In case agent double-o-seven ever needed a car for a holiday trip in Spain, Aston Martin has unveiled the perfect car for the job – the Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster. But as special as Mr. Bond is, he’d still need to be lucky enough to be one of the 249 customers who have already reserved all 249 units of the V12 Vantage Roadster.
Unveiled during the Monterey Car Week, the V12 Vantage Roadster is the flagship of the Vantage range. Like the V12 Vantage Coupe, the V12 Vantage Roadster is 40mm wider than the ‘normal’ V8 Aston Martin Vantage.
The V12 Roadster also features a new front bumper design and a dramatic rear wing that comes as standard. Customers who wish for a subtler appearance can opt out of the dramatic spoiler, and Aston Martin assures that will not significantly affect the aerodynamic balance of the car. Standard on the Vantage V12 Roadster is a set of 21-inch wheels, although an optional lightweight forged wheel option is available. Wrapping both standard and optional wheels are a set of Michelin Pilot 4S tyres.
As the name suggests, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster houses a sonorous 5.2-litre V12 engine that produces a total of 700 hp and 753 Nm. The beauty of the roadster is that you can now clearly hear all 12 cylinders harmoniously at work. The V12 engine is paired to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, resulting in a 3.5 seconds 0-60 mph (98 km/h) time, or only 0.1 second slower than the coupe counterpart. A mechanical LSD is fitted in the rear, and the V12 Vantage Roadster comes with Carbon Ceramic Brakes (CCB) as standard.
RELATED: Aston Martin KL reveals customised Vantage “Bohemian Edition”
Naturally for convertibles, the V12 Vantage Roadster is a bit heavier than its coupe counterpart. But even with all lightweight options selected on the Roadster, it weighs a total of just 1,855 kg, or only 60 kg heavier than the V12 Vantage Coupe (1,795 kg). Standard lightweight components on the roadster include:
- Carbon fibre front bumper, clamshell bonnet, front fenders, and side sills
- Weight-saving composite material rear bumper and deck lid
- Lightweight battery
- 1mm thick stainless-steel exhaust (7.2 kg lighter than V8 Vantage)
- Carbon Ceramic Brake (CCB) (23kg lighter than steel brakes)
RELATED: The new Aston Martin V12 Vantage is a 700 hp swan song to mark the end of an era
Other optional weight-saving components include:
- Carbon Fibre Seats with manual adjustment (7.2kg lighter than Sports Plus Seats)
- Lightweight forged wheels (total 8kg lighter than standard wheels)
Inside the cabin, the V12 Vantage Roadster offers Sports Plus Seats trimmed in full semi-aniline leather as standard. All 249 customers who have reserved the V12 Vantage Roadster can also engage with ‘Q’, Aston Martin’s bespoke personalisation service to further boost the exclusivity of their car.
RELATED: Aston Martin DBX “The One Edition” launched in Malaysia from RM1.1 million
Aston Martin Chief Technical Officer, Roberto Fedeli said, “We have worked extremely hard to ensure the V12 Vantage Roadster possesses the same potency and dynamism that characterises the V12 Vantage, while surpassing it in terms of raw sensory excitement that you only achieve with roof down driving.
“With more power and torque than any Vantage Roadster before it, a wide-track chassis with precisely tuned suspension calibration, and up to ten times the downforce of the series production Vantage Roadster, this is a breathtaking machine created for our most enthusiastic customers”.
Production of the V12 Vantage Roadster is due to commence in Q3 of 2022, with first deliveries scheduled to begin during Q4 2022.
GALLERY
