Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster Part 1: Design
The already sexy V8 Vantage has now gone topless
If you were to ask a panel of automotive designers for a list of the top five most beautiful current production cars, it is almost a foregone conclusion that the Aston Martin V8 Vantage would make the cut - and for good reason.The Vantage coupe is nothing short of automotive pornography, pure and simple. The slopping silhouette of its greenhouse and its gorgeous rear fender forms are as sexy as anything rendered in steel and aluminum. In fact, it's almost as good to look at as it is to drive. Easy, I said almost. So what happens to its sex appeal when the Vantage goes topless? More to the point, has it been a worthwhile exercise to chop up the sexy lines of the coupe for a clear view of the sky? Yes, without doubt - as the soft-top Vantage just looks sooo right.
Aston tells us that the Vantage coupe and roadster were designed concurrently and by the look of this car you've no reason to think otherwise. Where some convertibles look like mere afterthoughts of their coupe siblings - think BMW M6 - others, like this car, look right whether the top is up or down.
Key ingredients to the Aston's successful transformation are the seat fairings, which capture the simplicity of a true open car and nicely balance the expansive rear deck. Covered in hand-stitched leather, they also do a great job of tying together the interior and exterior of the vehicle - a key design element that eludes many convertibles.
From the shoulder-line down, everything that makes the regular Vantage such a looker is intact. At the front there's the traditional Aston Martin grille opening and the bejeweled headlights with their LED eyebrows, and on the hood, the vents that extract under-hood heat.
Around the side we see the beautifully shaped bone-line that runs from the functional fender vent through the door and into the generous rear fender. And of course, the elegantly simplistic piece of design-candy that is the flush door pull. Above the shoulder, the fully-lined soft-top - or hood as the Brits refer to it - looks nearly as good up as it does hidden under the hard tonneau cover, with it's simple and elegant shape.
Arguably the most impressive view of the Vantage coupe is the rear three-quarters, where the slopping C-pillar meets the bulging fender and the upswept tail in a carefully sculpted intersection of steel and aluminum. While this view is nice on the C-pillarless Roadster as well, it is the overhead - or planview - that is most stunning, as the fairings behind the headrests invite the eye inside the car's cabin along with the deck's waterfall between the seats.
Simply sensational from its canvas top to its vulcanized Bridgestone Potenzas, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster achieves the improbable, increasing the appeal of what was already one of the most beautiful pieces of automotive sculpture currently on the road.
Watch the video
Read Part 2: Interior & User Experience
Read Part 3: Performance
Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster
Performance
- Acceleration: Larger displacement V8 exactly what the doctor ordered - Vantage is now legit
- Handling: Fantastic, neutral handling - chopped roof doesn't hurt rigidity too badly
- Braking: Strong deceleration with stiff pedal and no fade to speak of
Design
- Exterior: Arguably the best looking convertible on the planet - as elegant as a British car should be
- Interior: A hit-and-miss affair - great craftsmanship in leather and aluminum - other materials not fit for this price range
Utility
- Comfort: Sorry, but seats are not for the "big-boned" (they are very narrow for the American market) - otherwise, it's just right for two
- Space: It is a two-seater, but decent trunk space thanks to fabric top (as opposed to retractable hardtop)
Safety
- Dynamics: While it doesn't feel light on it's Bridgestones, the Vantage responds to orders from the helm quickly and precisely
- Technology: Simple traction/stability system is defeatable - structure is very stiff, which is good if you happen to get it all wrong...
Value
- Price: It is a lot of money, but it is also an Aston Martin - won't make as much sense if and when Audi introduces its R8 convertible
- Mileage: If you have to ask...
Emotional Appeal
- Heart thumpin' factor: Sexy body will make you hot under the collar... and that's before you hear that V8 - yeah, it's got it
- Fun to spank: Oddly, not as much as you'd think - although the soundtrack never gets old, it's reluctant to play drifter and feels heavy and less than composed while doing so
SPECIFICATIONS
Layout: Front engine / Rear-wheel drive
Engine: 4.7 liter, V8
Power (SAE): 420 hp @ 7300 rpm
Torque: 346 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
Gearbox: 6-speed sequential manual
Curb Weight: 3770 lbs.
0-60 mph: 4.7 sec.
1/4 mile: 12.9 @ 112 mph
Top Speed: 180 mph
Mileage: 14 city / 21 highway
Base Price: $126,400
Competitors: BMW M6, Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG, Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet
SPECIFICATIONS
Layout: Front engine / Rear-wheel drive
Engine: 4.7 liter, V8
Power (SAE): 420 hp @ 7300 rpm
Torque: 346 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
Gearbox: 6-speed sequential manual
Curb Weight: 3770 lbs.
0-60 mph: 4.7 sec.
1/4 mile: 12.9 @ 112 mph
Top Speed: 180 mph
Mileage: 14 city / 21 highway
Base Price: $126,400
Competitors: BMW M6, Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG, Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet
