Express & Star

Aston Martin reveals aggressive new Vantage

Aston Martin’s most popular model is back, powered by a 503bhp twin-turbocharged V8 and priced from £120,900

Published
Last updated

Aston Martin has pulled the covers off its new £120,900 Vantage sports car, replacing the outgoing model that was first introduced in 2005.

The new baby Aston is powered by the same 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged Mercedes-AMG-sourced V8 engine that is available in the larger DB11.

Aston Martin Vantage
(Aston Martin)

In the Vantage, this power plant develops the same 503bhp figure as it does in the DB11, although torque has been increased to 685Nm compared with the DB11 V8’s 675Nm.

Power is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, although Aston has confirmed a conventional manual gearbox will be available at a later date.

Aston Martin Vantage
(Aston Martin)

The new Vantage dispatches the sprint from 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds, and will hit a top speed of 195mph.

It sits on an evolution of the bonded aluminium structure that underpins the DB11, although 70 per cent of the structure’s components are new for the Vantage. Dry weight sits at 1,530kg.

An electronic rear differential has been fitted to the Vantage – a first for Aston Martin – to better improve the sports car’s dynamic behaviour at both high and low speed. Its large 20-inch alloys are shod in specially-developed Pirelli P-Zero tyres.

As the second all-new car launched under Andy Palmer – CEO of Aston Martin since 2014 – the Vantage’s design language represents a marked departure from Astons of old.

Aston Martin Vantage
(Aston Martin)

Marek Reichman, the firm’s chief creative officer, describes the new car as the “lovechild” of the hard-core Vulcan track car, and the limited-run DB10 that was developed for the James Bond film Spectre.

With 25,000 examples of the outgoing Vantage sold during its lifespan, Aston Martin hopes the new model will continue its predecessor’s success.

Palmer said: “It speaks volumes for the outgoing Vantage that it is the single most successful model in Aston Martin’s history.

“Creating a worthy successor has been a challenge to relish and a huge source of motivation. I’m enormously excited by what we’ve created: a new Vantage that’s more explicit in looks and intent, wrapping heart-pounding performance and dazzling dynamics into an everyday usable package.”

He added: “The new Vantage is the greatest car I’ve been involved in during my 38 years in the automotive industry.”

The order books are now open for the Vantage, with Aston Martin expecting first customer deliveries to arrive in the second quarter of 2018.

Aston Martin Vantage
(Aston Martin)
Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.