2024 Aston Martin Vantage V8
The Aston Martin Vantage V8 is an event. More than virtually any other car I have driven. Aside from its staggeringly gorgeous looks, the trim and finish puts it among an exclusive set of cars exhibiting ultimate luxury and ultimate performance in a single exclusive package.
Starting with the looks, it is simply one of the most gorgeous cars I’ve ever driven. Every angle, every curve, is sculpted to perfection. So it’s beautiful, yet leaves you under no misapprehension about whether this is a fire-breathing sports car. The immense bonnet, the signature inlets behind the front wheels, the low sweeping design and possibly the most gorgeous back end that has ever been released on a car, and the massive haunches over the rear wheels. It’s simply stunning. The 20-inch rims use their simplicity to frame and outline the enormous carbon brakes. Even the frameless mirrors are sculpted and beautiful; this highly-optioned edition blacks out logos and coats everything in carbon wherever possible.
The automotive sculpture continues inside. Aston uses an authentic approach to design. If it looks carbon, it is. If it looks metal, it is. The carbon underscores the leather-lined dash and the B&W sound system that pushes out over 1700 watts is protected by beautifully engineered metal grills. Air vents are a work of art with simple middle controls that allow all the directionality you need. Everything you need for driving is a physical button, and that includes the fan, air temperature, volume and more. The fit-out drama continues with optional and stunning carbon race seats that exemplify this beautiful brute. A pinstripe of stitching picks up through the doors, through the seats and into the rear compartment, where you’ve almost certainly got room to store a Gucci shopping bag or two. The leather and Alcantara that adorn virtually the entire car were an ultra-dark blue that really sets off the carbon and orange stitch stripe.
So while the cabin is exquisite, there is still no doubt about the performance underpinnings of what is essentially a GT3 race car in a beautiful English bespoke suit. It has the full suite of driver assistance aids, yet, apart from adaptive cruise control and the stability control, I turn them off to enjoy the rawness of the beast. It’s heavily driver-focused with the massive mode switch in the middle of the center console, letting you select the base mode, which is Sport. There is no comfort or GT mode here, just Sport, Sport Plus and Track. No beating around the bush. As you adjust the dial, the driver’s instruments change color to let you know that things are going to become even more spicy. Speaking of spicy, the Cosmos Orange this car was presented in, was beyond breathtaking. It was gobsmacking and attracted dropped jaws and small crowds at every turn.
And while the car is stunning for a waterfront cruise, it’s designed to go fast, and fast it goes. A car as special as this is in demand, so I only had two days to assess it, not on a track, yet I did manage an hour or two on country roads. I crank it up to Sport Plus. It moves from upper-class boxer to street-smart cage fighter. The AMG-derived, Aston-specified, 4-liter V8 kicks out 485 kilowatts and an extraordinary 800 Newton meters of torque to rear wheels only, blending excitement and terror in equal measure. The power of the engine is enough to overwhelm the Michelin PS5s, should you desire. But in truth, you often can’t use more than about 70% throttle on road. The car certainly corners. Tracking very accurately, until you overwhelm physics with the brute force of this thing at maximum chat. The underpinnings of this car are firmly race car. It’s not a tourer. You’re very aware of that from the stiffness of the ride and the violence this car can unleash. Yet you can’t fully experience this car as it’s intended unless you’ve got access to private roads or a race track.
Suspension firms up on the more aggressive settings and you immediately feel the race pedigree kicking in. It’s a front-mid-engine, meaning the engine is positioned behind the front axle for superior weight distribution and handling. At 1785 kilograms, the car isn’t light, but it’s also not heavy, based on some other cars that are appearing at the moment. Gearbox is an eight-speed auto, although not dual clutch, it resets its characteristics based on the mode you are in and flappy paddles allow you to easily move to manual mode.
You don’t buy this car for fuel economy, you buy it for fun, and it’s one of those cars that is more capable than you are. At all times the package delivers maximum fun factor for the driver and passenger, should someone choose to join you. Interestingly, backing was surprisingly easy, because visibility was good: the cameras are good, as are the mirrors. Most cars this extreme have limited visibility, but not this one. You can see beautifully over the rear haunches, which makes it easy to park and maneuver.
It was quite reasonable boot space for a car of this style. You could fit some golf clubs in there, or, quite happily, a couple of bags for a long weekend away in your hot car. A warning though, if you have a car like this, you are going to have a lot of people wanting in, so pack for a couple.
I attended the launch of this car when I was in Melbourne for the Grand Prix. The beauty of it, of course, is immediately evident. And while I did get to start that car up, I really had no idea just how capable it was until now when I got to drive it. This Aston Martin Vantage V8 is an extraordinarily special car that will be owned by a select and fortunate few who will treasure them.