Aston goes V12 with Vantage S Roadster

ASTON Martin has taken the can opener to its V12 Vantage S to create a 323km/h roadster with free sunshine.

To go on sale in Britain later this year ahead of its release in other markets around the world, including Australia in early 2015, the British-made V12 Vantage S Roadster will take the fight up to the likes of Porsche’s 911 Turbo Cabriolet and Ferrari’s 458 Spider.

The fastest soft-top yet from Aston, the roadster is propelled by the same high-performance 6.0-litre V12 as the Vantage S Coupe that was launched globally last year.

Packing 422kW of power and 620Nm of torque, the Roadster can accelerate to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds – 0.2 seconds slower than the lighter coupe and on to a top speed of 323km/h – just 7km/h slower than the hardtop.

Aston Martin design director Marek Reichman said the V12 Vantage S Roadster was “as spectacular to listen to as it is to look at”.

“The new roadster is truly a treat for the senses with, underlying all this, the capacity to deliver one of the most dynamic, exciting and stirring driving experiences in our current range,” he said.

“I’m sure the V12 Vantage S Roadster will appeal to luxury sports car enthusiasts worldwide who want to add a truly exceptional new model to their garage.”

In Australia, the new model will top the entry-level Vantage range, at $418,525 plus on-road costs.

Its potential chief rival, the 3.8-litre Porsche Turbo S Cabriolet, sells for $463,100 plus on-road costs.

The V12 Roadster will bring to three the range of Vantage soft-tops sold in Australia, with the V8 Vantage Roadster already on the market for $260,000, along with the V8 Vantage S at $280,600.

The V12 Vantage S Roadster will not be the most expensive top-down model in the range, with the V12 Vanquish Convertible going for more than $500,000.

Like the coupe, the rear-wheel-drive Vantage S Roadster uses a seven-speed hydraulically actuated automated manual transmission with paddle shifts. This rear-mounted transaxle unit is used in Aston’s Vantage GT4, GT3 and GTE racing cars, and is 20kg lighter than the gearbox it replaces.

It also gets Aston’s three-stage adaptive damping – normal, sport and track – as well three-stage electronic stability control and two-stage ABS.

Another sport mode controlled by a console button sharpens throttle response, gearshift and exhaust note.

All-round carbon ceramic disc brakes are said to be near-identical to those on the flagship Vanquish, while the exhaust system is said to be modelled on that of Aston’s One-77 super car.

The roadster gets carbon-fibre vanes in the grille in place of the coupe’s aluminium units, along with a choice of black or “titanium” mesh.

The light-weight fabric folding roof is stowed beneath a hard cover behind the seats. No details on folding time or speed at which the roof can be stowed on the move were provided in the press materials released in the UK today.