At $149,995, the all-new Aston Martin Vantage is more expensive than the model it replaces. But despite the price hike, the automaker has trouble with satisfying the demand for the British sports car with a German heart.
Bloomberg had a chat with Dr. Andy Palmer, the architect behind Aston Martin’s “Second Century” plan and the man who OK’d the way the all-new Vantage looks. And according to Palmer, “most of our production for next year is already sold out,” which means the waiting list is growing with each and every day that passes. This, however, is good news for AM.
The 2005 Vantage was a huge hit, selling 21,500 examples over the course of 12 years. With the incredible demand the all-new generation was met on its world debut, color us surprised the succeeding model won't outsell the forerunner in a few years' time. After all, it targets a completely different audience compared to the former-gen Vantage.
Did you think the unconventional looks are a coincidence? Think again, for Palmer made it clear the V8 Vantage is “aspirationally younger, cooler, better.” You know, the sort of customers who don't want an Aston Martin because James Bond has one, but because the Porsche 911 is too generic for their liking.
The M177 engine, which doesn’t come from the Mercedes-AMG GT, sweetens the deal with 510 PS (503 horsepower) and 685 Nm (505 pound-feet) of torque. Not only does it give the DB11 V8 a run for its money, but the Vantage also happens to be developed from the get-go to be as sporty as possible without making too many compromises in terms of comfort.
Next year will see the introduction of the manual-equipped V8 Vantage, and later on, Aston Martin will expand the lineup with the V12 Vantage. The ultimate expression of the smallest model in the range will borrow the 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 from the DB11. The AE31 will take on the almighty Ferrari 812 Superfast in the next-generation Vanquish, which is currently testing on the Nurburgring within an inch of its life.