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2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Available with 7-Speed Dog-Leg Manual Gearbox

The peeps at Aston Martin are a bit on a roll as of late. First, there is the DB11, a grand tourer that writes an all-new chapter for the British company, then there is Project AM-RB 001, a hybrid hypercar that will be built by James Bond’s favorite automaker and the Austrian Formula 1 team Red Bull Racing. As if that weren’t enough good news, now you can have a dog-leg 7-speed manual transmission in the most ludicrous V12 Vantage model of them all.
2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission 35 photos
Photo: Aston Martin
2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S with 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission
After Porsche introduced the 7-speed stick shift in 2012, General Motors followed suit with the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Now Aston Martin is joining the club with this bite-the-back-of-your-hand bewitching V12 Vantage S. There is no pricing available for it at the present moment, but the Gaydon-based automaker does mention that the 7-speed dog-leg manual is a no-cost option in Europe and the United Kingdom. For the U.S., production is capped at 100 cars as part of a special edition. In my mind, that is a “Yes, this V12 Vantage S will be a tad more expensive than the $186,295 automatic model.”

For the younger audience who believes that a dog-leg box is something that has to do with dogs, I feel obliged to explain that dog-leg is another way of saying “First is to the left then down, not to the left then up.” The most important advantage of a dog-leg manual over a conventional manual is that shifting from second to third and from fourth to sixth is a faster affair. In more technical terms, the dog-leg configuration ensures that the gears used most often are located in a double H pattern. Anything else interesting about it?

Regarding the Aston Martin 7-speed dog-leg manual transmission, I find it offensive that this cog-swapping contraption comes with a software that can mimic heel-and-toe downshifts with active rev matching and throttle blipping. Dear Aston Martin, don’t be daft with the keen drivers interested in buying a V12 Vantage S with a manual. Signed, everyone. Happily, however, you can simply turn the AMSHIFT system off and do the heel-and-toe action yourself.

In terms of straight line performance, the 7-speed dog-leg manual and the 7-speed automated manual both reach 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.9 clicks, off to a top speed of 205 mph (330 km/h). This get-up-and-go is provided by a 5.9-liter V12 with 563 horsepower (573 PS) and 457 lb-ft (620 Nm) of torque. On an ending note, Aston Martin head honcho Dr. Andy Palmer had this to comment on what the future holds: “I'd like to take this opportunity to reiterate that the manual gearbox remains an integral part of our product plans and will do for many years to come.” Top lad.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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