Aston Martin Vantage

Aston Martin does not build many cars like the Aston Martin Vantage: a 2-door coupé / 2-door roadster with 4.3&nbsp, built from 2005 to 2018 in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Its designer of record is Henrik Fisker.

Where it came from

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.

Under the skin

Under the skin sits 4.3  other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 1630 kg. The gearbox is a 6-speed Graziano manual / 6-speed Sportshift automated manual / 7-speed Sportshift II automated manual / 7-speed Sportshift III automated manual (V12 Vantage S) / 7-speed dog-leg m. The layout matters: the engine sits behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle, which puts the mass in the middle of the car and is why mid-engined cars change direction the way they do. The wheelbase is 2006–2007, 2010–2018: 102.4 in / 2008–2010: 102.5 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

In context

Where it sits in Aston Martin's history is not in doubt: the Aston Martin Vantage came before it; the Aston Martin Vantage (2018) followed it; it was built at Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Bugatti Veyron, the Kia Sportage, the Audi Q7. Nearby in the Aston Martin catalogue sit the Aston Martin Mark II and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3.