Limited-run Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster to join coupe
A total of 249 Roadsters will be built, sharing the coupe’s 691bhp V12
Aston Martin has revealed a Roadster version of its V12 Vantage, joining the coupe in a limited-build run of 249 units, all of which are sold. The general package is familiar to anyone aware of the coupe, but the concept is a good one pairing Aston Martin’s smallest body with its biggest engine.
This is derived around Aston Martin’s 5.2-litre V12 engine, aided by two turbochargers. Power and torque aren’t quite as potent as the DBS Superleggera, but with 691bhp at 6500rpm there’s plenty to motivate the compact 2-seater roadster body. As in the Coupe, torque is limited to 555lb ft, 109lb ft down on the DBS due to the use of the standard Vantage’s smaller eight-speed ZF gearbox, which is at its maximum torque rating. Aston Martin hasn’t revealed a weight figure, but has revealed a power-to-weight ratio of 366bhp/ton – do the maths, and the V12 Roadster will hit the scales at 1857kg.
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The rear axle features a mechanical limited slip differential, rather than a DBS’s eLSD, that together with the transmission is used purely due to packaging constraints. Still, performance is hardly lacking with a 0-62mph time of 3.6sec and a 200mph top speed.
The bodywork itself typically mimics the coupe, with 40mm wider tracks and a bespoke body over top. If you are a fan of the coupe’s design, you’ll like the Roadster, as its wider mouth, expansive carbonfibre bodywork and blistered arches are all carried across. The coupe’s part-carbon rear wing isn’t standard, but can be optioned back on.
A cast 21-inch wheel and tyre package is standard, with 275-section front and 315-section rear Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber, but a set of optional forged wheels are available knocking 8kg off the unsprung mass.
As standard, all V12 Vantage Roadster’s feature Aston Martin’s carbon ceramic brake package, pairing 410mm discs up-front with six-piston calipers and a 360mm discs/four-piston combo at the rear.
Inside, customers can option the carbonfibre bucket seats which take a further 7.3kg out of the car, and like the exterior will be available in all of Aston’s extensive colour options. If one of the hundreds of options still don’t suit, Aston’s Q department is on hand to create something a little more bespoke.
Production is due to commence in the coming months, with deliveries scheduled towards the end of this year. Of course, this will just about call it for the Vantage in its current form, with a major update expected to arrive next year alongside the DB11 and DBS. This revitalised range will stretch the life-cycle of all these models for a few more years until Aston’s future mid-engined supercar arrives later in the decade.
