
Top speed (drag limited): 175 mph
Projected fuel economy (C/D est):
EPA city driving: 14 mpg
EPA highway driving: 20 mpg
Aston Martin for the price of a Porsche 911? That has been a tantalizing prospect for driving enthusiasts ever since a prototype of the
V-8 Vantage you see here was presented at the 2003 Detroit auto show. And toward the end of this year it will arrive in the U.S., the smallest and least expensive Aston of modern times.
It is not, however, quite the Carrera challenger promised by Aston CEO Ulrich Bez. Oh, the specification is appropriate and the performance claims are more or less in the ballpark-it's just that the price is nearer a 911 Turbo's. Aston is talking about $120,000.
Blame the hike on the weak exchange rate of the dollar. Aston doesn't talk about that but rather emphasizes the exclusivity of the marque and the small number of V-8 Vantages that will be produced.
So instead of wondering whether this would be the way out of a repetitive run of Porsches, consider the V-8 Vantage as what it is: a scaled-down Aston Martin DB9 discounted by $40,000.
When it was still a twinkle in the eye of parent company Ford, and before Bez arrived in 2000 to run the boutique brand, the entry-level Aston was to be mid-engined, the British equivalent of a small Ferrari. But the economics of that didn't look good, and Bez concluded that the only way a company of Aston's size could have three models all its own would be for them to share a common structure. Hence "VH," for what Aston calls a "vertical platform," made in bonded aluminum, which can be produced in a variety of sizes and still use the same suspension and chassis systems. Development of the DB9 and V-8 Vantage started at the same time in 2001. When Aston's flagship, the Vanquish, is replaced, it, too, will be reborn on that common VH structure.
Compared with the DB9, the V-8 Vantage is 12.3 inches shorter and has 5.5 inches cut from the wheelbase. It is strictly a two-seater, rather than a two-plus-two, but up to the door pillar, the cockpit has the same layout and dimensions. Construction is much the same except the side pieces of the underbody are steel rather than aluminum and are bonded to the rest of the aluminum structure. Unlike the DB9 chassis, which comes from supplier Hydro Automotive (that company also makes the Lotus Elise chassis), the V-8 Vantage hull is being made at Aston's palatial headquarters in Gaydon.
The big difference is under the hood, where instead of a 5.9-liter V-12 filling every nook and cranny, there is a compact 4.3-liter V-8 tucked way back, its rearmost cylinders under the windshield rail.
The V-8 started life as the Jaguar AJV8 but is different in almost every part and detail. Aston now has its own engine machining and assembly operation at the Ford plant in Cologne, Germany. The V-8 develops 380 horsepower and revs to 7500 rpm. Jeremy Main, director of product development, admits it could have more power, but the emphasis was on achieving a fat torque curve: 85 percent of its maximum 308 pound-feet is delivered at 1500 rpm.
Because this V-8 Vantage is some 400 pounds lighter than the 444-hp DB9, the performance of the two cars is close. Aston says the V-8 can go 175 mph (it claims 186 for the DB9), does 0 to 60 in 4.8 seconds (versus 4.5), and runs 0 to 100 in 10.5 (versus 10.3). Ah, says Main, but the difference is in the character of the cars, how that performance is delivered. Although Bez insists the DB9 is a sports car rather than a GT, Main describes it as primarily a high-speed touring car and says the V-8 Vantage is a genuine two-seat sports model, a dedicated driver's car that steers and handles with even more precision.
Keys to that are optimal weight distribution (49/51 front to rear) and center of gravity. The engine is mounted not only far back but also as low as possible, with the lowest point being the flywheel. That dictated a dry-sump lubrication system, with the oil tank and pumps located in front of the engine, above the steering rack.
The transmission is at the rear with the differential, a six-speed manual gearbox specially made in Italy by Graziano (a Ferrari supplier). It will appear in the DB9 as an alternative to the ZF six-speed automatic before the V-8 Vantage is available.
Main is sure the six-speed manual is the most appropriate for the V-8 Vantage. We went out on the road in the final "confirmation prototype." Its poise over bumpy English lanes was evident, the ride surprisingly comfortable for a firmly sprung sports car wearing ultra-low-profile tires on 19-inch wheels. Aston's baby is eager and makes a pleasingly angry noise at the top end of its rev range (there are flap valves in the exhaust to quiet it at the speeds prescribed by noise regulations).
The V-8 Vantage may be the size of a Porsche 911, but inside it is a typical 21st-century Aston. The instruments, the engine start button, and other controls are familiar from the DB9, but the standard specification does not include wood on the center console and uses a "technical" fabric for seat inserts and other soft trim parts in place of leather. A hatch allows easy access to the luggage space, which is limited to a total of 11 cubic feet by the fuel tank and roof-bracing struts that separate the trunk and the platform behind the seats.
And, oh, the styling: gorgeous, to our eyes. The shorter car is less sleek but more muscular than the sublime DB9, which won us over even though we had reason to question its reliability. We reckon Aston's problem with the V-8 Vantage will be satisfying demand. It plans to make a maximum of 3000 V-8s a year (along with 2000 DB9s and 300 Vanquishes).
In Britain, before the order books opened officially, a two-or-three-year wait list was predicted. It is easy to see why: The price may be way higher than the competition's, but this is the most accessible Aston Martin ever.
2006 Aston Martin V-8 Vantage
Vehicle type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 3-door coupe
Estimated base price: $120,000
Engine type: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 261 cu in, 4280cc
Power (SAE net): 380 bhp @ 7300 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 308 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Wheelbase: 102.4 in
Length/width/height: 172.6/73.5/49.4 in
Curb weight: 3600 lb
Performance ratings (mfr's est):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.8 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 10.5 sec
Top speed (drag limited): 175 mph
Projected fuel economy (C/D est):
EPA city driving: 14 mpg
EPA highway driving: 20 mpg
09-19-2005 | 11:42 PM
#91
Senior Moderator
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 167,734
Likes: 23,026
Review by Jeremy Clarkson (host of Top Gear) for the Times Online...
================
You're a real gentleman thug, sir
September 18, 2005
What with the bombs and everything, we haven’t really learnt much about Britain’s big Olympic sports day. It’s almost as though the whole thing has simply gone away.
But don’t worry. Behind the headlines, the organisers are hard at work and have already made one important decision. These will be a low-carbon, sustainable, public transport Games with no provision for any car parking whatsoever at any of the major sites.
Can you believe that? No, really. Can you honestly believe that with all the things that need to be achieved in the next seven years, the powers that be have decided that global warming is somehow the most important issue.
“Right. We need to compulsorily purchase half of east London, we need to bulldoze it, we need to get some stadiums designed, we need to find some steel that isn’t on its way to Shanghai, we need to build a whole village for the athletes and we need to ensure nobody explodes. But first things first, comrades. Are we all agreed that these Games should be car-free?” Don’t these idiots remember the Millennium Dome? Over the years, many inquiring minds have speculated on why this billion-pound umbrella failed. But there’s only one reason, really. Even if you wanted to see the multi-faith exhibits and learn how a turd was made, you couldn’t get there. Because there was no car park.
Of course, those in charge of the Olympics will say that the Games give us a chance to show the world that London is a shining beacon of environmental responsibility . . . in the same way that London was a shining beacon of multiculturalism, right up to the moment when a small group of deranged Muslims started blowing themselves up on Tube trains.
The Olympics are a test designed to quantify and celebrate human physical achievement. They are not an opportunity for a bunch of stupid, left-wing, weird-beard failures to make political points.
I make this prediction now. The woolly-pully brigade will be so busy over the next seven years ensuring that the Games are eco-friendly that they’ll forget to build a running track. And the health and safety department will outlaw the swimming pool on the basis that someone might drown.
This will make Britain a laughing stock in the eyes of the whole world, so consequently we must quickly find something else to crow about. And that brings me neatly on to the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
In the past few weeks this new car has been subjected to a torrent of crowing as various motoring correspondents have vomited eulogies onto the page. But I’m afraid that I must be the voice of reason here.
First of all, Aston Martin is owned by the Americans and run by a German whose most recent decision saw engine production being moved from Newport Pagnell to Cologne. So it’s about as British as Budweiser.
And then there’s the price. At £80,000, the Vantage is £20,000 more than was originally suggested and, crucially, £20,000 more than the car with which it was designed to compete: the Porsche 911.
Of course, with a three-year waiting list, the Aston is unlikely to depreciate much, so that makes the premium more palatable. And that leaves us with the next problem. A lack of power.
Eventually there will be a faster version called the Vantage Vantage probably, or the Vantage Squared, but for now, when you change down and pull out to overtake, the baby Aston accelerates briskly but with none of the savagery you might have been expecting. It’s fast. But it’s not blistering.
The engine starts out in life as a 4.2 litre Jaguar V8 but is then extensively reworked to become a 4.3 that churns out 380bhp and 302 torques. This isn’t enough. It’s less torque than you get from a Mercedes SLK, less bhp and torque than you get from a Vauxhall Monaro. And more worryingly it’s less bhp and torque than you’ll get from the next Jaguar XK, which will be cheaper as well. And just as beautiful.
Annoyingly, with a 4.3 litre V8 allied to a chassis made from air and a body fashioned from the froth on a cappuccino, the Vantage could have been really quick, cartoon quick, fast enough to fan a forest fire with its wake. But if they’d done that, why would anyone have spent about £20,0000 more on a DB9? It’s not like the Vantage is different in any other way. Apart from the lack of back seats, the new V8 has exactly the same Volvo sat nav system as the DB9, exactly the same hard-to-read dash as the DB9 and exactly the same Ford trim as the DB9.
In other words, like the DB9, the Vantage was built using whatever the Aston engineers could get their hands on cheaply. As opposed to the 911, which was built using whatever took the Porsche engineers’ fancy.
I’m sorry if this all sounds negative but I’m being realistic here. And I’m also being realistic when I tell you that in a straight fight, on any road or track, the 911 will be faster. Not just because of its superior grunt but also because it brakes better, steers better and corners more confidently.
But, and this is what makes cars such fun to write about, given the choice of a Porsche 911 or a V8 Vantage, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. I’d buy the Aston.
While it may not be as nippy or as thrilling as the 911, it has a he-man feel on the road that I like. Thanks to heavy steering, heavy brakes and a heavy six-speed manual gearbox, they’ve made the syllabub-light body feel like a meat pie. The 911 is for nancy boy racing drivers. The Aston’s for gentleman thugs.
That said, it’s by no means uncomfortable. Be in no doubt that it’s a firm car, designed for the bends, but the suspension never gets panicked by ridges and potholes in the same way that it does in, say, a Mercedes SL. It’s always controlled. Down. Up. Stop.
And then there’s the noise. Oh my God. What a soundtrack. From inside, all is quiet and serene. At normal speed, when the European Union testing people are listening, all is quiet and serene.
But put your foot down and a little valve in the exhaust system changes everything. Under full-bore acceleration, this car doesn’t rumble or howl. It sounds like all the most exciting bits of the Bible. It sounds like Revelation.
And it’s just so loud. When my wife went for a spin on a balmy summer’s evening, I heard her change from fourth to fifth a full two miles away.
A Porsche may well have the power and agility to get past, but stuck in the sonic boom from those exhausts, I suspect the German car would probably disintegrate before it ever got the chance.
The way it sounds is a good enough reason to buy the Vantage but there’s more: the way it looks.
This, of course, is the Aston party trick. A Vanquish is so pretty you overlook the fact its flappy paddle gearbox is useless. A DB9 is so pretty you overlook the fact it goes wrong quite a lot. And now we have the V8, which is so pretty you overlook the fact it’s not quite as good as a 911.
In the same way you’d overlook the undoubted charms of Cherie Blair with her law degree and her international connections for a chance to spend the night with — I was going to say Jordan, but I think Keira Knightley is a bit nearer the mark somehow.
Oh and one more thing. The amount of global-warming carbon dioxide produced by the Aston’s big V8 is roughly equivalent to the amount produced by a dozen sprinters in a 100m race. Just thought I’d mention it.
VITAL STATISTICS
Model Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Engine 4300cc, eight cylinders
Power 380bhp @ 7300rpm
Torque 302 lb ft @ 5000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel 16.2mpg
CO2 406g/km
Acceleration 0-60mph: 4.9sec
Top speed 175mph
Price £79,995
Rating 4/5
Verdict Looks better than it drives
================
You're a real gentleman thug, sir
September 18, 2005
What with the bombs and everything, we haven’t really learnt much about Britain’s big Olympic sports day. It’s almost as though the whole thing has simply gone away.
But don’t worry. Behind the headlines, the organisers are hard at work and have already made one important decision. These will be a low-carbon, sustainable, public transport Games with no provision for any car parking whatsoever at any of the major sites.
Can you believe that? No, really. Can you honestly believe that with all the things that need to be achieved in the next seven years, the powers that be have decided that global warming is somehow the most important issue.
“Right. We need to compulsorily purchase half of east London, we need to bulldoze it, we need to get some stadiums designed, we need to find some steel that isn’t on its way to Shanghai, we need to build a whole village for the athletes and we need to ensure nobody explodes. But first things first, comrades. Are we all agreed that these Games should be car-free?” Don’t these idiots remember the Millennium Dome? Over the years, many inquiring minds have speculated on why this billion-pound umbrella failed. But there’s only one reason, really. Even if you wanted to see the multi-faith exhibits and learn how a turd was made, you couldn’t get there. Because there was no car park.
Of course, those in charge of the Olympics will say that the Games give us a chance to show the world that London is a shining beacon of environmental responsibility . . . in the same way that London was a shining beacon of multiculturalism, right up to the moment when a small group of deranged Muslims started blowing themselves up on Tube trains.
The Olympics are a test designed to quantify and celebrate human physical achievement. They are not an opportunity for a bunch of stupid, left-wing, weird-beard failures to make political points.
I make this prediction now. The woolly-pully brigade will be so busy over the next seven years ensuring that the Games are eco-friendly that they’ll forget to build a running track. And the health and safety department will outlaw the swimming pool on the basis that someone might drown.
This will make Britain a laughing stock in the eyes of the whole world, so consequently we must quickly find something else to crow about. And that brings me neatly on to the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
In the past few weeks this new car has been subjected to a torrent of crowing as various motoring correspondents have vomited eulogies onto the page. But I’m afraid that I must be the voice of reason here.
First of all, Aston Martin is owned by the Americans and run by a German whose most recent decision saw engine production being moved from Newport Pagnell to Cologne. So it’s about as British as Budweiser.
And then there’s the price. At £80,000, the Vantage is £20,000 more than was originally suggested and, crucially, £20,000 more than the car with which it was designed to compete: the Porsche 911.
Of course, with a three-year waiting list, the Aston is unlikely to depreciate much, so that makes the premium more palatable. And that leaves us with the next problem. A lack of power.
Eventually there will be a faster version called the Vantage Vantage probably, or the Vantage Squared, but for now, when you change down and pull out to overtake, the baby Aston accelerates briskly but with none of the savagery you might have been expecting. It’s fast. But it’s not blistering.
The engine starts out in life as a 4.2 litre Jaguar V8 but is then extensively reworked to become a 4.3 that churns out 380bhp and 302 torques. This isn’t enough. It’s less torque than you get from a Mercedes SLK, less bhp and torque than you get from a Vauxhall Monaro. And more worryingly it’s less bhp and torque than you’ll get from the next Jaguar XK, which will be cheaper as well. And just as beautiful.
Annoyingly, with a 4.3 litre V8 allied to a chassis made from air and a body fashioned from the froth on a cappuccino, the Vantage could have been really quick, cartoon quick, fast enough to fan a forest fire with its wake. But if they’d done that, why would anyone have spent about £20,0000 more on a DB9? It’s not like the Vantage is different in any other way. Apart from the lack of back seats, the new V8 has exactly the same Volvo sat nav system as the DB9, exactly the same hard-to-read dash as the DB9 and exactly the same Ford trim as the DB9.
In other words, like the DB9, the Vantage was built using whatever the Aston engineers could get their hands on cheaply. As opposed to the 911, which was built using whatever took the Porsche engineers’ fancy.
I’m sorry if this all sounds negative but I’m being realistic here. And I’m also being realistic when I tell you that in a straight fight, on any road or track, the 911 will be faster. Not just because of its superior grunt but also because it brakes better, steers better and corners more confidently.
But, and this is what makes cars such fun to write about, given the choice of a Porsche 911 or a V8 Vantage, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. I’d buy the Aston.
While it may not be as nippy or as thrilling as the 911, it has a he-man feel on the road that I like. Thanks to heavy steering, heavy brakes and a heavy six-speed manual gearbox, they’ve made the syllabub-light body feel like a meat pie. The 911 is for nancy boy racing drivers. The Aston’s for gentleman thugs.
That said, it’s by no means uncomfortable. Be in no doubt that it’s a firm car, designed for the bends, but the suspension never gets panicked by ridges and potholes in the same way that it does in, say, a Mercedes SL. It’s always controlled. Down. Up. Stop.
And then there’s the noise. Oh my God. What a soundtrack. From inside, all is quiet and serene. At normal speed, when the European Union testing people are listening, all is quiet and serene.
But put your foot down and a little valve in the exhaust system changes everything. Under full-bore acceleration, this car doesn’t rumble or howl. It sounds like all the most exciting bits of the Bible. It sounds like Revelation.
And it’s just so loud. When my wife went for a spin on a balmy summer’s evening, I heard her change from fourth to fifth a full two miles away.
A Porsche may well have the power and agility to get past, but stuck in the sonic boom from those exhausts, I suspect the German car would probably disintegrate before it ever got the chance.
The way it sounds is a good enough reason to buy the Vantage but there’s more: the way it looks.
This, of course, is the Aston party trick. A Vanquish is so pretty you overlook the fact its flappy paddle gearbox is useless. A DB9 is so pretty you overlook the fact it goes wrong quite a lot. And now we have the V8, which is so pretty you overlook the fact it’s not quite as good as a 911.
In the same way you’d overlook the undoubted charms of Cherie Blair with her law degree and her international connections for a chance to spend the night with — I was going to say Jordan, but I think Keira Knightley is a bit nearer the mark somehow.
Oh and one more thing. The amount of global-warming carbon dioxide produced by the Aston’s big V8 is roughly equivalent to the amount produced by a dozen sprinters in a 100m race. Just thought I’d mention it.
VITAL STATISTICS
Model Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Engine 4300cc, eight cylinders
Power 380bhp @ 7300rpm
Torque 302 lb ft @ 5000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel 16.2mpg
CO2 406g/km
Acceleration 0-60mph: 4.9sec
Top speed 175mph
Price £79,995
Rating 4/5
Verdict Looks better than it drives
Last edited by Yumcha; 09-19-2005 at 11:45 PM.
12-09-2005 | 11:44 AM
#92
Senior Moderator
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 167,734
Likes: 23,026
Aston Martin to Launch "Hard Core" V8 Vantage RS
Date posted: 12-07-2005
GAYDON, England—Aston Martin is planning a high-performance RS version of the V8 Vantage that will pitch the new, smaller Aston head to head with the new Porsche 911 GT3 and Ferrari's F430 Stradale.
The V8 Vantage RS, currently under test in Europe, will have a stripped-out interior, an uprated engine, and a stiffer suspension. And it is likely to be followed by a similarly lightweight "hard core" version of the larger DB9. It's due before the end of 2007, priced at around $150,000.
According to Auto Express magazine, the lightweight V8 Vantage's styling is influenced by Aston's DBR9 Le Mans racer, with a low splitter and gaping air intakes supplementing the trademark grille. But the body kit is subtle, so the car is recognizably a V8 Vantage. Indeed, many of the aerodynamic enhancements are under the car. The floor pan has venturi tunnels that channel airflow around the car.
Weight-reducing measures will include composite body panels, a carbon fiber roof and 19-inch magnesium alloy wheels. Together with a stripped-out interior, including racing bucket seats, the RS will weigh at least 330 pounds less than the current V8 Vantage.
Aston is likely to raise the output of its 4.3-liter V8 from 380 hp to 420 hp, thanks to an uprated variable valve timing system, giving 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in less than 10 seconds. It'll have a six-speed manual gearbox, and a top speed of 190 mph—figures that should match the forthcoming 911 GT3.
What this means to you: There's a big trend in the supercar world toward stripped-out, race-bred lightweight "hard core" versions, and Aston is hopping on the bandwagon
Source: www.edmunds.com
GAYDON, England—Aston Martin is planning a high-performance RS version of the V8 Vantage that will pitch the new, smaller Aston head to head with the new Porsche 911 GT3 and Ferrari's F430 Stradale.
The V8 Vantage RS, currently under test in Europe, will have a stripped-out interior, an uprated engine, and a stiffer suspension. And it is likely to be followed by a similarly lightweight "hard core" version of the larger DB9. It's due before the end of 2007, priced at around $150,000.
According to Auto Express magazine, the lightweight V8 Vantage's styling is influenced by Aston's DBR9 Le Mans racer, with a low splitter and gaping air intakes supplementing the trademark grille. But the body kit is subtle, so the car is recognizably a V8 Vantage. Indeed, many of the aerodynamic enhancements are under the car. The floor pan has venturi tunnels that channel airflow around the car.
Weight-reducing measures will include composite body panels, a carbon fiber roof and 19-inch magnesium alloy wheels. Together with a stripped-out interior, including racing bucket seats, the RS will weigh at least 330 pounds less than the current V8 Vantage.
Aston is likely to raise the output of its 4.3-liter V8 from 380 hp to 420 hp, thanks to an uprated variable valve timing system, giving 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in less than 10 seconds. It'll have a six-speed manual gearbox, and a top speed of 190 mph—figures that should match the forthcoming 911 GT3.
What this means to you: There's a big trend in the supercar world toward stripped-out, race-bred lightweight "hard core" versions, and Aston is hopping on the bandwagon
Source: www.edmunds.com
03-22-2006 | 10:46 AM
#97
Senior Moderator
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 167,734
Likes: 23,026
Spied: 2007 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Convertible
A convertible version of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage would be an obvious move to fulfill its Porsche 911-fighting intentions, but the British company has never really confirmed it will build one. As these spy shots by our shooter so deep underground that he's anonymous show, it's on. This convertible Aston Martin was spied just a few days ago while the sedately disguised convertible was out for an early evening romp. Expected as a model-year-2007 car, it would make most sense to be unveiled at the Paris, Los Angeles, or Detroit auto show, and launch in the States by spring of next year. Like its coupe sibling, the convertible gets the Jaguar AJ-V8-derived 380-horsepower 4.3-liter twin-cam, 32-valve V-8 and an aluminum/composite body.
http://www.motortrend.com/future/spi...e_convertible/
04-13-2006 | 06:59 PM
#107
woooo!!
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,985
Likes: 20
From: California
Originally Posted by Yumchah
SL85 Renntech Brabus AMG Carlsson Lorinser, WHO?!??!?
06-30-2006 | 12:33 PM
#109
Thread Starter
Moderator Alumnus
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 16,399
Likes: 8
From: Washington DC (NOVA)
Spy Shots: Aston Martin V8 Roadster - - Source: The Car Connection
Now that the Aston Martin V8 Vantage coupe has been officially launched, the next variant is a convertible. One prototype has been caught during tests at the Nürburgring, while others were sighted at various places inGreat Britain. The car is expected to come on the market within the next six months. Not much is expected to change during the switch from a hardtop coupe to soft-top cabriolet. The same 380-hp V-8 will be under the hood and it will send the power to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. According to rumors the car will be called V8 Roadster. -Hans G. Lehmann/ Hidden Image
07-20-2006 | 10:57 AM
#111
Senior Moderator
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 167,734
Likes: 23,026
Nürburgring Vantage on sale
From Topgear.com...
What else could Aston Martin build but a gentleman's racer?
From a company that still dresses for dinner, the British motor show was the place to launch its V8 Vantage built to Nürburgring spec, after the car's success racing at the famous German track.
All of the engine and transmission is completely standard, with the only modifications for racing being a full roll cage, special fuel tank and fire extinguisher system, and built-in air jacks for quick wheel changes.
The idea is that gentlemen, or gentle womenfolk, racers can drive to the circuit, compete and then head home in the same car.
The car is available to customer order and is expected to cost little more than the standard car's £82,800.
From a company that still dresses for dinner, the British motor show was the place to launch its V8 Vantage built to Nürburgring spec, after the car's success racing at the famous German track.
All of the engine and transmission is completely standard, with the only modifications for racing being a full roll cage, special fuel tank and fire extinguisher system, and built-in air jacks for quick wheel changes.
The idea is that gentlemen, or gentle womenfolk, racers can drive to the circuit, compete and then head home in the same car.
The car is available to customer order and is expected to cost little more than the standard car's £82,800.
07-20-2006 | 01:42 PM
#115
Photography Nerd
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 21,489
Likes: 11
From: Toronto
I was passed by a cabrio DB9 on the way to work today. The thing sailed by me at probably twice the legal limit and sounded fantastic. I didn't even see him in the rear view before he passed me. It was like he just uncloaked from thin air and hit warp drive. 
