Aston Martin is readying a drop-top Roadster variant of its Vantage sports car for a spring 2020 unveiling, and our photographers have caught the model testing on public roads.
SEE IT HERE: Aston Martin reveals Vantage Roadster
The prototype in these images is wearing the same matte black camouflage as the model in Aston's official preview images, released last month, but shows the convertible is in an advanced stage of testing.
The hardtop coupé variant of the Vantage has been on sale in its current form since 2018, following its unveiling at the 2017 Los Angeles motor show, spearheading the British firm's design reinvention as part of CEO Andy Palmer's Second Century Plan.
The Roadster retains the low, wide stance of the coupé, with styling changes limited to the addition of a canvas folding soft-top. The Vantage's slim rear light bar and ducktail-style spoiler are retained, as are its prominent front splitter and rear diffuser.
With the introduction of the new Vantage Roadster, Aston Martin will offer a convertible variant of every model in its current line-up, except the four-door Aston Martin Rapide saloon, which is now on sale only inAston Martin performance-focused AMR form. It remains unclear whether the AMR variant of the Vantage, which features the only six-speed manual gearbox in the maker's range, will be offered as a drop-top.
No technical details of the Vantage Roadster have been revealed yet, but it’s expected to use the same 503bhp twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 as the coupé, albeit with a fractional performance sacrifice due to the extra weight of the folding roof and the required structural bracing.
Aston Martin has confirmed the model will become available globally in spring next year. As with the DB11 Volante, it can be expected to command an approximate 8% premium over the hardtop, suggesting a starting price of around £130,500.
The launch will follow the high-profile revealing of the limited-run DBS GT Zagato, which pairs the authentically recreated DB4 GT Zagato in Aston Martin's ultra-exclusive DBZ Centenary collection.
Read more
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Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato 2019 review
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Does it drive well? No one
Does it drive well? No one will care. Its an Ugly Aston. Thats not going to sell is it!
Here We Go Again!
Here we go again, Autocar referencing a 911 rival in the headliner! Nearly every new sports car, from concept, rumoured to actual is headlined as a 911 rival.......and then eventually we get the road test and as expected, its not. Porsche, there is no substitute?
Poor Vantage sales.
Since the first news on the drop-top it's been stated that poor sales of the Vantage are to blame for Aston's dreadful results, and why they've dropped from being £19 a share to around the £4-5 mark. So what should be done?
The last thing is to release a new model based upon the same failed look. That really is a sign of insanity!
Marek Reichman has to go. They need to fix the V8 Vantage now and hold off releasing another failure. Stop the DBX until they get their design centre sorted!
If CEO Andy Palmer lets this go on he has to go too. Or just be responsible for engineering and production (which clearly is his expertise) and let another CEO take over the future direction of Aston.
PHEW!
Getting worried there. Had to sit through 6 posts before I finally got to SOME MORE CRAP THAT AUTOCAR DOES NOTHING ABOUT!
I am fully expecting to read
I am fully expecting to read an 'Autocar Closing' headline soon.
There is no way Haymarket would allow this appalling website to continue to pour shame and embarrassment on a publication they had any future aspirations for.