The Aston Martin Vantage is a series of sports cars from the British automotive manufacturer Aston Martin. Aston Martin has previously used the "Vantage" name on high-performance variants of their existing GT models, notably on the Virage-based car of the 1990s. The modern car, in contrast, is the leanest and most agile car in Aston's lineup. As such, it is intended as a more focused model to reach out to potential buyers of cars such as the Porsche 911 as well as the exotic sports and GT cars with which Aston Martins traditionally compete.
Production of the V8 Vantage ended in 2017 while production of the V12 Vantage continued until 2018. The 2005 Vantage and its variants became the most successful model in Aston Martin's history. Aston Martin unveiled the next-generation Vantage in November 2017, and started its production run the following year.
Overview
Following the unveiling of the AMV8 Vantage concept car in 2003 at the North American International Auto Show, the production version, known as the V8 Vantage was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 2005 for the 2006 model year. The two-seat, two-door coupé had a bonded aluminium structure for strength and lightness. The long car featured a hatchback-style tailgate for practicality, with a large luggage shelf behind the seats. In addition to the coupé, a convertible, known as the V8 Vantage Roadster, was introduced later in that year.
The V8 Vantage was initially powered by a quad-cam 32-valve V8 which produced at 7,300 rpm and at 5,000 rpm. However, models produced after 2008 had a 4.7-litre V8 with and of torque. Though based loosely on Jaguar's AJ-V8 engine architecture, this engine was unique to Aston Martin and featured race-style dry-sump lubrication, which enabled it to be mounted low in the chassis for an improved centre of gravity. The cylinder block and heads, crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, camshafts, inlet and exhaust manifolds, lubrication system and engine management were all designed in house by Aston Martin and the engine was assembled by hand at the AM facility in Cologne, Germany, which also built the V12 engine for the DB9 and Vanquish.
The engine was front mid-mounted with a rear-mounted transaxle, giving a 49-51 front/rear weight distribution. Slotted Brembo brakes were also standard. The initial version of the V8 Vantage could accelerate from in 4.8 seconds before topping out at .
In 2008, Aston Martin introduced an aftermarket dealer approved upgrade package for power and handling of the 4.3-litre variants that maintained the warranty with the company. The power upgrade was called the V8 Vantage Power Upgrade, creating a more potent version of the Aston Martin 4.3-litre V8 engine with an increase in peak power of to while peak torque increased to . This consists of the fitting of the following revised components; manifold assembly (painted Crackle Black), valved air box, right and left-hand side vacuum hose assemblies, engine bay fuse box link lead (ECU to fuse box), throttle body to manifold gasket, intake manifold gasket, fuel injector to manifold seal and a manifold badge.
Aston Martin planned to build up to 3,000 per year. Included was a 6-speed manual transmission and leather-upholstery for the seats, dashboard, steering wheel, and shift-knob. A new 6-speed automated manual transmission, similar to those produced by Ferrari and Lamborghini, called Sportshift was introduced later as an option.
In their 2006 readership survey, readers of Car Design News voted the Aston Martin V8 Vantage as the best current production car design. The survey results were based on over 1,000 responses, most from working automotive designers and students of industrial and automotive design. The Vantage was also voted one of Automobile magazine's 2007 "All-Stars" for its performance, road manners, and design. The V8 Vantage is also one of the only two cars to be added to "The DB9 Section", – a mini-fridge reserved for the super "cool" – on the BBC's Top Gear (on which it is described as the baby Aston to differentiate it from the V12 powered DB9). The programme rates cars from seriously un-cool to sub-zero. The fridge was an extra category added when the presenters deemed the Aston Martin DB9 too cool for the sub-zero category. In the 2005 awards, Jeremy Clarkson declared the V8 Vantage as Best Sounding Car of the Year and The Coolest Car of the Year, while the award winner was actually the Porsche 911.
While the V8 Vantage was never a common car, the success of the model is highlighted by the completion of chassis number 10,000 – a specially ordered Onyx coupé delivered to a customer in the USA – during the first half of 2008. While the production of 10,000 cars is a tiny number by the standards of typical car manufacturers, it was a significant milestone for an Aston Martin – the DB9 being the only other model to have achieved that number. By the end of production in 2017, Aston Martin had produced 15,417 V8 coupés, 6,231 V8 Roadsters, 2,551 V12 Coupés, and 465 V12 Roadsters (363 V12 S Roadsters, 101 V12 Roadsters and 1 V12 GT Roadster). While strong demand for the Vantage contributed to Aston Martin's health during this period, it is equally true that the relatively low production of all Aston Martins means seeing a V8 or V12 from this generation remains a rare treat. For perspective, during the same period, Porsche was producing over 20,000 911s annually and have built more than 1 million 911 variants in total.
Design credit for the original V8 Vantage has been disputed. The design is officially credited to Henrik Fisker, design director of Aston Martin at the time the Vantage was introduced. However, some sources, including Callum himself, claim that Ian Callum, director of design for Jaguar at the time and former director of design at Aston Martin, was responsible for creating a large amount of the design for the Vantage during his time at Aston Martin, before Fisker joined the company. In an interview with Car and Driver, when asked how much of the V8 Vantage was completed under his watch, Callum replies "I would say a good 80 percent. In fact, we started the V-8 first and then shelved it while we did the DB9—that’s why they’re quite similar". Since its launch in 2005, the Vantage series were offered with a wide range of personalisation options, particularly in the interior.
2009 Update
In May 2008, Aston Martin announced new technological updates for the Vantage starting in the 2009 model year, which included changes to the engine, transmission, suspension and appearance. New cylinder liners that were now pressed into the aluminium block instead of the original cast-in variants allow a thinner liner, which in turn allows a larger capacity of 4.7-litre. The cylinder bore and stroke was increased from to and to respectively, giving a total displacement of 4,735 cc. The dry sump lubrication system was also modified.
The "Sportshift" automated manual transmission benefited from a software update, while a lightened flywheel was introduced for both the manual and the Sportshift versions. Aston Martin also stiffened the suspension and updated them to use Bilstein dampers. An optional sports pack was offered with stiffer springs for better handling and all-new 5-spoke alloy wheels. Sportshift-equipped models also received a new dual throttle mapping update which allows the driver to choose from the default sport mode or comfort mode, meant to provide more comfortable shifts and throttle input for drivability. Combined European fuel economy and emissions were also improved by 13%.
New wheels were also part of the update including 20-spoke alloy wheels and new 5-spoke aluminium wheels for the sports pack. The interior changed slightly, using an updated console similar to the Aston Martin DBS and the DB9.
The update provided the Vantage with a power increase to at 7,000 rpm (an 11% increase) and a peak torque of at 5,750 rpm (a 15% increase), providing the car with additional reserves of mid-range performance. Following the updates, the Vantage is able to accelerate from 0 to in 4.7 seconds and reach a higher top speed of . In a road test conducted by Car and Driver, the Vantage accelerated from 0 to in 4.3 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 12.7 seconds at a speed of .
As part of a mid-year refresh of the 2012 model year (designated MY2012.25 internally), Aston Martin replaced the 6-speed Sportshift with the 7-speed Sportshift II first utilised in the V8 Vantage S. It also received upgraded six-piston front brake calipers, and updated front and rear styling, both of which originally debuted on the S trim.
Through the course of its production run, Aston Martin made 28 variants of the Vantage which are: V8 Vantage Coupé V8 Vantage Roadster V8 Vantage S Coupé V8 Vantage S Roadster V8 Vantage N400 Coupé V8 Vantage N400 Roadster V8 Vantage N420 Coupé V8 Vantage N420 Roadster V8 Vantage N430 Coupé (Europe only) V8 Vantage N430 Roadster (Europe only) V8 Vantage GT Coupé (USA and Australia only) V8 Vantage GT Roadster (USA and Australia only) V12 Vantage Coupé V12 Vantage Roadster (Europe only) V12 Vantage S Coupé V12 Vantage S Roadster Vantage GT12 Coupé Vantage GT12 Roadster Vantage GT8 Vantage GTS Coupé (USA only) Vantage GTS Roadster (USA only) V8 Vantage AMR Coupé V12 Vantage AMR Coupé V8 Vantage AMR Roadster V12 Vantage AMR Roadster Vantage AMR Pro Vantage V600 Coupé Vantage V600 Roadster
V8 Vantage variants Roadster (2006–2017)
At the 2006 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, Aston Martin officially unveiled the V8 Vantage Roadster. With a kerb weight of the Roadster is heavier than the coupé, but Aston Martin claimed both cars would have identical performance. To compensate for the loss of the roof a new, super-stiff cross-member was added to the frame. The soft top could be raised or lowered electronically in 18 seconds and could be operated at speeds up to . It had the same 4.3-litre V8 from the coupé version producing at 7,000 rpm and of torque at 5,000 rpm along with having a maximum speed of . It would accelerate from 0 to in 4.9 seconds. The 2009 Vantage Roadster features swan wing doors, a leather and alcantara interior and a zinc alloy centre console and a crystal-capped key fob. It also featured the updated 4.7-litre V8 which produces and of torque, and can accelerate from 0 to in 4.7 seconds before reaching a top speed of . When fitted with the Sportshift transmission, the Vantage Roadster accelerates from 0 to in 4.9 seconds, and has a kerb weight of .
Prodrive V8 Vantage (2007)
In 2007, Prodrive released a tuning package for the V8 Vantage, which consists of four separate packages that can be installed in stages. These four packages are for the engine, suspension, wheels, and aerodynamics.
The engine package includes an engine control unit remapping and minor engine modifications that increase power on the 4.3-litre engine by , and torque by . Throttle control is also remapped. Also included is an exhaust modification which allows the driver to leave the by-pass valves in three separate settings. The suspension package replaces portions of the car's suspension system with Bilstein and Eibach parts, which are claimed to make the vehicle more responsive and accurate through the corners.
The tyre and wheel package replaces the stock wheels with lighter twin-7 spoke alloys from Prodrive Japan. The wheels are similar to those on the DBR9, and each wheel weighs less than their stock counterpart. Pirelli P-Zero tyres are used, and the rear wheels are widened to . The aerodynamic package adds a carbon fibre front splitter and rear lip spoiler, which together reduce lift by up to 45%.
Packages could be ordered direct from Prodrive or from an Aston Martin dealer, though all packages are installed by Prodrive. 0 to acceleration times are claimed to drop by 0.5 seconds to about 4.3 seconds and 0- times are improved by 0.9 seconds.