The AMV8 Vantage was the first view of what would become a completely new line of Aston Martins based around a bonded-alloy platform, known as VH (vertical/horizontal) architecture. This mixture of pressed alloy parts, castings and extrusions bonded together into a stiff but lightweight structure was intended to underpin Astons for some time to come including the DB9, Rapide, and future race cars. The VH platform was also especially designed to allow for a convertible to be introduced very soon after the coupe without significant loss of rigidity.

The proposed engine for the concept was a new, Jaguar derived 4.3 litre V8 unit, described as being ‘front-mid’ mounted so as to give perfect 50:50 weight distribution. With an anticipated power output of around 370 bhp, the AMV8 Vantage should have been well capable of exceeding 170 mph and a 0-60 acceleration time of around 5.0 seconds. This concept had the V12 Vanquish style paddle shift but of course, the production V8 Vantage came with a six speed manual gearbox. The Prodrive developed Sportshift with paddles was introduced a year or so after the introduction of the production car.

The luxury interior of the AMV8 Vantage was fresh and modern with extensive use of leather and aluminium facias instead of the wood which was a feature of the old ‘V-range’ and DB7.  The instruments and switchgear were bespoke and had been influenced by exclusive watches and upmarket hi-fi equipment.

The car was first shown in January 2003 at the Detroit Motor Show. At this time, it was finished in an attractive metallic grey finish which contrasted well with the terracotta hide interior. For some reason that I am still unaware of, by the European debut at Geneva less than 8 weeks later, the concept had been resprayed a dark metallic blue colour.

The production V8 Vantage, which initially many believed could be known as the DB8, did indeed follow the concept very closely. Anticipated starting price had initially been estimated by the excited auto press at around £60,000 to compete with the Porsche 911. As we now know, this was wildly optimistic and the production V8 Vantage started with a launch price a little over £82,000. Whatever the price, many potential customers were placing orders with AM dealers during 2002 in response to accurate rumours, long before the concept was even unveiled consequently creating a substantial waiting list.

Although the AMV8 has been designed in the UK and unveiled in the USA, you may be surprised to learn that the AMV8 Vantage concept car was constructed by DC Design of Mumbai, India. The AMV8 Vantage was actually based on an early DB7 Vantage Volante with a shortened wheelbase but it retained the V12 engine.   The bonnet was never opened to the public in period but if it were, the engine was disguised to look like a V8. Most of these images were taken at the 2003 Geneva Salon, in March during the European debut of the car.

Below is a wind tunnel model of the car, recently spotted at Aston Martin Works.

The AMV8 Vantage is still owned by Aston Martin Lagonda but is under the care of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust. It is sometimes on display in the museum near Wallingford in Oxfordshire.

Some estimate by the time the car was first shown, some dealers had as much as a three year waiting list for the Vantage such has been the interest. Series production of the Vantage began in the Autumn of 2005 at a rate of approaching 3000 annually on a second assembly line within the Gaydon factory, with approximately 70% going outside of the UK. Deliveries of the V8 Vantage to customers in the UK and Europe began in October 2005 with customers in North America and the rest of the world started waiting until early 2006.

The V8 Vantage was the second Aston Martin production car based on the VH architecture as already seen on the DB9, but it is the first to use a new 4.3 litre quad cam 32 valve dry sumped V8 engine. Power was quoted at 380bhp @ 7000rpm and torque of 302 lb/ft @ 5000rpm. This would allow the 1570kg machine a 0-60 mph time of 4.9 and 0-100 mph in 10.7 with the standard 6 speed Graziano manual gearbox. The engine was unique to Aston Martin but used a Jaguar sourced block with unique internal dimensions. It was handbuilt alongside the V12 at the Aston Martin Engine Plant in Cologne, Germany.

The Vantage was strictly a 2 seater but does have a decent boot and plenty of space behind the seats.

The show car was finished in a non-standard colour called Cool Yellow which I have never actually seen on a production car. You will no doubt notice that the colour appears differently in each picture. Indeed, when seen in the flesh, the colour did appear to change between a lemon yellow and full on custard. I can only put this down to the fact that the paint was pearlescent and not solid as it appears. The car was for many years ‘on display’ floating above the moat around the Gaydon production facility. It was removed in early 2016 and replaced by a AM310 Vanquish.

In early 2006, the first noticeable changes were made to the Vantage. Known as the 2006.5MY, these cars can be identified by a white LED instrument display replacing the previous yellow. The photos below show a Morning Frost 2006.5MY V8 Vantage at the 2006 Geneva Salon. A little later, 2007MY cars received redesigned seats with additional width.

At the 2006 Paris Salon, AM announced the option of a two pedal paddle shift gearbox option developed by Prodrive and known as ‘Sportshift’, made available in the second quarter of 2007, AM were so confident of this option that they claimed that gear changes can occur in just 0.2 seconds.

Midway through 2008, the 4.3 litre car was replaced with an improved 2009MY version a revised and more powerful 4.7 litre V8 engine

In 1969, the PoW DB6 Mark 2 Volante featured the prized combination of the open coachwork together with the most powerful Vantage spec engine. The 2014 Vanquish Volante closely follows the 1969 car as it features both convertible coachwork matched to the most powerful engine that Aston Martin then offered in their road cars, the AM11 565 bhp V12. Each Nieman Marcus Vanquish Volante was be finished in Seychelles Blue with Obsidian Black interior.

Detailed specification for the Nieman Marcus Vanquish Volante is :-

• 2014.5MY Vanquish Volante North American specification
• Seychelles Blue coachwork
• Multi‑layer fabric convertible roof in Atlantic Blue
• 20‑spoke diamond‑turned alloy wheels with Liquid Silver finish
• Bright finish front grille and rear tailpipes
• Magnum meshes
• Sterling Silver and Flux Enamel wing badges, as previously used on the Centenary editions
• Blue brake callipers
• Black deep soft semi‑aniline leather with Aurora Blue contrast stitching and welt
• Walnut veneer facia
• Hourglass quilted seats accent
• Quilted door insert with Aurora Blue welt
• Obsidian Black carpet with Aurora Blue binding
• Ivory Roekona and Ivory alcantara headlining
• Black hardware pack
• Satin Chrome instrument dials and controls
• Black gearshift paddles with Aurora Blue leather tips
• Unique Neiman Marcus Q sill plaques
• Matching four‑piece bespoke leather luggage set

The Neiman Marcus Vanquish Volante were created by ‘Q by Aston Martin’ and were limited to just 10 individually numbered examples priced at $344,500 each. All sales were actually conducted by Aston Martin dealers in the US rather that Neiman Marcus and was limited to just one vehicle per customer. Orders for this very exclusive edition began on the 23th October 2013 with delivery of each car is scheduled to be before February 2014. In addition, with every purchase of the Neiman Marcus 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante, Neiman Marcus donated $3,000 to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation.

The last time Nieman Marcus featured an Aston Martin in their Christmas book was back in 1998 with the DB7 i6 Neiman Marcus Volante LE. Also of note is that it was 25 years ago when Aston Martin also offered for sale ‘replicas’ of another car supplied to HRH the Prince of Wales, the legendary V8 Vantage Volante PoW.

The Jet 2+2 was manufactured by “Bertone Officina” (Bertone Workshop), a new company department organized as a high fashion atelier, especially created for the production of custom-built models in the historical tradition of Bertone. It rather neatly follows on from the 2004 Bertone Jet 2, a two door shooting brake based on the V12 Vanquish. Bertone Officina offers a “tailor made” service for special customers, but also offers an example of how Bertone could help other manufacturers to vary their own range making custom-built concept cars, exactly as they did in the Fifties and Sixties.

The front grille appears to be identical to that of the Rapide S although the Jet 2+2 was actually based on a regular Rapide with the 470 bhp 5.9 litre V12. It retains the same wheelbase as the donor car as well as the same overall dimensions. The shooting-brake styling makes the muscular yet elegant Jet 2+2 somewhere between an estate and a coupé. It features a sharply raked tailgate, a full length LED strip across the rear and tail lights directly taken from the One-77.

The interior retains four individual seats although rear seat passengers benefit from more headroom than the coupé. Also the two rear seats fold down flat and can be hidden by an electrical controlled double sliding panel giving a completely flat load area with exceptional capacity.

A little later in the year, Jet 2+2 joined the original 1961 Bertone Jet and the 2004 Jet 2 as star exhibits during the Aston Martin Centenary Celebrations at Kensington Palace in July.

Although the owner might have initially planned exclusivity, there were apparently some plans to bring the Jet 2+2 into limited production. A run of ten or less were intended and could have been built by Bertone however, by March 2014, any plans were dashed as the company ceased trading. With the demise of Bertone,  Aston Martin Lagonda considered a full production version, the Rapide Shooting Break to be built at Gaydon. But this didn’t come to fruition and AML went on to build the Vanquish Zagato range which included a Shooting Break.

Generally speaking, the French Rally Championship is run on tarmac (unlike the loose surfaces that we are more used to in the UK) and the GT class is ideal for the Porsche 911 GT3 for example. On it’s debut in the hands of Subaru rally driver and AMR works driver Stephane Sarrazin with co-driver Stephane Prevot, managed a 2nd place in the Series GT class.

The car had been prepared by Prodrive in Britain and financed by the motorsport enthusiast Frederic Dor. Of course, Prodrive, who essentially run Aston Martin Racing have over 20 year’s experience in the world of rallying with such cars as the WRC Subarus for example. I took these pictures whilst the car was displayed in the Silverstone paddock during the FIA GT race in May 2006.

Such was the success of the prototype, Prodrive started offering the the Rally GT for sale under the banner of ‘The most exclusive rally car in the world’. The production Rally GT was extensively re-engineered from a standard production V8 Vantage 4.3 to which is added a roll cage for safety and increased torsional rigidity. Whilst the engine was based on the all alloy road car 4.3 litre V8 unit, it was tuned to make it more flexible and responsive for the demands of rallying with a power output of 420 bhp. The suspension on the Rally GT carried over the road car’s wishbones, but had new competition Eibach springs and three-way adjustable EXE-TC dampers. The standard road car transmission was also retained on the rally car, but this could be upgraded to a six-speed, close ratio dog engagement gearbox, developed specifically for the Rally GT.

The Rally GT was successfully demonstrated during the 2006 Race of Champions held during December at the Stade de France in Paris at Race of Champions. Whilst it is believed that only 4 Rally GT’s were ever produced, Prodrive went on to develop a series of after-market upgrades for the V8 Vantage.

Specification for the Vanquish Carbon Coupe is as follows

• Two-door 2015MY or 2016MY Vanquish Coupe with 2+0 or 2+2 seating
• Carbon Black II or Stratus White coachwork (Ceramic Grey, Onyx Black and Morning Frost White was also available in North America)
• Black window surrounds
• Black headlamp ‘eyebrows’
• Exposed Carbon Fibre mirror caps, splitter, diffuser and sill blade
• Graphitic finish on the tail pipes
• Black meshes
• Painted or optional Carbon door handles
• 20” 10-spoke forged gloss black painted DT or non-DT alloy wheels
• Brake callipers in a choice of Black, Grey, Red or Yellow
• Obsidian Black hide
• Seat inner panels and door inserts in black leather, perforated leather or Alcantara
• Seat accents in  black leather, quilted leather or Alcantara
• Welt in a choice of black, silver, red or yellow with same or black course stitching
• Headlining in black leather or Alcantara
• Herringbone Carbon Fibre facia and door pulls
• Paddle tips in Carbon Fibre or optional red, yellow or silver
• Steering wheel or optional One-77 wheel in black leather or Alcantara
• Piano Black air vents
• Silken black anodised B+O speaker grills
• Black anodised rotary controls
• Special machined Carbon Black or Carbon White sill plaques

Deliveries of the Vanquish Carbon began late in October 2014 at a UK price of £199,995, a £7,000 premium over the standard 2015MY Vanquish.

Prodrive and Eibach jointly unveiled the new range of parts at the Essen Motor Show on the 30th November 2006. The parts became available in early 2007 as a post-registration fitment, enabling existing V8 Vantage owners to upgrade their cars. I might add that the warranty for the engine work was picked up by Prodrive and supplanted the warranty supplied by AML. Key features of the upgrades available are,

• The 4.3 litre V8 engine increased in power from 283 kW (380 bhp) to 317 kW (425 bhp), as well as increasing peak torque from 410 Nm (302 lb/ft) to 440 Nm (325 lb/ft). This is at a cost of £6,259 inc. of VAT.
• 0-100 km/h time reduced from 5.0 secs to 4.7 secs (est) and increases the top speed by 13 km/h to 293 km/h (est).
• Modified exhaust system with a low back pressure sports catalyst and a driver-controlled switch to manually override the V8 Vantage’s exhaust valve. Quiet mode = valve is permanently closed; auto = as on the standard car; Sport mode = valve is permanently open.
• A new driver-adjustable suspension by Bilstein and Eibach with a switch in the cockpit allows the driver to choose between normal and sports mode. £5,581 inc. of VAT.
• Discreet Prodrive designed and manufactured carbon composite front lip and trunk spoilers to reduce lift by 45 per cent. £2,937 inc. VAT.
• 14 spoke 19″ forged wheels made by Prodrive Japan; almost 9 kilos lighter than the standard wheels. Complete with Pirelli P-Zero tyres, £3,995 inc. VAT.

Quoted prices are from 2007 and may not be accurate as to what these options might cost today.

I finally saw a Prodrive Vantage in the accessories hall at the Geneva Salon 2007. Unfortunately, the light quality in that hall is not ideal so these pictures above are the result. The other car was on sale at Nicholas Mee & Co in London, Spring 2012

Specification for the Vanquish Volante Carbon is as follows

• Two-door 2015MY Vanquish Volante with 2+2 seating
• Carbon Black II, Stratus White or rarely Morning Frost White coachwork
• Black window surrounds
• Black headlamp ‘eyebrows’
• Exposed Carbon Fibre mirror caps, splitter, diffuser and sill blade
• Graphitic finish on the tail pipes
• Black meshes
• Painted or optional Carbon door handles
• 20” 10-spoke forged gloss black painted DT or non-DT alloy wheels
• Brake callipers in a choice of Black, Grey, Red or Yellow
• Obsidian Black hide
• Seat inner panels and door inserts in black leather, perforated leather or Alcantara
• Seat accents in  black leather, quilted leather or Alcantara
• Welt in a choice of black, silver, red or yellow with same or black course stitching
• Headlining in black leather or Alcantara
• Herringbone Carbon Fibre facia and door pulls
• Paddle tips in Carbon Fibre or optional red, yellow or silver
• Steering wheel or optional One-77 wheel in black leather
• Piano Black air vents
• Silken black anodised B+O speaker grills
• Black anodised rotary controls
• Special machined Carbon Black or Carbon White sill plaques

Deliveries of the Carbon began late in October 2014 at a £7,000 premium over the standard Vanquish Volante.

Even in the video, the twin leather covered ‘humps’ on the hard tonneau cover (not so dissimilar to those seen on the DB AR1) made it to production. The roof, a triple layered fabric type folded down totally flat; it could even be raised or lowered without manual assistance in 18 seconds at speeds of upto 30 mph, neat trick!

The rigidity of the Roadster was enhanced by the use of slightly thicker gauge aluminium within the platform and strengthening webs within the sills. This only added around 70 kg in weight over the closed V8 Vantage coupe. Whilst the stiffness of the Vantage was believed to be 27,000 Newton Meters per degree, the roadster was a very commendable 21,000. In comparison, the early DB9 Volante was, I understand 15,500 although this was improved upon as time passed. Production began in the second quarter of 2007 with an initial UK price of £92,147 for the manual, an £8,000 premium over the coupe.

The V8 Vantage Roadster with the 4.3 litre engine was only in production for a little over a year before the car was updated for the with the addition of the larger 4.7 litre engine.