As a rule we don’t care too much for convertibles here at AUSmotive. But, for the Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster, we think we could make an exception.
The Vantage has long been one of the motoring world’s finest looking two door sports cars and, thankfully, nothing has been lost in the looks department after chopping off the roof.
Being described as a limited edition, Aston Martin say they’ll only be offering the Roadster in selected markets. That’s a shame, because cashed up punters wanting to hear the glory of Aston Martin’s 6.0 litre V12 at full noise should not be denied their chance to indulge.
Those with a keen eye will note the Vantage soft-top sports a restyled bootlid, along with a more aggressive spoiler and rear diffuser, compared to the coupé. Similarly, the front spoiler has also been revised. The suspension has likewise been specially tuned to suit the Roadster chassis.
We applaud Aston for making do with a traditional 6-speed manual. Grunt from the V12 is plentiful and peaks at 517PS/570Nm; enough to get you to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds and on to a blustery top speed of 305km/h.
Naturally, Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin CEO, thinks the Vantage Roadster is the best thing since sliced bread. “The addition to our range of this exceptional new Roadster allows the driver and passenger to experience full ‘sensory overload’ thanks to its outstanding performance,†he said.
“I believe no other car in this class offers the combination of the V12 Vantage Roadster’s prestige, six-speed manual gearbox and the unique enjoyment that driving a high performance convertible can deliver.â€
And who are we to argue with that!
