Aston Martin has unveiled the new Vantage Roadster, a convertible stablemate of the world-beating Vantage Coupe..
Launched in 2024, the new Vantage continues the marque’s shift in sector defining luxury and dynamic credentials, far exceeding the capabilities and engagement of any Vantage before. Now, Vantage Roadster arrives to enhance the real driving experience even further.
Powered by the Aston Martin 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine delivering 665PS/800Nm, Vantage Roadster brings all the class leading performance, dynamic sensations and visual excitement of the coupe, with an additional dimension of top-down freedom and thrills for those addicted to open air motoring. Vantage Roadster brings a new level of emotion to the already unforgettable driving experience, broadening still the phenomenal appeal of this quintessential, yet state-of-the-art British sports car.
The new Vantage Roadster has been designed to offer all the style, sense of freedom and adventure for which convertibles are known, but without the limitations traditionally inherent in their design. As beautiful as its hard top companion, with minimal weight increase and the fastest operating fully automatic roof on the market, Vantage Roadster is a convertible without compromise and a worthy new member of the Vantage family.
It continues a tradition of open top Aston Martin Vantage models that date back 75 years to the launch of the Vantage engine upgrade pack for the DB2 (available both as a coupe – known as a saloon – and convertible – known as drophead coupe) in 1950, which featured larger carburettors and a higher compression ratio to raise power for the 2.6-litre twin cam engine from 105bhp to a heady 125bhp.
ENGINEERING
Key to Vantage Roadster’s ability to retain the crucial dynamic attributes of Vantage Coupe is that both cars were designed and engineered in parallel rather than in sequence, the Roadster therefore being a fully developed model in its own right, allowing the team to implement features and attributes that result in zero compromises to performance, ride and handling and excessive additional weight.
Compared to the previous Vantage Roadster, Aston Martin’s bespoke 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine has seen power and torque rise by an unprecedented 155PS and 115Nm thanks to larger turbochargers, revised camshaft profiles and an optimised compression ratio. With a total of 665PS and an incredible 800Nm of torque running through an eight-speed paddle-shift transmission to an electronically controlled limited slip differential driving the rear wheels alone, Vantage Roadster combines explosive performance (0-60mph in 3.5seconds, top speed 202mph) and state-of-the-art technology within the classic, front engine, rear-wheel drive configuration adored by those who simply love to drive. With thanks to a retractable roof, even more of the inimitable V8 thunder can be heard by occupants, emanating from under Vantage’s dramatically sloping bonnet and exhaust tail pipes.
Thanks to its ultra-stiff yet lightweight aluminium structure, composite body panels and 49:51 front to rear weight distribution, Vantage Roadster provides the ideal platform for the suspension to act upon. Featuring race-inspired unequal length double wishbones at the front, a multi-link rear axle, coil springs and Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers (with a bespoke tune), along with a non-isolated steering column, Vantage Roadster provides the precision, balance, poise and, above all, the confidence that are the unmistakable hallmarks of the truly great high performance driver’s car.
Brake discs measuring 410mm at the front (with carbon ceramic brakes) clamped by six piston monoblock calipers ensure Vantage Roadster can shed speed even more rapidly than it is gained – and do so repeatedly. The necessary grip is provided by bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tyres, specially developed by Michelin and tuned by Aston Martin with a compound tailored to the specific requirements of the Vantage. These provide not just superlative grip in both dry and wet conditions but also outstanding steering feel and progressive breakaway characteristics.
All of this hardware is supported by an electronic architecture using six axis sensors, capable of creating an astonishingly detailed overview of precisely how the car is behaving, allowing the ESP system to adopt optimal settings both for the road conditions and the style in which the car is being driven. In addition, Vantage Roadster carries over the innovative Advanced Traction Control system from the Vantage Coupe, allowing the driver to choose one of eight settings for the traction control; the default setting of five is optimised for achieving the fastest, cleanest laps. The lower the number the greater the level of intervention, providing an additional level of reassurance and safety in, for example, adverse weather conditions, while drivers wishing to hone their skills most likely on track have the option to turn traction control off and experience the car free of any electronic influence.
From the outset several measures were designed into the structure of Vantage Roadster to ensure the Vantage spirit, astonishing ability and love of the open road were passed across from Coupe to Roadster in undiluted form. To do this, two primary goals, traditionally seen as diametrically opposed objectives, were given top priority from the start. These were to keep the Roadster as light as possible relative to the Coupe and to maintain structural rigidity at an outstandingly high level for a convertible car.
These include identifying the load paths through the structure and body and modifying the way the body is attached at the back of the car to add additional stiffness relative to the Coupe. In addition, weight-optimised shear panels have been added in strategic positions to laterally stiffen the structure further even than the Coupe in order to offset the reduction in rigidity inherent in any convertible car.
The roof itself comes in ‘Z-fold’ configuration, which is both faster and lighter than a traditional ‘K-fold’ roof and removes the requirement for a tonneau cover, further saving weight and lowering the centre of gravity. The roof on Vantage Roadster can be opened or closed at any speed up to 31mph (50km/h) with the entire roof fold operation (open or closed) taking just 6.8sec – the fastest fully automatic deployable roof mechanism on the market today. Additionally, this slick operation can be performed when seated in the car or remotely via the key, so long as the operator is within a two-metre radius of the car.
Despite the extraordinary speed of the roof operation and its lightweight design, no sacrifice to refinement has been made. The roof comprises no fewer than eight levels of insulation ensuring that cabin sound levels with the roof up are comparable to those of Vantage coupe.
The Z-fold action results in a simpler and therefore lighter roof, leading to Vantage Roadster delivering an overall weight increase of just 60kg, an outstanding achievement – and class leading – for a car in this category.
Even the roll-over structure has been carefully optimised to be both as strong and lightweight as possible. The aluminium Roll-Over and Protection System (ROPS) is formed using a process called ‘Castrusion’ for the way it combines optimal elements from both casting and extrusion to create a system that is robust, light and simple to package.
Finally, attention has also been paid to the suspension system to account both for the change in mass and weight distribution. Minimal though these changes are, the fact that Vantage Roadster has recalibrated software for its rear dampers and retuned mountings for its rear mounted gearbox just shows the lengths Aston Martin engineers go to in order to ensure a full measure of the legendary Vantage handling prowess is carried over from Coupe to Roadster.
Like all Aston Martin models, Vantage customers can explore endless bespoke and customisation possibilities via the Q by Aston Martin personalisation service. Enlisting the skills of Q’s designers and crafts people, customers take an unforgettable personal commissioning journey that can encompass everything from a single small distinguishing detail to full-scale engineering and production of entirely bespoke components to create a true one-off.
Vantage Roadster deliveries will commence in Q2 2025. It joins its Coupe sibling, the DB12 and DB12 Volante, the stunning new Vanquish and, of course the Supercar of SUVs, DBX707 as well as the forthcoming Valhalla supercar to form unquestionably the most capable, comprehensive and desirable product line up in the 112-year history of the Aston Martin marque.
