Aston Martin has launched a new addition to its Vantage family – the new Vantage Roadster. The new drop-top, which will rival the Porsche 911 Convertible as the regular Vantage does the 911, is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine and holds the slightly dubious honour of having the fastest-operating electric convertible roof on the market – less than seven seconds to fold or deploy it.
The main difference between the two cars is of course the folding roof, but Aston Martin’s taken the opportunity to refresh the Vantage’s slightly strange-looking mesh front grille for a more conventional and softer-edged barred unit instead. It’s an optional change, but one we think works well.
Design is subjective, but we think the baby Aston Martin is a stunningly good-looking car, and lopping the roof off has only improved matters. The fabric roof looks good when deployed but with it down, the Vantage looks low, sleek and superbly stylish.
A shallow design means load space is still relatively generous for a convertible supercar. Aston Martin claims there’s 200 litres of room in the boot, which is more than the Porsche 911, Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster or Jaguar F-Type SVR.
The rest of the interior remains broadly unchanged, with the same Mercedes-sourced infotainment system perched in a bespoke, dramatic dashboard.
What’s under the bonnet?
Power still comes from the same engine as the regular Vantage – it’s a 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8, sourced from Mercedes-AMG but tuned by Aston Martin to suit the car’s character. It offers a colossal 510hp and 685Nm of torque.
With the Roadster adding just 60kg to the weight of the Vantage, performance is largely unaffected. 0-60mph takes just 3.7 seconds and top speed is rated at 190mph with the roof raised.
Currently the Roadster offers only an eight-speed automatic transmission, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see Aston Martin offering its seven-speed manual with interesting ‘dog-leg’ first gear as an option in future.
Prices for the Vantage range as a whole start from £114,850, with the Roadster beginning at £126,950. First deliveries are scheduled from April this year, though orders placed for cars customised by Aston Martin’s ‘Q’ department will take a little longer.
What this means for you
We wager not too many people reading this have the price of a small flat to splurge on a convertible supercar – but enthusiasts will no doubt welcome the news of another gorgeous drop-top to lust over.
The Vantage Roadster will likely provide a very similar driving dynamic to the impressive Coupe, but with the added bonus of the wind in your hair and the noise of that remarkable engine front and centre. We’ll be lusting after this one for a while.
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