Thread: V8 Vantage S Review

First Drive - 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S

Originally Posted by kilometer magazine

If looks won races, Aston Martin wouldn’t have had to share much space on podiums since the V8 Vantage showed up as a scrappy, athletic interpretation of Henrik Fisker’s glamorous DB9. But Ford, then in charge of both Aston and Jaguar, didn’t give the Vantage a proper power boost over the less expensive Jaguar XK with which it shared a basic architecture, and some journalists and shoppers were left wondering if the looks alone were worth the money. A mid-cycle refresh gave the V8 Vantage’s life new meaning — and 420 horsepower — and the pet project-turned-production car V12 Vantage went above and beyond, likely inspiring dozens of bank robberies. But it also left a wide gap between itself and the base car. Oh no! What’s an Aston Martin engineer to do?

The answer is the V8 Vantage S, the car sitting in front of us as we arrive to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, one of the few facilities in the country that features, in addition to a great track with over twenty configurations, a pool, a spa, a gun range, and luxury condos. In fact, it might be the only one to combine all those things. Today, we’re here just for the Astons and to celebrate what we’re going to call the Year of the ‘Tweener Car, having also just driven the hole-plugging Virage.

Love the look of it... Should be a pretty hot seller

S= Sexy