Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster

The unveiling of a new car, even a supercar, usually comes and goes without too much fuss. It does not normally make headline news and few car launches become pivotal points in Motoring history. However, there are notable exceptions. I remember when the curtains came off the Audi TT and the sheer beauty of the thing literally stopped the world in its tracks. Or how about the polar opposite when the fi rst pictures of the Porsche Cayenne had Porsche afi cionados up in arms and took the word ‘ugly’ to a whole ne w level. Then three years ago, Aston Martin released pictures of its new, simply stunning V8 Vantage baby to the world and the excitement that followed ensured the waiting list rocketed to three years. Lucky for the people last on the list then, as they will have taken delivery of the new version, which was released late last year, rather than the original, which they put their name and hefty deposit down for. But at the time, they, like us motoring hacks, must have thought the Vantage was so painfully pretty it almost didn’t matter how it drove. Except after fi ve minutes in the thing, it did. The problem was its power, or lack of it. It’s engine started out in life as a 4.2-litre Jaguar V8 which was reworked for the Vantage to a 4.3 with 380bhp. But it wasn’t enough. The uglier Porsche 911 was both quicker in a straight line and more satisfying in the WO R L D O F P O W E R B O AT S MARCH/A P R I L 2 0 0 9 25 corners. The Aston looked the part but on the road it failed to live up to it’s appearance. Which is precisely what this new V8 Vantage has changed. The engine is actually the same, although this most recent version deserves to be thought of as new, so different is it from the original. All major components have been modifi ed or changed, and its capacity expanded from 4.3-litres to 4.7-litres. Power is up to 420bhp and there’s far more mid-range torque to make its power delivery more effortless. On paper, all the effort seems a bit pointless – the 0-60mph time is trimmed back by 0.2sec to 4.7sec while top speed rises by just 5mph to 180mph. But out in the real world, the car’s performance has been transformed. The Vantage’s power delivery is so smooth you have no idea how fast you’re going until you look down at the speedo or you’re at the side of the road fumbling for your doc uments. Which means the actual acceleration isn’t as thrilling as the 911’s but the Aston’s exhaust note more than makes up for it. From inside the car and at normal speeds, you’d never guess that pressing the throttle unleashes the hounds of Hell. It’s just so incredibly loud. My neighbour heard me coming home one night while I was still in the next village. The rest of the driving experience is just as good. There’s decent feel from the steering, plenty of grip from the tyres and the brakes are stupendous. The V8 Vantage is not perfect by any means. The fl appy paddle gearshift isn’t great (not that I’m a fan of them anyway), some of the minor controls are small and fi ddly and the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 handle better. But who cares? It’s as easy to drive as a Fiesta, sounds like Concorde taking off over your house, is as beautiful as any car on the road and it’s just become my favourite Aston yet.