Aston Martin V12 Vantage Review
It was always going to be a good thing when the boss of a car company likes to go racing in the company Vantage. No matter what the performance is out of the box, they will almost always want more. In this case a lot more, four cylinders more.
I want to say that this car is hard-core and more for the serious enthusiast, but that would be selling it a long way short. It’s just too easy to drive to be positioned as a car for those track day junkies.
This is the everyday supercar and quite simply one of the best sports cars in the world right now.
Anyone who is a half decent driver will immediately feel at home in the driver’s seat of the V12 Vantage, and I don’t mean just driving to the shops and back.
More like you’ll be hitting the rev limiter time and time again, that is, until you get used to swapping cogs just shy of 7000rpm.
They’re extra light too, about eighteen kilograms less than the standard pews and yet amazingly, they’re comfortable.
Each lap is a staggering 23 kilometres with no less than 76 corners (many of them blind) with the added problem for drivers, of the possibility of different weather conditions at each end of the track.
It’s also the home of Aston Martin’s new test centre, which is literally trackside and should mean a shorter and more intense development program for future models.
As if putting over three-hundred high revving kilometres on a spanking new V12 Vantage wasn’t enough, when one of the PR’s asked if I'd like to go upstairs to have a look at "something special".
You can pretty much guess what sat up there on its own in a showroom on the far side of the building.
It’s breathtakingly beautiful and not a single magazine (EVO included) has come anywhere near close to properly portraying just how extraordinary this car really is.
I was partnered up with the quick steering editor of South African magazine Top Car, as we were both keen to get on the throttle and get some space between us and the next guy.
After a quick walk around the car, its obvious the Vantage is still a Vantage, despite the fact that a big V12 lurks under the bonnet. Aston Martin have been careful not to go fooling with their pure bred DNA in that regard.
It just looks tougher, the four heat removing carbon-fibre flutes on the subtle bonnet bulge also provide front end down force, as does the front splitter, which is also crafted from this exotic material.
As I drop into the carbon-fibre seats (they are fully adjustable – electric of course) and lock onto the race car style Alcantara steering wheel, I’m already thinking about missing the first driver change point and blasting on through to Bad-Bertrich (famous for its healing waters and delicious well-being drink).
Clutch in (its playfully light), brake on and insert the slightly fiddly but jewellery-like fob, and it all sounds quite civilised, if not slightly up-tempo.
Where heading towards the village of Daun and annoyingly, I keep hitting the rev limiter, due mostly to how freely this engine spins and my lack of attention and aural induced trance.
There’s a sport button somewhere down there on the console, but the Vantage is carrying terrific speed through some particularly tight curves, and it’s doing it with consummate ease.
Even back-to-back hairpins with the power on early, don’t present any dramas, the extra wide Pirelli P Zero Corsa 295s down the rear of the car step out nicely as you would expect from a rear wheel drive set up, but even then the standard stability control gives you time enough to correct the line yourself and carry on.
It wouldn’t be right not to praise the steering ratio on board this car, perfect weight from dead centre and brilliant on the twisty bits, while cat-like quick to respond to driver input.
The Carbon Ceramic brakes are epic too, but you need to get them warm otherwise they might grab or lose that progressive pedal pressure you get with some heat.
Out on to some derestricted German autobahn now and time to hit the Sport button, as I’ve lined up a fast moving 5 Series and move in for the kill.
There’s a much more urgent throttle response and frankly, if you are climbing mountains or flying low on the autobahn, hit this button and leave it lit.
Within seconds, I’m burying the pedal in fifth and blasting past the Beemer at 280km/h and onto 300km/h before traffic gets the better of us.
At just over 300km/h through a wide sweeper, there is not a hint of front-end movement or roll. What’s more, the V12 Vantage is rock solid, I mean it’s not moving a single millimetre and there are no obvious aerodynamics on board this car.
But here comes the Beemer, lights flashing and I’m thinking shiesta, this will be my first meeting with the Autobahnpolizie.
Turns out, the guy just wanted to give us the thumbs up and pay homage to what will quickly become the most desirable Aston Martin ever made.
That said please don’t forget about an RS version Dr Bez, there really is a market for it!