T
he V8 Vantage Roadster marks
quite a departure from the
fiercely traditional Aston
Martin. Having long made grown-up,
powerful cars for those who require
style, luxury and exclusivity, the
convertibles offered have always been
open tourers with a sporting edge.
These have been badged `Volante', and
the latest car to bear the Volante moniker,
the DB9, is a perfect execution of the
genre. This is, however, a proper roadster,
with just two seats, a convertible roof and
a big engine. Aston is dipping its toes
into the dangerous waters of Porsche 911
territory. Brave stuff.
It's a pretty car, though. The design
adheres to the classic GT shape � long
bonnet, taut muscular rear haunches and
a minimum of overhangs make a
remarkably uncomplicated and simplistic
modern take on a classic shape.
Surprisingly, with the roof up, it's still a
looker. The well-proportioned fabric roof
follows the lines of the Coup� version
closely, with the steeply raked windscreen
helping keep it as short as possible. Should
the sun make a rare appearance, a mere 18
seconds of button holding will have you in
the open air, with the roof tucked neatly
underneath a metal tonneau.
You can raise or lower it on the move,
too, so long as you're doing less than
30mph, and it leaves a smooth, clean line
with just the raised leather-covered
fairings housing the
roll bar visible.
Push then pull
the unique door
handles, and you're
greeted by an
interior of
exceptional quality.
Inside, our car was
trimmed in swathes of Chancellor Red
leather, and, as you would expect from
Aston Martin, it's all hand stitched.
It's a fine job, and there are no worries
about the interior � the dashboard is
beautifully designed, from the aluminium
alloy switchgear to the illuminated glass
starter button. The sports seats are firm
and well bolstered � comfort, as always
with Aston Martin, is a primary concern,
and it's well addressed here. Whether
you're throwing this car round a track (as
I hope owners would do every now and
then), or cruising on the motorway,
you're unlikely to find comfort an issue.
Still, push the starter button, and that
ceases to matter � you won't have much
use for a rearview mirror. The 4.7 litre V8
spits into life and
settles down to a low
idle. Tooling through
town, the 420bhp V8
makes a solid,
resonant, but
understated sound,
like Richard Burton
admonishing an
errant schoolboy caught scrumping. It's
there, and it's just enough to turn heads,
but it won't make your ears bleed or,
crucially, upset those in Brussels sensitive
to such things.
Find yourself a stretch of open road,
though, and when the engine speed and
load combine to trigger the exhaust
bypass valve, the result is a savage wall of
sound � from the cockpit with the roof
Tooling through
town, the V8 makes
a solid, resonant, but
understated sound
26
Aston Martin

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