Aston Martin V8 Vantage - The Newport Pagnell Outsider

The association of a pretty castle and an Aston Martin seems natural as this brand is imbued with an undeniable aristocratic connotation.

From its origins dating back to 1913, through the long period under the inspired aegis of Sir David Brown to the difficult 70s and 80s and repeated bankruptcies, Aston Martin has limited itself to the marketing in very small series of exclusive high quality cars that their astronomical price reserved only for very wealthy enthusiasts.

The 2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage from our test today did not leave, parked in front of this castle. However, it is the first Aston in history to have broken the codes by offering itself at a price modelled on that of models from more widely distributed brands with the aim of competing with the Porsche 911.

Saved yet another time from bankruptcy by Ford in 1987, Aston Martin will simultaneously benefit from the investment capabilities of this industrial giant and from the takeover of Jaguar by Ford in 1989. To overcome the many problems encountered previously, especially financial ones, Aston Martin decided to offer a car that was more accessible than the traditional expensive V8 Virage.

A new model is being studied using Jaguar mechanical components, in particular the XJS platform and the AJ6 inline 6-cylinder engine, both highly modified. It will be the DB7, marketed from 1994, of which 7,000 copies were produced until it was replaced by the DB9 in 2004. No Aston had reached such figures before the DB7.

In the meantime, the Vanquish V12, the first completely new Aston, designed like the DB7 by Ian Callum, topped the range in 2001 to replace the big V8s.

But the real event was the presentation in 2003 of the DB9 and then at the Detroit Auto Show, of the AM305 concept, which prefigures the future V8 Vantage which will be released in 2005.

The V8 Vantage is positioned within a restricted range composed of the DB9 and the prestigious Vanquish. As an attack model, it is intended to face a market that Aston Martin was not previously aimed at, that of mid-range sports GTs, then occupied by the Porsche 997 or to a lesser extent, the Maserati 4200 GT for example.

However, this positioning does not make it accessible to everyone. Nevertheless, it allows Aston Martin to access a new and wider customer base. The result will be convincing, as 24,700 copies of V8 Vantage and derivatives will be sold between 2005 and 2018. Encouraged for Aston Martin! However, these production figures remain those of a confidential brand when compared to the 20,000 Porsche 911s produced each year at the same time. It can be deduced that exclusivity is nevertheless preserved.

Taking up the stylistic themes of the DB9 initiated by Ian Callum, the lines of the V8 Vantage are claimed by Henrik Fisker who took the kidneys of Aston Martin design in 2001. It is very compact and stocky without losing its undeniable elegance.

The overhangs are short and the height is limited to 1m20. The fluid and clean lines, without frills, immediately pleased and seem to withstand the weight of the years very well. A certain refinement emanates from numerous meticulous details such as the elegant recessed door handles or the fine mirror supports.

The style codes, dear to Aston Martin, are found in the shape of the inverted T radiator grill, lined with polished aluminum cross bars, which of course recalls the big sisters DB4 from the end of the 1950s and DB5 and 6 from the sixties. The lateral vents crossed out by an aluminum line are another evocation.

From a design and technical point of view, the Aston V8 Vantage is an entirely new car that does not incorporate any elements from the generations that preceded it. Developed jointly with DB9, it shares with the latter the innovative modular VH platform, for Vertical/Horizontal. This spaceframe-type platform is made with great precision from very light elements made of extruded aluminum assembled by riveting and gluing with resins from aeronautics. The set offers lightness and great rigidity.

The body is also made entirely of aluminum. It is a strict two-seater that has been equipped with a practical hatchback.
Derived distantly from the contemporary Jaguar V8, the engine ultimately retains very few characteristics apart from its architecture and its 4 overhead camshafts. Unlike the Jaguar block, whose long stroke promotes torque and flexibility, here we opted for a supersquare bore/stroke ratio, which is likely to promote high speeds. Lubrication is dry sump, an expensive solution that is rarely used on road cars. This system has the advantages of eliminating all risks of oil release during horizontal accelerations, and of lowering the engine into the frame, in order to lower the car's center of gravity.

With a displacement of 4.3 l, this V8 delivers 385 hp at a high speed of 7300 rpm and a torque of 410 Nm at 5000 rpm. Undoubtedly, these are the characteristics of an engine with an assertive sporting temperament.
In order to obtain the distribution of the masses most favorable to the car's good balance, the engine is in a central front position, just behind the wheel axis and the gearbox is thrown back to the rear, adjacent to the bridge. The ideal weight distribution is thus obtained with 49% at the front and 51% at the rear. This transaxle-type arrangement is completed by a transmission shaft consisting of a carbon tube connecting motor and gearbox. Two types of gearboxes are available: a 6-speed manual and the 6-speed robotic Sportshift also, designed by Prodrive (optional from 2007).

A mechanical self-locking differential is fitted as standard and the rack and pinion steering is hydraulically assisted while the suspensions benefit from double superimposed aluminum wishbones at the four corners. Braking is not to be outdone and is provided by four well-sized discs (355mm front and 330mm rear) pinched by Brembo four-piston calipers and, of course, ABS. An electronic stability and traction control completes this picture.

All of these characteristics are indicative of the great care taken in the design of this new V8 Vantage and clearly reflect the brand's desire to offer, in this new market segment for Aston, a successful car, produced without small savings and equipped with solid arguments.

Owning an Aston Martin remains a privileged experience.
Even if, in this case, it is the most modest and the most produced Aston.
In the end, the V8 Vantage remains a rather rare car and rediscovering its natural elegance still provides just as much pleasure for the eyes. The soft but muscular shapes skilfully do without any unnecessary decorations or ornamentations that would have weighed down the purity of the design, the charm always works well and truly.

Despite a very successful style, flush door handles may not be the most practical way to handle and you are sometimes tempted to press with one hand and then pull the lever with the other. The kinematics of the doors is another particularity in the sense that they rise as they are opened. Maybe to avoid scraping the sidewalks unless it's just a style effect...

At first glance, the interior exudes a vivid impression of a search for refinement.

The smooth and perfectly stretched leather is of very high quality and covers the entire cabin and dashboard except for the headliner covered in clear Alcantara.
Slide into a well-designed seat with electrical adjustments and you are faced with an instrument cluster made of aluminum in the style of a piece of silverware. It is magnificent, but, let's face it, relatively difficult to read.

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Aluminum is omnipresent in the interior as at all levels in this car. The door armrest supports, part of the center console and the cup holder are made of this noble material.

The air conditioning control knobs, also made of aluminum, resemble the buttons on old Scott amplifiers. There are a few plastic elements and other accessories from the big series to have slipped here and there, but this is quite discreet and does not affect the luxury effect that the finish exudes as a whole.

Unless you are a fan of the Porsche 911 (997 at the time of this Aston), you must admit that the Aston exudes a special charm imbued with exclusivity that a 997 does not offer. This will give you a good reason to forgive it for some small faults such as the lack of readability of the counters and the small central screen as soon as the sun comes out.

Getting started with the V8 Vantage is easy. The right adjustment is quickly found and the driving position is beyond criticism, which is not entirely the case with visibility due to a fairly high seat belt.
The engine wakes up instantly with a fairly raging natural sound typical of a sporty V8. As we will see, the soundtrack delivered by this engine is one of the qualities of this Aston.

The model we have at our disposal for this test is equipped with the Sportshift robotic gearbox whose selection controls are located at the top of the center console, as on all Astons since the DB9. This unusual solution is practical to use, as the keys are in your field of vision and aligned in the usual order of clutchless gearbox controls, i.e. R&D, only interrupted by the engine start button. On this 2008 model, you are still using a traditional ignition key which will be replaced on the following versions by the elegant crystal key that is inserted at the location of the start key. If you want to remain in control of gear selection, the paddles are ideally sized and attached to the steering column, as should be the case on a sports car.

The first impression when setting in motion is that of a slight softness and a slightly too prolonged slippage of the clutch as well as a slightly slow shift of gears when climbing. Would that confirm the criticisms we've heard about this Sportshift gearbox?

By increasing the pace, it turns out that this is not the case and that gear changes are carried out more and more quickly as the engine speed increases during selections, a remark also valid for particularly rapid downshifts in sporty driving.
In use, this robotic box did not give much back to its competitors at the time.

What we may have taken for softness in calm driving is perhaps only the result of the search for a certain softness that was particularly noticeable in Maseratis equipped with the Cambiocorsa gearbox, for example. Aston's desire to maintain a GT atmosphere in this V8 Vantage in the context of everyday use could also explain this choice.

On the other hand, the frankly sporty temperament of this car soon shows itself as soon as you pick up the pace. In addition to the increasingly rapid changes of the gearbox, the engine shows a pronounced taste for high speeds and pushes like a devil up to 7500 rpm with almost astonishing vigor. No kick in the butt here but a direct and linear thrust accompanied by a frankly addictive sound typical of a sporty V8.

The behavior is in line with the temperament of the engine and the small V8 is much more agile than its big sisters. The ground connections do their job very well and the well-calibrated steering is natural. The whole thing is a real pleasant surprise and we have fun behind the wheel of this Aston.
At most, we can blame it for a certain amount of suspension stiffness at low speed on poor pavement, slightly upsetting the GT spirit when driving quietly.

Likewise, the robotic gearbox does not offer an operation that is free of criticisms in automatic mode D. Systematically moving to the top gear, it downgrades unevenly and sometimes randomly during reminders. In this case, it is preferable to choose the manual mode in order to block the right ratio thanks to the practical paddles.

On the other hand, the flexibility of the mechanics did not seem to us to be able to be faulty, contrary to some criticisms made in the past. Even at the lowest speeds, the recoveries proved to be satisfactory and linear, although not immediately vigorous.

The question we ask ourselves at the end of this test is to determine whether the Aston V8 Vantage is a sports car or a GT. In fact, it is more likely the rather successful compromise of the two, combining the tradition of elegance typical of Aston Martin with the desire to offer the brand's first “small” sports car, offering a temperament in line with the targeted marketing positioning. The result is convincing and, even today, choosing the exclusivity of an Aston for the same price as a more common Porsche 997 can be tempting, the car having also proved to be free of design flaws and reliable over time. This generation of Aston has undeniably taken advantage of the investment capabilities of the giant Ford in terms of industrial processes, studies and development.