Aston Martin Vantage V8: on the road in the last of the dynasty
The end of a 13-year production run, and the beginning of a new performance AMR sub-brand
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Your support makes all the difference.Saying goodbye to a faithful car is a bit different to saying goodbye to pretty much everything else. When it’s a 13-year-long performance icon like the Aston Martin Vantage, the goodbye party is also a nice commemoration of the car’s GTE Pro class victory at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours race, and a welcome for Aston’s new AMR performance brand.
Eventually, every Aston will have an AMR version. Three hundred Vantage AMRs will be built in Coupe and Roadster bodystyles. One hundred will be near-600bhp V12s. We’ve tried one of the other 200 V8-based cars.
Not much has changed. For your £3000 premium, the V8 Vantage AMR gives you no weight savings or chassis retunings. It does however offer you a choice of bespoke paint schemes with contrasting body stripes, enamel Union Flag badges, special five-spoke wheels, new cabin trim and, on this Stirling Green car at any rate, hi-vis brake calipers.
Underneath the bright add-ons, which are bound to split opinion, the basic Vantage shape is as pretty as ever. If you like lime green, you’ll nod appreciatively at the dashboard and seat piping. If you don’t, at least there’s better switchgear to look at than used to be the case on early Vantages.
The newest infotainment system is a lot more intuitive too, and the seating position is top notch, though we’d be inclined to pay extra for the more supportive optional fixed-back bucket seats.
Getting a Vantage AMR ready for action and experiencing its low-speed heft leads you to believe that driving it is going to be a bit sweaty. Many inputs require quite a bit of effort, from pressing the key into its slot and working the clutch, gearshift and steering, to operating the bicep-testing fly-off handbrake between driver’s seat and door. Fans won’t mind this reminder of the Vantage’s ‘traditional sports car’ position in the range. Others may prefer the effortlessness of the GT.
The Vantage AMR’s 4.7-litre non-turbo V8 engine needs 7300rpm to produce its 430bhp peak. With 1610kg to shift, it propels the Coupe to a 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds – the sort of number on view in the brochures of 4WD hot hatches nowadays – and a top speed of 190mph.
That slightly heavy-feeling low-speed character morphs into something rather more pleasing at speed. The fidgety ride mellows out beautifully above 50mph as the passive dampers sweep into their sweet spot, with just enough wheel travel and body movement to help generate a serene, sucked-down flow up the road. The vague steering starts to get into its stride with speed, too, transmitting a steady mutter of front-end feedback and proving that even the best electrically-assisted racks can’t whip a well engineered hydraulic system on feel.
The upshot of Aston Martin’s 13-year experience with this chassis is a stupendous mix of ride and handling, front axle clawing hard into the road with the back end following a split second later. The balance is perfect. Mid-corner bumps are imperiously swatted away by the sophistication of the damping.
The transformation of character from slow to fast is quite something. If you want spectacular speed on the straights, you’ll likely opt for the V12 version, but if you’re happy with an unshowey ability to clip along any road, straight or curvy, the V8 Vantage is and has always been the sweeter option. The eight-cylinder noise probably won't make it onto any Shmee videos but, smartly partnered with the tightly mechanical six-speed manual gearbox, it’s evocative enough and won’t annoy the neighbours.
Some might cavil at the idea of a new AM performance brand being marked more by lurid paintwork than substantive advance. No doubt the AMR proposition will be more clearly crafted on future models.
In the meantime, whereas Porsche 911s and Mercedes-AMG GTs are docile slaves, the V8 Vantage AMR places certain demands on its driver. If you’re prepared to cooperate, the potential rewards are rich.
Aston Martin Vantage V8 AMR
On sale Now
Price £97,995
Engine V8, 4735cc, petrol
Power 430bhp at 7300rpm
Torque 361lb ft at 5000rpm
Gearbox 6-spd manual;
Kerbweight 1610kg
Top speed 190mph; 0-62mph 4.8sec
Fuel economy 20.5mpg
CO2 rating 321g/km
Rivals Porsche 911 Carrera S, Mercedes-AMG GT
Tony Middlehurst is a writer for AutoCar.
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