The new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster promises coupe-like thrills and a 202mph blow-dry
Aston has engineered the 656bhp Vantage Roadster to be as dynamic and refined as the hard-top, while fitting it with the world’s fastest foldaway roof
We’re big fans of the new Aston Martin Vantage – its brutish character and sensational performance make it a credible alternative to the Porsche 911 Turbo S, and earned it a spot on our 2024 Car of the Year test. Now, Aston is taking on the likes of Ferrari’s Roma Spider with a new Roadster version, which promises to match the coupe for outright thrills and provide unfiltered access to that stonking 656bhp V8 engine.
The new Vantage represents a step change in character from the car it replaces. Not only is it significantly more powerful, a sophisticated suite of chassis electronics and new approach to its dynamic tuning make it much more exploitable, and Aston claims to have directly transferred this character to the Roadster. This was made possible by engineering both models in parallel, as Aston’s Director of Vehicle Performance Simon Newton explains:
‘Developing both Vantage coupe and Roadster simultaneously meant we were able to retain the outrageous dynamic capabilities and agile sporting character of Vantage with no compromise upon removal of the roof, allowing drivers to revel at the limit with the added exposure to the elements.’
At the Vantage’s core is an extruded, bonded aluminium structure, and the Roadster benefits from a number of stiffening measures designed into the chassis to optimise structural rigidity. For example, the attachment points of the body at the rear of the Roadster have been designed to improve stiffness, while sheer panels have been installed to add lateral rigidity. A Z-fold fabric roof mechanism was chosen for simplicity and weight reduction, although it is made up of eight levels of insulation to achieve similar refinement levels to the coupe. It can fold away at speeds of up to 31mph, and in as little as 6.8 seconds, making it the fastest of its kind on the market.
Overall, the Roadster carries an additional 60kg over the coupe, with a dry kerb weight of 1665kg (split 49:51 front to rear). Given how explosive the coupe feels, it’s fair to assume that the Vantage’s 4-litre twin-turbo V8 will have no trouble shifting that extra mass. It develops 656bhp and 590lb ft of torque, launching the Roadster to 62mph in 3.6sec (a tenth slower than the coupe) and on to a 202mph maximum.
Torque is transferred to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox and an electronic limited slip diff, which is one piece of the Vantage’s complex dynamic puzzle. Eight-stage Advanced Traction Control, Bilstein DTX dampers, dynamic torque vectoring, (optional) carbon ceramic brakes with 410mm front discs and specially developed Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tyres are some of the other elements it brings to the table, with the goal of delivering a more finely-honed driving experience than the old Roadster.
Aston has tweaked the new Roadster’s setup to work with its extra weight (which is biased rearwards) and different stiffness characteristics, with retuned rear dampers and revised mountings for the rear transaxle. The coupe’s non-isolated steering column is carried over, which should provide more direct feedback to your hands.
Visually, the Roadster retains the new Vantage’s widebody One-77-esque stance, and comes with three new paint colours – Iridescent Sapphire, Satin Iridescent Sapphire and Bronze Flare – and a choice of five fabric roof finishes. Customers can also pick from four 21-inch wheel designs.
Inside, it gets Aston’s latest cabin architecture and in-house infotainment system, centred around a 10.25-inch touchscreen on the centre console. This works with a fully digital instrument pack, although there are analogue elements in the form of physical roller dials for the climate controls and buttons for driving settings.
First deliveries of the Vantage Roadster will begin in the second quarter of this year, and though Aston hasn’t detailed a price, expect it to sit somewhere close to £180k.
