ASTON MART�N VANTAGE TUNGSTEN S�LVER 2019
Engineering/Powertrain
The backbone of the new Vantage is its bonded aluminium underframe. While the architecture of the car is based on Aston Martin's next generation platform, 70% of its components are bespoke to the Vantage as it was essential the engineering team had the freedom to create the ideal foundation for a sports car. The result is an impressive dry weight of 1,530kg.
At 4465mm, the car is 284mm shorter than DB11, and is 34mm shorter than a Porsche 911. This compactness helps give the car its inherent agility - something for which the outgoing Vantage was renowned and on which this new model raises the bar.
The underframe features a solidly-mounted sub frame which creates an immensely rigid structure providing a very stable platform from which the suspension can control the car. This structure ensures that the driver feels very much a part of the car, creating a feeling of 'direct connection' that can be felt and appreciated by all drivers and relished by the most skilled.
The new Aston Martin Vantage utilises a high performance 4-litre V8 Twin Turbo engine, generating an output of 510PS. The basis of this engine has been provided by Mercedes-AMG as part of the company's successful ongoing relationship. Aston Martin Engineers have worked to ensure that this engine maintains the unique AML character and 'feel' that Aston Martins are renowned for.
Moving to a twin-turbo V8 from a naturally aspirated V8 could have resulted in the new Aston Martin Vantage lacking the soundtrack for which Aston Martins are rightly renowned. However, , engineers have successfully tuned both the induction and exhaust systems to provide the iconic sound quality synonymous with an Aston Martin sports car. This is particularly noticeable in Sport Plus and Track modes.
Great effort has also been put into positioning the engine as low as possible for a lower centre of gravity and improved weight distribution to contribute to optimised driving dynamics. The low engine position is achieved through new engine mounts and a lower, slimmer wet sump. With this bespoke new wet sump design, AML have achieved an improved engine parasitic loss figure, which improves fuel economy.
The 685Nm of torque is fed through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission mounted at the back of the car. The gearbox has specially developed software which provides short, crisp gear changes when required, and can also deliver the type of shift refinement and usability which is beyond that seen on dual clutch gearboxes.
By using eight gears, this enables close ratios, which allow the engine to be kept in its most powerful / efficient speed range for longer depending on driver demand. The gearbox's adaptive software is designed to gauge the conditions the car is operating in, along with the demands the driver is making, to ensure the car is in exactly the right gear at the right time.
Performance/Driving Dynamics
The dynamic brief for the new Vantage was simple. Make it as exciting and engaging as possible without compromising its everyday usability or making it too challenging for drivers of all abilities. The key to achieving this objective was complete integration of the powertrain, transmission, suspension and steering systems, which work in harmony to offer three distinct dynamic modes - Sport, Sport Plus and Track.
As the name of these modes suggests, the Vantage is never less than a sports car. Consequently, while ride comfort and pliancy remains an important quality, the Vantage is not attempting to deliver GT levels of suppleness. Precision, consistency and intuitive responses are constants, but as the driver works their way through Sport Plus and Track modes they will feel the whole car become increasingly responsive to their inputs. The throttle will feel sharper, the up and downshifts punchier and the steering more incisive and the suspension firmer.
The suspension uses a forged double wishbone design at the front and a multi-link system at the rear. Adaptive damping features as standard, with sensors on the car detecting the prevailing driving conditions, as well as the demands the driver is making of the car. A solidly-mounted rear subframe provides the most precise and consistent location for the rear suspension, which means the car responds with greater immediacy and gives a more detailed feeling of connection for the driver.
A crucial addition to the new Aston Martin Vantage is Dynamic Torque Vectoring and - for the first time on an Aston Martin - an Electronic Rear Differential (E-Diff). This differential is linked to the car's electronic stability control system, so it can understand the car's behaviour, and can react accordingly to direct the engine's power to the relevant wheel. Unlike a conventional LSD, it can go from fully open to 100% locked in a matter of milliseconds. DTV significantly improves the car's cornering capabilities and makes low to medium speed cornering far more satisfying.
At higher speeds the Electronic Differential's speed and sensitivity of response enables the system to take very fine control of the car's dynamic behaviour. Also, because the E-Diff is free from the fixed parameters and behaviour of a mechanical LSD it creates an inherent feeling of agility when making direction changes, but feels much more composed both in terms of its straight-line stability and once settled into a cornering. Working together the E-Diff and DTV systems increase cornering performance and provide the driver with increased levels of confidence, allowing them to explore and enjoy the car's capabilities to the full, while not sacrificing low speed usability. Performance between the corners is equally scintillating, with a maximum speed of 195mph and the ability to hit 62mph from rest in just 3.7 seconds.
The braking system features ventilated two-piece 400mm cast-iron discs at the front, with ventilated 360mm discs at the rear, gripped by 6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers. The master cylinder and booster have been updated to ensure the Vantage feels and responds as a true sports car, creating a more responsive, confidence inspiring drive.
Seven Decades of Sporting Excellence
The first time the Vantage name was used few could have imagined its future significance. Originally used in 1951 in sales literature for a high-performance derivative of the DB2, the Vantage engine - offering 125bhp against 105 for the standard model - was far from a standalone model, but established the name as one that would appeal to the keenest drivers.
The Vantage name next used in 1962 to denote a distinct model was the DB4 Vantage. In addition to a high-performance engine, these Vantage specification cars also featured subtle styling modifications. With the introduction of the DB5 in 1964 the Vantage model became firmly established as the high-performance derivative. They were visually distinguished by discreet Vantage badges attached to the side strakes on the front wings - a strategy that also applied to , the DB6, DB6 Mk2 and DBS.
The first standalone Vantage model was the short-lived AM Vantage - in essence a re-styled DBS Vantage with a 4.0-litre 6-cylinder engine. Produced for a little over a year between the spring of 1972 and 1973, it was sold alongside the new William Towns-designed AM V8. Though just 70 examples were built, it was to spawn a true icon in the shape of the V8 Vantage. Introduced in 1977 as Aston Martin's performance flagship, it was defined by its muscular looks and immense performance courtesy of a tuned 375bhp version of the 5.3-litre V8. One of the fastest and most desirable cars of its day, the V8 Vantage would ultimately spawn Volante and Zagato versions before it ceased production.
By now firmly established as the quintessential British supercar, the next Vantage was a magnificently brutal evolution of the V8-engined Virage Coupe. With uprated brakes and suspension and a pair of superchargers attached to the hand-built V8, this new Aston Martin Vantage was a 550bhp monster. Later developments saw power rise to 600bhp, with the final V600 Le Mans models amongst the rarest and most desirable Vantage models of all and the last Vantage model to be built at Newport Pagnell.
The DB7 Vantage of 2000 was a landmark car, as it introduced Aston Martin's new 6.0-litre V12. A huge step up from the six-cylinder DB7, the Vantage was a true Ferrari rival. Available with manual and automatic transmission, and in Coupe or Volante body styles.
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