Amongst all the cars I've driven, there's something surprising that stands out as one of my favourites. Here are 5 reasons why.
When I did a post on my top five supercars, it quite predictably included track-focused Porsches and Ferraris, but I bet I surprised a few of you with one car you might say is more of a big cruiser, with its engine up front, from a brand that doesn't typically appeal to my flat-out hooligan nature. One day though, a few years ago, I had a tour of the Aston Martin factory in Gaydon and had the privilege of driving a then-new DB11 V8 back to back with a V12 Vantage S, complete with seven-speed manual box, and it was the older car that had my attention right away. I've since driven a Speedshift car and a very special manual AMR, and the things I loved from that first drive were only strengthened with more time behind the wheel.
This article mostly applies to the S and AMR as I've never driven a standard V12 Vantage and I hear the handling isn't as tied down in those earlier cars, but many of the things I love are largely the same, and those early cars represent amazing value these days so certainly deserve some love too. Anyway, here goes!
Because the V12 Vantage isn't really in the limelight with the obvious greats from the likes of Porsche and Ferrari, you can pick them up at relatively reasonable prices. Even if you combine every iteration of the V12 Vantage, there are only a few hundred in the UK, so they're fairly scarce — Roadsters, manual S and AMR models particularly so — and given the incredible V12 that has since been put out to pasture in favour of Mercedes-build turbocharged motors, I think any V12 Vantage is a good place to put your money.
When browsing the market, I noticed our friends at The Auto Lounge have a few of these, from a 69k-mile V12 manual at £52,990, a 23k-mile V12 S Sportshift at £75,990, to a 17k-mile V12 S Roadster Sportshift in a stunning Q colour at £94,990, or if you want something really rare, Aston Martin specialist Nicholas Mee have the only AMR on the market now — one of 20 Roadsters worldwide — at £189,950, so there's plenty to choose from depending on how much you're prepared to raid your wallet.
This is an interesting point, and the gearbox isn't here because it's particularly good one. I love the gearbox simply because we should praise Aston for bestowing a 500+bhp V12 with three pedals and a stick. I haven't tried the six-speed box in the standard V12, but the seven-speed dogleg takes some getting used to. I remember doing flyby shots for our YouTube video more times than I'd like to admit because I kept shifting into fifth instead of third!
That said, there's great reward that comes from mastering something tricky, and whilst it isn't anything like the tactile delight of a Porsche GT box, I found myself revelling in the experience as I finally started to nail the shifts as time went on. It has auto rev matching if you want it, and you can even do flat upshifts, something else that takes some getting used to as your right foot naturally wants to lift as you depress the clutch! The Sportshift single-clutch automated manual can get some hate, but it really is fairly sharp when you're on it, so don't turn your nose up at them either, but the manual makes it for me.
This is an obvious one. From the moment the V8 Vantage was launched in 2005, it was a real looker, and I think it could be remembered as one of the most beautiful cars ever made. The V12 versions turn up the aggression, most notably with those big carbon fibre bonnet vents to let the huge V12 breathe in that relatively tiny engine bay. Beyond that, it's mostly subtle details only the trained eye would spot, though the S models have more sporty-looking wheels and a more aggressive grille design.
The AMR can turn things up much further though, with the optional aero kit bring canards and a very un-Aston fixed rear spoiler. I'd personally have mine without the aero kit, because in that guise, this absolute brute of a car is a timelessly stunning but classy beast, sort of like a grizzly bear in an Armani suit.
Aston Martin are known for producing wonderful grand tourers, but sports cars, not so much. The Vantage did tip the scales in that direction though with its compact dimensions and short wheelbase, and whilst it's never going to be as sharp as a GT3, it's a very nice thing to cover miles in and it has a wonderful fluidity over a road thanks to a chassis that's clearly been setup with British B roads in mind.
The front end defies the weight of the huge V12, it doesn't get thrown around by bumps, and whether you're going six tenths or pressing on harder, it just flows, and whilst I've heard the early cars can be a little lairy, in decent conditions at least, the S and AMR certainly can be playful when you want them to be, but they have no issues putting all their power to the tarmac — 565 and 595bhp respectively.
Well this is an obvious one, isn't it? I mean the car is literally named after it, and it really does dominate the experience. If I was writing 10 things I love about the V12 Vantage, the engine could be five of them, there's so much to love about it. Let's start with the seemingly endless torque. If you find yourself wanting to pick up the pace at 2,000rpm, it will pull like it's being carried by a forceful wave. Knock it down a cog though, and there's every reason to push it to the redline as the power just keeps on coming. It is one of the most tractable engines I've ever experienced, so much so it's almost like a turbocharged motor, except there's no lag and no dropoff at high revs.
Oh, and it sounds like holy thunder! Any V12 sounds great, with a powerful but not obnoxious growl which builds as the revs rise, but having experienced a couple of these with the AMR titanium exhaust system, that is an absolute must, turning the volume up to about a 14 out of 10 and truly unleashing the V12.
If you want to hear it for yourself (which you should) and find out more about why I love these cars so much, check out our video on the V12 AMR below.
