ASTON MARTIN V8 Vantage 2008-Present Photos, engines & full specs

It was the end of the road between Ford and Aston Martin, but the car was facelifted before their divorce. Thus, the 2008 V8 Vantage was the last to wear that many parts from Ford's parts bin.

By 2008, the world financial crisis started to claim its victims in the automotive industry. Jobs were slashed, models were cut, and the big carmakers began to see where they could find buyers for their money-loosing brands. And yet, Aston Martin dared to push and introduced a facelifted version of the V8 Vantage, in both shapes as a coupe and a convertible. Maybe it didn't necessarily want to, but it was forced by the introduction of the Euro 5 emission standards.

At first sight, it was an update dictated by the accountants. As a result, there were almost no exterior changes for the beautiful British GT. Still, the carmaker managed to squeeze a new 20-spoke, 19" light-alloy wheels in the standard spec, while a set of five-spoke lightweight aluminum wheels was on the options list.

Inside, Aston Martin upgraded the dashboard to a similar-looking design to the one installed in the DBS. In addition, a new HDD-based navigation system was placed on the center stack. Furthermore, the driver benefited from the paddle-shifters mounted behind the steering wheel to manually change gears without getting their hands off the wheel. Last but not least, there was a new key made from steel, polycarbonate, and glass that had to be inserted into a slot and pushed to start the engine.

Under the hood, the DB8 received an improved, 4.7-liter V8 engine that provided 420 hp (320 kW). All the oomph reached the rear wheels via a six-speed manual, while a six-speed automatic was offered as an option.