The Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster Is a Show-Stopping 690-HP Beauty
Aston’s only making 249 and they’re all sold out.
Aston Martin made a medium-sized deal out of the fact that the 2023 V12 Vantage would be the last V12 Vantage it would ever make. Turns out, it was only half-right about that because it has now unveiled the V12 Vantage Roadster. It's the convertible version of Aston's sendoff to the V12 compact sports car and surely, for realsies this time, the very last V12 Vantage the world will ever see. Unless, y'know, Aston decides it wants to do a V12 Vantage S, a car I wouldn't necessarily rule out.
While the company built 333 V12 Vantage coupes, the Roadster will be even more limited. Just 249 will be made and, just like the coupe, they're all already spoken for.
The V12 in question is Aston's 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 making 690 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. For reference, the previous generation V12 Vantage used a naturally aspirated 5.9-liter making 510 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. Zero to 60 mph takes 3.5 seconds and top speed stands at 200 mph. As for the Roadster part of the equation, the soft top takes a little less than seven seconds to open and close (6.7 to open, 6.8 to close, to be precise). This can be done at speeds of up to 31 mph.
A ZF eight-speed automatic transmits power to a mechanical limited-slip diff in the rear. Tracks have been widened by 1.6 inches over the regular Vantage while the extra aero parts create up to 476 pounds of downforce—10 times more than the V8 Vantage Roadster, apparently. The V12 Vantage Roadster inherits the same suspension hardware from the V8 version but gets its own adaptive damper tuning.
Standard carbon ceramic brakes weigh 50 pounds less than equivalent steels. The front bumper, hood, fenders, and side sills are all made of carbon fiber while the rear bumper and deck lid are made from a weight-saving composite. Even the battery is lightweight, as is the exhaust. Made of 1 mm-thick stainless steel, the V12 Vantage Roadster's exhaust weighs 16 pounds less than the V8's.
Unlike the V12 Vantage coupe, the Roadster comes standard without the big rear wing, although that can be added on as an option. Wheels measure 21 inches in diameter with a lightweight forged option lowering unsprung mass by more than 17 pounds. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires keep the car glued to the ground regardless of which wheel you go with—or, rather, whichever wheel the well-to-do Aston collector who has already put in their order has gone with. Sorry.
Anywho, deliveries start in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Got a tip or question for the author about the V12 Vantage Roadster? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com
