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2021 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster lands in Australia

The first 2021 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster has touched down in Australia ahead of local deliveries beginning in the first quarter of 2021.


The convertible Vantage starts at $314,635 (plus on-road costs), pitting it squarely against drop-top rivals from Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, BMW and Audi.

Under the clamshell bonnet lives a Mercedes-AMG sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 making 385kW and 685Nm. A ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic sends drive to the rear wheels. Unlike the Coupe, there’s no seven-speed manual option for the Roadster.

 

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The soft-top Vantage can dispatch the 0-100km/h sprint in just 3.7 seconds along the way to a top speed of 306km/h… with the roof up. For comparison, the $299,950 Vantage coupe is just 0.1s quicker to 100km/h despite a weight advantage of around 60kg over the convertible, although the coupe tops out 314km/h.

The roof mechanism itself is a world-beater, taking just 6.7 seconds to open and 6.8s to close at speeds up to 50km/h. Aston Martin claims this is the fastest electric roof in the world.

Like any high-end luxury car, options abound. Thanks to Aston Martin’s personalisation program, the list of options is too long to detail here, but the car that has landed in Australia featured a few, making it an around-$450k proposition.

 

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The most noticeable is the traditional Aston Martin ‘vaned’ grille, available either in silver or gloss black. It harks back to Astons of yesteryear and looks the business, especially in gloss black serving as a counterpoint to the vibrant blue paint of the first Oz-delivered Vantage.

The gills at the side, finished in matt black, are also optional, with body coloured gills as standard.

Aston Martin has also beefed up the suspension tune of the Vantage Roadster to account for the inherent extra weight of the convertible, which is 60kg heavier than its Coupe sibling, although weight distribution remains at 50:50.

 

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New rear dampers and a revised adaptive damping tune are highlights as is a revised ESP tune. The Roadster also retains the same e-differential as found in the Coupe.

Drive modes include Sport, Sport+ and Track and can be accessed via a thumb-switch on the right spoke of the steering wheel. The various modes sharpen throttle response, open the exhaust valves for a meatier note, and change transmission mapping. The adaptive dampers are changed through a thumb-switch on the left-hand spoke of the steering wheel.

 

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Aston Martin claims 200 litres of boot space, 80 litres down on the Coupe. It’s capable of swallowing a set of golf clubs, according to Aston Martin, and can easily accommodate a couple of overnight bags.

Patrik Nilsson, President, Aston Martin Asia Pacific said: “We are thrilled to officially unveil our new Vantage Roadster in Australia… We have continued to see significant interest from Australian customers for our open-top Aston Martin models, and we are therefore anticipating strong local appeal for this new addition to the range.”

Local deliveries will begin in early 2021.

Rob Margeit

Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.

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