Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
Remember the official preview for the V8 Vantage Roadster? That car has an identical brother with a different license plate number at the Nurburgring, lapping the circuit again and again to fine-tune the chassis for a sporty driving experience without compromising the ride quality.
To be launched in the spring of 2020, the soft-top convertible body style features the same matte-black finish as the original, yellow brake calipers, 10-spoke alloy wheels, and a black roof. Curiously still, Aston Martin tested the prototype with the tow hook attached to the front of the car.
No badging is visible up front or at the rear, and if you look closely, the rear deck of the V8 Vantage Roadster differs from the coupe. Four exhaust tips and the fuel filler cap on the right-hand side translate to 4.0 liters of twin-turbo goodness, namely the M177 engine from Affalterbach.
As opposed to the M178 in the Mercedes-AMG GT, the M177 features wet-sump lubrication and it’s paired to a torque-converter automatic instead of a dry-sump system and a dual-clutch transmission. The ZF 8HP is the culprit, channeling up to 510 PS (503 horsepower) to the crankshaft.
Torque is rated at 685 Nm (505 pound-feet), which is more than enough for a 1,530-kilogram (3,373-pound) sports car. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if the open-top model weighs a little bit more, but nevertheless, the engine is adequate for this application. In terms of top speed, the coupe is geared to attain a maximum velocity of 314 km/h (195 miles per hour).
What’s most intriguing about the V8 Vantage Roadster at the Nordschleife is how little body roll the prototype exhibited while tackling the Caracciola Karussell. The corner’s name comes from Rudolf Caracciola, a German racing driver who hooked the inside tires of his car into a drainage ditch before the Initial D anime series made that scheme famous around the world.
Given that the coupe starts at $149,995 and the difference between the DB11 coupe and convertible is $15,000, look forward to a suggested retail price of $164,995 for the open-top body style of the V8 Vantage.
No badging is visible up front or at the rear, and if you look closely, the rear deck of the V8 Vantage Roadster differs from the coupe. Four exhaust tips and the fuel filler cap on the right-hand side translate to 4.0 liters of twin-turbo goodness, namely the M177 engine from Affalterbach.
As opposed to the M178 in the Mercedes-AMG GT, the M177 features wet-sump lubrication and it’s paired to a torque-converter automatic instead of a dry-sump system and a dual-clutch transmission. The ZF 8HP is the culprit, channeling up to 510 PS (503 horsepower) to the crankshaft.
Torque is rated at 685 Nm (505 pound-feet), which is more than enough for a 1,530-kilogram (3,373-pound) sports car. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if the open-top model weighs a little bit more, but nevertheless, the engine is adequate for this application. In terms of top speed, the coupe is geared to attain a maximum velocity of 314 km/h (195 miles per hour).
What’s most intriguing about the V8 Vantage Roadster at the Nordschleife is how little body roll the prototype exhibited while tackling the Caracciola Karussell. The corner’s name comes from Rudolf Caracciola, a German racing driver who hooked the inside tires of his car into a drainage ditch before the Initial D anime series made that scheme famous around the world.
Given that the coupe starts at $149,995 and the difference between the DB11 coupe and convertible is $15,000, look forward to a suggested retail price of $164,995 for the open-top body style of the V8 Vantage.
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