022-028 Aston V12.indd 22
6/22/09 3:36:45 PM
Aston Martin V12 Vantage | First Drive
A big fan of the V8 Vantage, Damien Reid wasn’t convinced by the on-paper specs of the new V12 so had to travel to Germany to find out for himself. Oh and the fact that the launch was at the Nßrburgring on the weekend of the 24-hour race
july 2009 WWW.AUTOCARmAg.COm 23
022-028 Aston V12.indd 23
6/22/09 3:36:56 PM
First Drive | Aston Martin V12 Vantage
H
ere’s the truth. Only a few days before writing this, I spent about four or five hours behind the wheel of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage concentrating on thrashing it through the Eifel Mountains in Germany near the border of Belgium, down tiny, windy roads and through sleepy mediaeval villages before a top-end blast on the speedlimitless Autobahn. That was after the product presentation and a walk-around of the static car, but before settling in to watch more of them racing for 24 hours non-stop around the Nürburgring. The hotel was literally beside the front straight so the noise of racing never stopped. I ventured off into the depths of night to mix with the campers and watch yet more cars and Aston Martins racing through the night, and for a while, in the rain. By the time I left the Nordschleife circuit on Sunday afternoon I was tired, had a great time, but had overdosed on the sound, sight and delights of the V12 Vantage. Like a 10-year-old boy on his birthday, I’d had too much cake and couldn’t take any more. So why then have I spent the last hour and a half sitting at my computer drooling at the photography of the V12 Vantage? It’s got me again. I can’t take my eyes off it. It is possibly the prettiest, yet menacingly masculine-looking car I have ever seen. Its combination of delicate LED “eyelash” front indicators mixed with the brutish naked carbon fibre hood vents scarred into the bonnet is truly mesmerising. Then I think back to the drive. Muscling its thick alcantera-covered sports steering wheel through gravelly apexes on country roads, pushing the sports button when I was mid-throttle to feel an instant reaction under the right foot in a reactive way, a bit like flicking cold water on your eyes first thing in the morning. This sport button means business and the change in behaviour is instant, from wellpoised GT to hard-core sports coupé, midcorner, mid-throttle, anywhere. It’s like having an Aston where the press of a button turns it from a DB9 into a Vantage and I guess that sums this beast up best, taking V12 grunt from the larger, slightly cushier DB9 and shoe-horning it into the athletic lines of the baby Vantage. I have long been a fan of the V8 Vantage and if I’m being honest, I’ve never really warmed to the DB9 in the same way. It’s always seemed a little distant and less involving, so when I heard about the V12 going under the hood of one of my favourite toys, I was sceptical, hoping that the boys in Gaydon hadn’t upset what was a well balanced, refined and just so sweet, sports coupé. So we turned up to the Aston Martin test centre on the edge of the famed Nürburgring circuit in an area that oozes motoring and motorsports history and listened to the presentation. Thankfully it was light on the PR guff and marketing floss and rich in technical detail focusing on
‘It helps that the CEO is also one of the race team’s drivers, fast
From the rear it looks fatter than the V8 thanks to the slightly beefed rear spoiler and 19-inch alloys filling the guards
24 WWW.AUTOCARmAg.COm july 2009
022-028 Aston V12.indd 24
6/22/09 3:37:03 PM
First Drive | Aston Martin V12 Vantage
Despite the luxurious look plenty of weight has been shaved off inside with lighter seats, thinner carpet and carbonfibre armrests (bottom right)
tracking development from the pitlane directly to the boardroom’ the guts of the car and how they squeezed that giant engine in there with minimal weight increase. Despite it carrying an extra four cylinders, the hand-built, 6.0-litre, V12 engine still manages to sit behind the front axle for a better weight distribution of 51:49 front to rear which it has done without increasing the wheelbase. Compared to the 4.7-litre V8, the V12 is 100kg heavier so the Aston boffins went to work on reducing weight wherever possible and have pared it down to a 50kg deficit. The weight savings have come from new seats which are 17kg lighter per item, new 19-inch alloy wheels that also reduce crucial unsprung weight, more alloy body panels
and even carbon-fibre internal arm rests and thinner carpet. Believe me, it all adds up and in keeping with Aston’s philosophy on this car, nothing was done for vanity alone. The bonnet louvers are a classic example as the most obvious point of visual difference over the regular V8. Not only do they provide a way of extracting built up heat from under the bonnet, they also dramatically reduce the engine bay air pressure, which in turn reduces lift and provides more front-end downforce at speed. A brilliant way without having to resort to tack-on spoilers and splitters plus a neat little byproduct is when you slow
down after a high-speed run, your vision is momentarily warped by the heat haze soaking through the vented hood like an animal panting after a sprint to catch its prey. A quick look around the car and you’ll see no wild wings or skirts, just the subtle tweak here and there over the V8 such as the front splitter, a small boot lip, rear diffuser and mild door sills. All have been added after Aston’s ultra successful N24 Vantage programme in 24-hour endurance racing over the past few years at the Nürburgring, Spa in Belgium and Dubai. It helps that the company’s CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez is also one of the team’s race drivers which I’m sure substantially ◊ july 2009 WWW.AUTOCARmAg.COm 25
022-028 Aston V12.indd 25
6/22/09 3:37:27 PM
Aston Martin V12 Vantage | First Drive
‘It sat squat and true as it powered through 300km/h before slowing to an exit ramp speed’ ∆ fast-tracks the development taking his tips and suggestions directly from pitlane to the boardroom. Developing 510bhp at 6500rpm and 570Nm of torque at 5750rpm, it’s the most powerful Aston built in its 95-year history and is a fitting machine to take to the company’s 50th anniversary of winning at the Nürburgring. With so many sports cars reverting to paddle-shift systems, it was a welcome return to a conventional H-pattern and three pedals. Find a long tunnel through a mountain, bang it back a gear with a hefty blip on the loud pedal and nail it with the windows down. Bliss. With thanks to the German Autobahn’s lack of speed limits in certain areas, we found a long stretch of open dual carriageway where you could see eight or nine kilometres ahead and so it was time to test its V-max potential. Aston claims a top speed of 305km/h and with the rock-steady surety of a well weighted and beautifully balanced car, we reached its terminal velocity without any signs of light steering or body roll. It sat squat and true as it powered through the 300km/h mark and just as importantly slowed back to a comfortable exit ramp speed just as swiftly with the help of giant 398mm carbon ceramic discs with sixpiston callipers on the front and vented 360mm four-piston carbon ceramic units on the back. Although we didn’t have timing equipment, no one doubted its reported 0 to 100km/h sprint time of ◊
RIVALS - A quARtet of two-dooR tItAnS
Engine Power Torque Transmission Price On sale
BenTley COnTinenTAl gT speeD 6.0-litre Twin Turbo W12 600bhp 750Nm Six-speed auto From $277,000 Now
All the buttons to excite the emotions
FeRRARi F599
6.0 V12 611bhp 607Nm Six-speed sequential From $380,000 Now
mAseRATi gRAnTURismO s
4.7-litre V8 433bhp 490Nm Six-speed sequential From $189,210 Now
AUDi R8 V10
5.2-litre V10 518bhp 530Nm Six-speed R tronic From $140,000 September 2009
Drop a spanner and it’s gone for life. not one inch of spare room here july 2009 WWW.AUTOCARmAg.COm 27
022-028 Aston V12.indd 27
6/22/09 3:38:08 PM
First Drive | Aston Martin V12 Vantage
‘The V12 is a near perfect blend of track-developed sports car and luxury grand tourer’ ∆ 4.2 seconds either, which is mighty impressive from 1680kg. So while I was initially sceptical that putting a bigger engine into a beautiful body would make it a better car considering the extra weight and handling issues it would have to overcome, I walked away suitably impressed. The V12 Vantage is a near-perfect blend of track-developed sports car and luxury grand tourer, although I think the decision not to include an auto version will harm sales in the Middle East. Though with production limited to just 1000 units, maybe Aston is confident its type of buyer won’t care and regardless, will ensure the V12 Vantage is a truly exclusive choice when it starts rolling out in the third quarter of 2009. L
The carbon fibre bonnet louvres give a raw and powerful look to an otherwise pretty car. Timeless beauty? maybe
Vitals
fActfILe AsTOn mARTin V12 VAnTAge
Engine Power Torque Transmission Length Width Height Wheelbase Kerb weight 0-100km/h Top speed Price On sale
6.0-litre V12 510bhp at 6500rpm 570Nm at 5750rpm Six-speed manual 4380mm 1865mm 1241mm 2600mm 1680kg 4.6sec 305km/h $197,000 August 2009
group editor Reid was a fan of the old style H-pattern manual
28 WWW.AUTOCARmAg.COm july 2009
022-028 Aston V12.indd 28
6/22/09 3:38:28 PM