2011 ASTON MARTIN V8 Vantage S 4.7L V8 7AT (436 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Aston Martin took the 2005 V8 Vantage, tore it apart, and built it back and, when it did that, it left some parts outside then added a few more.

The British carmaker didn’t want to make a V8 Vantage to beat a Porsche 911 Turbo on the track. Aston Martin didn’t even try to put it in the same league with the German supercar. It just made a better V8 and added an S behind the name.

While the small carmaker didn’t have enough money to develop a new car, it kept refreshing and improving the old ones, and it did that with incredible success. Thanks to the car’s exterior designed by Henrik Fisker, it was a great shape to start from. There was a new lower front bumper at the front, which included larger air intakes to feed the engine and the front brakes. The splitter was tuned together with the lip-spoiler from the back to create a balanced downforce.

Inside, the Vantage S was a mix between a luxurious GT and a race-car with its optional carbon-fiber and Kevlar composite seats with high bolstering provided better side support during high-speed cornering, and they were 17 kg (37.5 lbs) lighter than the standard seats. On the luxury side, its hand-stitched leather-clad door-cards and center console offered an exclusive ambiance.

Aston Martin installed the same 4.7-liter V-8 from the standard V8 Vantage and gave it ten hp more. But that wasn’t all. The new seven-speed automatic (dual-clutch) gearbox offered a new experience, being both fast and comfortable. Another essential upgrade was for the exhaust system. Aston Martin hired a person to tune the exhaust until it provided a particular tune, much more pleasant to hear than any other flat-six on the planet.