Aston Martin V8 Vantage S

The Aston Vantage has always been an almost-but-not-quite sort of car, at least until Aston dropped a V12 into it and proved that it could be a genuine star. Now the company  is trying to bring some of that star quality to the V8-powered model with an extra 10bhp for the engine and an extra gear for the paddle shift transmission. The steering is quicker, the brakes are bigger, the rear tyres are wider, the springs and shocks are retuned and the styling - featuring new bumpers, new sills and a bigger duck tail rear spoiler - is inspired by its fighty V12 cousin.

A pretty thorough job then and one that results in what is easily the best V8 Vantage to date. Indeed, Henry Catchpole said it was ‘a car that makes you want to drive’ (evo 156) and that’s got to be a good thing for any eCoTY entrant.

Specifications