Aston Martin Vantage (2019)
For the first time on an Aston Martin the new Vantage also features 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 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. 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. It makes the car feel much more composed both in terms of its straight-line stability and its cornering performance, providing the driver with increased levels of confidence to explore and enjoy the car's capabilities to the full. The chassis is an evolution of the latest generation bonded aluminium structure first seen on the DB11, though some 70 per cent of the structure's components are new for Vantage. Balance, strength, rigidity and weight efficiency were all priorities in the new Vantage design, as was handling purity and consistency.
Thanks to full integration of engine, transmission, E-Diff, Dynamic Torque Vectoring, Dynamic Stability Control, Adaptive Damping and the electric power steering systems, each mode optimises every area of the car as one. With each step the Vantage gains in agility and responsiveness, its character becoming progressively sharper, more vocal and more exciting. This is the essence of the Vantage driving experience - a car that's never less than connected and engaging with the breadth of capability to revel in challenging roads and bare its teeth on track. The Vantage features a high level of standard equipment, including keyless start/stop, tyre pressure monitoring system, parking distance display, park assist and front and rear parking sensors. It speaks volumes for the outgoing Vantage that it is the single most successful model in Aston Martin's history. Creating a worthy successor has been a challenge to relish and a huge source of motivation. I'm enormously excited by what we've created: a new Aston Martin Vantage that's more explicit in looks and intent, wrapping heart-pounding performance and dazzling dynamics into an everyday usable package.
New Vantage has the most powerful and provocative design language ever seen in a Vantage. A hunter, light in weight and is therefore light in it's visual language. As an automotive engineer the challenge is always the same: to achieve greater efficiency in every area of the car. With an unashamed sports car such as an all-new Aston Martin Vantage you have another challenge - the relentless pursuit of greater emotion and excitement. The tyres are Pirelli P Zero (255/40 at the front, 295 35 at the rear) which have been specifically tuned to suit the driving dynamics of Vantage in wet and dry conditions. The first time the Vantage name was used few could have imagined its future significance. 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. With the introduction of the all-new 2005 V8 Vantage, Aston Martin was to experience unprecedented levels of kudos and sales success. Built around the company's innovative VH platform and using a strong, lightweight bonded aluminium chassis, this generation of Vantage would continually evolve. First with a large capacity V8 engine, followed by the introduction of an Automated Sequential Manual transmission. When a V12 Vantage was launched in 2009 it wowed enthusiasts around the world. Since then special series models such as the track-biased Aston Martin GT12 and GT8 models have continued to exploit a design with apparently limitless potential.
In the year 1980, Lamborghini had gone through a paradigm shift. After a bad period, and in financial ruin, the company was taken over by its new owners and was about to blossom once again. With a new technical director at the helms, Giulio Alfieri, Lamborghini was ready to shine again at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show. Wanting to take the show by storm, and to show that they were back, Lamborghini exhibited a number of cars. One of them was a Swiss version of the Miura, which was nothing new, as there was another type of car the public hadn鈥檛 seen yet. This was the reinterpretation of the original military off-roader, the Cheetah, and was dubbed the LM001. The now new, Swiss owners, the Mimram brothers, wanted to reignite the previously failed attempt at an off-roader and with a new steady flow of cash, the desperately needed evolution of Lamborghinis鈥?line-up became a possibility. The LM in LM001 was rumoured to stand for Lamborghini Militaria 001, or Lamborghini Mimram. Although, similar to the original Cheetah, with a rear mount engine, it was more of a reimagining, rather than an evolution of its鈥?predecessor.