Aston Martin has unveiled a raft of changes for its stalwart V8 Vantage sports car ahead of the official unveiling in Geneva.
According to the firm it’s the biggest set of tweaks to the car since its last major facelift in 2008, and comprises a new gearbox, some styling improvements and handling upgrades.
The Vantage is an extremely capable machine but has been falling by the wayside in recent years as rivals from Porsche and Audi have begun to push the game forwards. With a new 911 out this year and the R8 winning high acclaim as one of the most accessible supercars out there, Aston Martin needs to keep buyers interested. For that reason the Gaydon-based firm will be unveiling this new Vantage at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
Borrowing parts from the Vantage S, The steering is now slightly quicker while bigger brakes, a hill start assist system and wider tyres are fitted to improve driving dynamics. There’s also a new Sportshift II seven-speed automatic gearbox available as an option, replacing the old automated manual ‘box. The standard transmission however remains the six-speed manual gearbox.
Visual changes are also borrowed from sportier Astons; the Vantage S and N400. There’s a revised front bumper featuring bigger apertures to better cool the engine and front brakes, bigger side sills and a new rear diffuser.
Prices for the facelifted V8 Vantage start at £84,995. Or, for an extra £15,000 you could plump for the Vantage S, which has another 10bhp.
There are no changes to the rest of the Vantage range, although Aston Martin has officially announced that it will be building the outlandishly expensive V12 Zagato later this year. However, don’t expect to see many of those at your local budget supermarket. The ultra-rare supercar will cost close to £400,000 when it finally arrives at dealerships.
