Following the debut of the Aston Martin Vantage in the fall of 2017, the company announced its Roadster version last spring. Now, the Vantage Roadster is finally available to pre-order.
The car comes powered by the same 4.0-liter V8 Mercedes twin-turbo rated at 510 hp (380 kW) and 685 Nm (505 lb-ft) of torque. Being 60 kg (132 lbs) heavier than its coupe counterpart, it sprints 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.8 seconds rather than 3.7, and maxes out at 305 km/h (189.5 mph) instead of 314 km/h (195 mph).
Interestingly enough, the Roadster boasts the fastest-folding soft top in its class. As long as you drive under 50 km/h (31 mph), folding the roof takes a trifling 6.7 seconds and extending it again 6.8 seconds. The trunk compartment is there, but at 200 liters (7.06 cubic feet) of volume, it is a typical convertible car trunk not well suited for carrying plenty of luggage.
Aston Martin has also conducted a minor refresh of its entire Vantage range, giving it new wheels and a new radiator grille design. More importantly, customers may now opt for the seven-speed DSG transmission of the range-topping Vantage AMR in all trims that used to make do strictly with the eight-speed automatic before.
An entry-level stick-shift Aston Martin Vantage Coupe currently starts from U.S. $146,000 in the States, while its Roadster counterpart comes with a minimum price tag of $161,000. The first buyers to pre-order will get their sports cars in the third quarter of 2020.