2007 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Review

Have you ever heard the term “rolling art”? It was coined long ago, no doubt back in the '20s and '30s to describe cars made by Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Delahaye, Duesenberg, Talbot, and others that have now become revered collectibles. Sadly, there just doesn't seem to be much automotiveart on the roads today. Sure there are plenty of new cars that look bold, powerful, and distinctive, but there aren't many that are immediately classic, with that undeniable beauty that you just know will stand the test of time.

Aston Martin's new V8 Vantage, mind you, stands apart from the majority of its contemporary competitors. It's so visually stimulating, so breathtakingly beautiful that no acquired taste is necessary. It's one of those designs that is immediately attractive, yet will never get old.

And it's not just gorgeous from up front, where most designs work best, but if you follow the long, elegant hood, with its meshed engine vents, up over the one-piece aluminum framed windshield that rakes back at such an extreme angle it looks as if it's trying to limbo under the roofline, a sleek, classically proportioned profile sweeps downward, past muscular rear haunches that are more akin to a gymnast than a bodybuilder, toward a rear end that's as impressively detailed as the traditionalgrille and headlight clusters. Truly, the car's striking taillights might just result in its best view, a rare quality in an area of design that often ends up being the literal “butt end” of the creative process.

And it's not just beautiful to lovers of fine art, as engineers without doubt will lose protractors, pens and pencils from their pocket protectors when they gyrate with unbridled excitement at hearing about the Vertical Horizontal (VH) structure that underpins all the curves and creases. The assembly comprises an intricate weave of aluminum extrusions and magnesium and steel castings, all held together under composite body panels that are fused together with high-tech adhesives, self-piercing rivetsand seamless welds. Aston chose to leave some of the car's aluminum extrusions exposed to highlight the substructure, a nice touch.

And its door handles are simply exquisite. All it takes is a little push and they pop out from their flush mounts, allowing fingers to get in behind and pull the door open. After being wowed by such details the first thing noticeable is a little plaque that reads "Hand Built in Great Britain" right on the door sill, just in case the cabin's contemporary design doesn't make its origins obvious.

Inside, it's nevertheless glamorous, with leather, suede and authentic aluminum covering just about everything, and plastic only used for the faceplate on the center stack, plus switchgear and other small, inconsequential items. That plastic, however, is a bit underwhelming in such a high-end car. It's not that it's shiny and cheap looking. Actually, it has a fairly nice matte gray finish and appears to be reasonably above average; that is until you tap it. Hard to believe but in a car that goes out of its way to shock and awe, I was left with my mouth hanging open for the wrong reasons. And unfortunately, the same lack of thought caused whoever was in charge of the plastic buttons neatly arrayed on that low-rent interface to negotiate with the supplier on price instead of quality, as these are not only bargain basement, but they wiggle in their cutouts embarrassingly. Take heart, however, as the radio knobs are genuine billet aluminum.

OK, soAston could use a few lessons about going the extra mile in interior quality from the Audi product planners who put together the new R8, but there's still that unique parlor club feel to the Vantage that only the British can endear, right? As I inferred before, the Vantage is unique in this respect too. Where most sports cars that hail from the Isles hang tooth and nail to retro interior cues, like those planks of seemingly solid hardwood in Jaguar's XK and the contrasting leather piping that wraps around the seats of Bentley's Continental GT (not to mention even longer, thicker planks of yet richer hardwood in more places), the Vantage seems minimalist in comparison. Its gauge package looks more like a collection of modern wristwatches than anything from the pocket watch era, moreBvlgari than Breitling, and that center console I just mentioned is so uncluttered it could be Swedish. Aston's simple, straightforward approach to interior design is unorthodox to say the least, especially in this class.

Oh, and in case you didn't notice, those cool looking gauges that I mentioned a second ago feature a tach that spins counterclockwise. That's right. It threw me for a loop when I first turned over the engine, a process that first requires you to put the somewhat archaic Jaguar-sourced cylindrical key into an ignition mechanism that's so close to the dash, and to make matters worse partially covered by it, that slotting it in place is an exercise in frustration, after which the redundant (although cool) process of pressing a dash-mounted “START” button is needed. Once I got used to the rearward rotation, I began to appreciate that my mind more readily was able to process the information subliminally.I mean, there's absolutely no confusion between a tachometer and a speedometer when one spins clockwise and the other counters it… although I've never had any problems sorting this information out before. But that's not the point. It's all about tradition, darn it, and at least in this respect the Vantage is wonderfully unique.

Also unlike so many exotics in the Aston's league (other than other Astons, Maserati's GranSport and upcoming Grand Tourismo, Jaguar's XK, which will now be allowed to become every bit as good a car as the Vantage thanks to Aston's new owners… Ford is mostly out and Prodrive's David Richards et al is the man of the hour), the Vantage is laid out in the traditional front-engine, rear-drive configuration with a long 102.4-inch wheelbase, which, of course, gives it that classic styling we all love so much.

Contrarily, other than a slight tendency to oversteer when pushed hard it hardly feels classic to drive.No, the only way you'll be disappointed with this car's power is if you've just stepped out of Porsche's new 911 Turbo or something even more exotic from Lamborghini or Ferrari. OK, let's be honest. Aston's 4.3-liter V8 isn't as stimulatingly motivational as most entries in this class. It produces a strong 380 horsepower and 302 lb-ft of torque, for sure, but in a power hungry era that has us thinking that 400 horsepower is merely adequate, it left me wanting more.

I mean… other than an exhaust note that might just be the most soul stirring in autodom, not as adrenaline inducing as Ferrari's F430 or anything, but deeper, darker and more menacing, it doesn't have those all-important performance numbers to brag about. Even Chevy's humble Corvette puts out 400 horsepower in base trim, and Ford makes a Mustang with more than 500 ponies under the hood. More in the Aston's league, Porsche's new Turbo is outrageously quick with 480 horsepower, Audi's R8 hits a respectable mark at 420, and even Maserati's soon to be replaced GranSport puts out 395 horsepower; a figure that will reach beyond the magical 400 when the new Grand Tourismo arrives in showrooms later this year. If you want to throw in a couple of U.S.coupes with crazy power, we can add the 500 horsepower Corvette Z06, or the even more mind numbingly 600 horsepower Viper… both for much less moola than the Aston. Yes, the Aston can't even break the five second mark to 60 mph.

But once again I'm reminded that with the Vantage, as with so many other cars, it's not all about straight-line performance. Spec sheets might get teenagers excited, but after all, we're mature responsible adults here, right? OK, maybe that's pushing it just a bit, but either way, this Aston is more about the sum of the parts than just its engine specifications.

The six-speed shifter works well. I wouldn't go so far to say that it's exemplary, but it's better than some in this segment and not as slick as others. The clutch too is a non-issue, so you won't have to go out of your way to relearn how to drive, as is needed with Porsche's Carrera GT, for instance. No, just power down the windows andgive the throttle a little juice… that sinful growl from the tailpipes will have you out searching for winding mountain roadways before you know what's happening, in a quest to realize the car's true purpose.

Yes, it handles very well. No, it's not on par with a Lotus Exige S or even a Porsche Cayman S, for that matter, but, with a rack and pinion steering system delivering more accurate feedback than a Corvette or M-B SL, just to name a couple, it holds its own no matter how bad the section of pavement is you're trying to negotiate. This comes thanks to big meaty tires, 19s on my tester, a nicely calibrated suspension system and a very low center of gravity, mostly due to the dry-sump fed powerplant wedged in between the front suspension system's wishbones, working in concert with the rear-mounted transmission that sits between the wishbones in back. Needless to say it's verywell balanced with nominal body roll no matter the angle of the corner, on camber or off, or the speed being traveled, and does so without knocking the stuffing out of its occupants. Actually, after an afternoon's drive around city streets, winding rural roads and various other types of paved surfaces, I felt no worse for wear. In fact, I can honestly say that I was somewhat rejuvenated, which by the way, isn't always the case, even when it comes to driving the more expensive, exotic machinery.

And following this theme of comfortable control, Aston has equipped the Vantage with all of the most important safety features, such as stability control, traction control, and of course ABS-enhanced four-wheel Brembo disc brakes with electronic braking distribution and electronic brake assist that'll stop the car from 60 mph in just 113 feet,not to mention the latest generation airbags all-round if you happen to get wayward or pummeled from out of nowhere by a distracted VW Jetta driver (no reference to real Jetta drivers, just the TV ads). So you see, it's not like the British brand is trying to create a track special here, but rather a car that real people can drive to real jobs everyday… really good paying jobs, mind you.

And on that comforting thought, I reiterate that this is truly a nice car to cruise around in. It's filled with those decadent smells of the finest materials that only the filthy rich could grow tired of, boasts such a defiantly raspy exhaust note that people from blocks around will stare, mouths agape (and I repeat… it really is one of the best sounding exhaust notes I've heard in eons, or at leastsince I was driving Maserati's Quattroporte through a bunch of tunnels in and around Monaco in January, or Ferrari's F430 Spider from Portland to the Oregon coast last year). OK, I can't decide which particular blat from what particular V8 I like best, but this one is thoroughly intoxicating and, most importantly, pulls envious stares from onlookers all day long. And when they stare they'll see a person of impeccable taste and breeding driving one of the most beautiful cars they've ever seen.

So, is Aston's new V8 Vantage the most fun I've had in a car this year? No, nowhere near. It's not the quickest by a long shot… it's not the best through the curves either. It is, however, one of the most beautiful to look at, and considering that all-out performance is wasted on the majority who buy into the supercar segment(I've seen their Carrera GTs high-grounded on medians, not to mention enough Ferraris missing quarter panels to fill a bowl of expletives with tears), the Aston is almost a mature, responsible purchase. Oh how I seem to be able to justify the most hedonistic of ideals, but I could see myself waking up beside a car like this everyday. Of course, such would require a third marriage, or more likely the need to sleep out in the garage with the dog.

Until then I'll have to satisfy myself with memories of a day spent with a rolling Rembrandt. Yes, the Vantage is a car that even non-car people love. It's one of those near perfect designs that everyone immediately gravitates to, and no-one seems to grow tired of. I, for one, won't soon forget it.