Aston Martin calls this car its “statement car” and it will showcase how future Astons will become more individual and confident. This car is the second to be introduced as part of the carmaker’s ‘second-century plan’. Under this, it plans to introduce seven new cars in seven years.
“The design team is trying to push a lot more and show the character of each car,” designer Sam Holgate said. “The Vantage is about being the hunter. It’s a car you want to get in and chase down a Lamborghini Huracán or a Porsche 911.”
The design of the Vantage looks inspired by special edition cars such as the Vulcan and Vantage GT12. Holgate said, “With the special projects, we can push our DNA a lot further than we originally thought, and that’s given us the confidence to not be so precious about features on the production cars. When you do that, it can snowball into something that’s quite special – but still an Aston Martin.”
Under the hood sits a Mercedes-AMG- sourced 4.0-litre, twin-turbo, V8 engine that makes 510hp and 685Nm. Aston Martin claims a 0-100kph time of 3.6sec, with a top speed of about 312kph. Power goes to the rear wheels via a rear-mounted ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.
The cabin features a driver-centric layout that features a combination of rotary and toggle controls. “It’s very different from our traditional layout, with much more drama. It’s more of a cockpit feel,” said Holgate. “We’ve tried to keep the analogue feel with the switches, especially the toggle ones.”
The interiors are bathed in leather and Alcantara, and there’s an 8.0-inch LCD screen with smartphone integration as standard. Deliveries for the new Vantage will start in the UK in the second quarter of 2018.
