The V8 Vantage looks classic and contemporary at once. The long hood, low roofline (just 49.4 inches at its tallest) and large, steeply sloped rear glass create a familiar profile, but the details are unique. Bulging rear fenders cover extra-wide rear wheels (the front wheels are 8.5 inches wide, the rear, 9.5 inches). This high-performance setup helps the V8 Vantage turn power into quicker acceleration and balances tire grip front and rear for high g-force turning. The standard 18-inch wheels are handsome, but the optional 19-inchers further enhance the V8 Vantage's dynamic look. All tires are Z-rated, the highest speed rating available for street use.
From its sneering, bull nose grille rearward, the V8 Vantage makes it absolutely clear as to what kind of car it is. The family resemblance to Aston Martin's current DB9 and Vanquish S is obvious, and AM aficionados will be able to trace this car's lineage back through the decades. The V8 Vantage has a more obvious handcrafted quality than some other high-performance sports cars, including the Porsche 911. It's apparent in the details: the complexity of the surface curves, the wire mesh screens behind the front wheel wells, or the way the hood stretches all the way to the top of the grille, without a filler piece in between. The body is a mix of steel, aluminum and resin composite. Each panel is cold bonded (glued) to the frame.
The V8 Vantage's classic front-mounted, longitudinally oriented engine was the only option for creating Aston Martin's familiar long-hood proportions and the center of inertia designers wanted, according to the engineers who worked on the car. Nonetheless, with all its cylinder bores behind the front axle, the V8 Vantage is by definition a mid-engine car. The gearbox (actually, a transaxle) is mounted in back, connected to the V8 by a carbon fiber drive shaft inside an aluminum torque tube. This creates near perfect weight distribution, with 51 percent of the mass over the rear wheels and 49 percent over the front.
The V8 Vantage is 172.5 inches long, or three inches shorter than a Porsche 911, a car more familiar to American consumers. Yet the Aston Martin's wheelbase is ten inches longer (102.4) and its track is three inches wider. The dimensions confirm what the eye suggests: The V8 Vantage's wheels are pushed further to the corners of the car, with minimal front and rear overhangs.
A rear hatchback allows easy access to storage behind the rear seats, and the boot area measures an impressive 10.6 cubic feet (compared to 4.76 cubic feet in the 911's front luggage compartment).
Some of the most interesting features lie under the V8 Vantage's body. Its frame is built aerospace style, with extruded aluminum box sections and precision castings at key points like suspension attachments. All the pieces are hot or cold bonded, with no conventional structural welds. Aston Martin's engineers claim that glue has better vibration-dampening properties than conventional welding. They also claim the V8 Vantage frame is more resistant to bending or flexing than anything in its class.
