- The open-topped Aston Martin Vantage will be here in early summer and will start at $164,086.
- The fast-acting roof only adds 132 pounds compared to the Vantage coupe.
- Unlike the coupe, there’s no manual gearbox option, meaning an eight-speed automatic is standard.
The biggest surprise with the Aston Martin Vantage roadster is not that it is happening, but that we have had to wait so long for it. It’s nearly two years since the Vantage coupe went on sale, and as open-topped models make up a significant amount of this rarefied segment—Aston predicts the roadster will constitute 40 percent of Vantage sales—we’re modestly puzzled that it hasn’t arrived sooner.
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While there is nothing radical or surprising about it, the roadster is still impressive thanks to what is a particularly stylish decapitation. The fabric roof uses what is described as a power operated “Z-fold” mechanism, stowing elegantly behind the rear seats when lowered but without the need for a separate tonneau cover. That simplicity makes it quick, with Aston saying it takes just 6.7 seconds to lower the roof and 6.8 seconds to raise it. It will also operate when the car is traveling at speeds of up to 30 mph. Although some trunk space has been lost, luggage volume remains a respectable 7 cubic feet, enough for that automaker-favored measure of marginal practicality, a full-sized golf bag.
Power comes from the same 4.0-liter AMG-sourced V-8 as in the regular Vantage producing 503 hp and 505 lb-ft of torque. Drive is dispatched to the rear axle through an eight-speed automatic—we’re told there are no plans to offer the roadster with the manual option available on the coupe. Aston claims a 3.7-second zero-to-60-mph time, two tenths of a second slower than the one it claims for the coupe, thanks in large part to a 132-lb increase in weight for the ragtop. We can probably all agree that is still plenty quick, as is the claimed 190 mph top speed.
The rest of the Vantage’s dynamic arsenal is shared with the coupe, including standard adaptive damping and a torque-vectoring rear differential. If the Roadster is as exciting to drive as its roof-wearing sister it will be very exciting indeed, with the ability to hear the V-8 exhaust unfiltered certain to add to the visceral thrills.
The Roadster will be going on sale in the early summer, with U.S. pricing set to start at $164,086.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
