V8 Vantage 4.3
V8 Vantage 4.3

V8 Vantage 4.3

(2005 - 2008)

2006MY, 2007MY, 2008MY

AMV8 Vantage concept was greeted with universal acclaim - a true Aston Martin destined for great things and sometimes considered a direct competitor for the Porsche 911. And in showing the concept car a full two years before the actual production car, Aston Martin created a huge demand long before the car was tested in the auto-press. The production ready car was finally unveiled in March 2005 at the Geneva Salon.

 

V8 Vantage 4.3

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

  • Body/Coachwork:
    • Two door coupe with tailgate and 2+0 seating.
    • Extruded bonded aluminium VH body structure with aluminium, magnesium alloy, composite and steel body. Extruded aluminium door side impact protection beam.
    • Halogen front projector headlamps with integrated LED direction indicators. Xenon HID headlamps optional. LED rear lamps.
    • Heated, electrically adjusted door mirrors, powerfold (optional)
    • Reversing parking sensors
    • Heated rear screen, front screen heating (optional)
    • Drag Coefficient 0.34 Cd
  • Interior:
    • Bridge of Weir technical grain leather and fabric interior with formed aluminium facia. Full natural grain leather optional until 2007MY, then standard. Piano Black facia optional
    • Polished aluminium and painted alloy details, clear glass backlit starter button
    • Ten direction electrically controlled front seats (including height adjustment) with optional seat heaters. Memory optional from 2007MY
    • Organic electroluminescent (OEL) in yellow then white from 2006.5MY
    • CFC free automatic climate control
    • Driver and front passenger dual-stage airbags and side airbags
    • Audio system with radio and 6 CD autochanger, 160W standard, optional 700W with 5.1 surround sound Dolby Pro Logic II
    • Integrated GSM telephone optional, Bluetooth optional
    • Full colour DVD satellite navigation system, (optional).
    • Alarm system interacting with the central locking system and PATS immobiliser system.
  • Engine:
    • Front mid-mounted aluminium alloy V8. Four overhead camshafts with four valves per cylinder, Engine number prefix AM05/. Dry sump pressurised lubrication
    • Bore 89 mm. Stroke 86 mm. Capacity 4280cc. Compression ratio 11.3:1
    • Max power 380 bhp @ 7000rpm
    • Max torque 302 lb/ft @ 5000rpm
    • Fuel System & Ignition System: Multi-point sequential electronic fuel injection system.
    • Stainless steel exhaust system with by-pass valve , 2 three-way catalytic converters
  • Transmission:
    • Graziano Six speed manual transaxle with integrated shifter bellcrank system (cable operated), single plate clutch.
    • Sportshift automated manual optional from 2007.5MY
    • Alloy torque tube with carbon fibre propeller shaft
    • Final Drive, limited slip differential. Ratio 3.909:1
  • Steering:
    • ZF Rack and pinion , power assisted, 3.0 turns, lock-to-lock
    • Column tilt and reach adjustments
  • Wheels and tyres:
    • Front – Aston Martin aluminium 10 spoke alloy wheels, 8.5J x 18, optional 7 spoke lightweight 8.5J x 19″
    • Rear – Aston Martin aluminium 10 spoke alloy wheels, 9.5J x 18, optional 7 spoke lightweight 9.5J x 19″
    • Tyres front Bridgestone RE050 235/45 ZR 18 (94Y), optional Bridgestone RE050 235/40 ZR 19 (92Y), optional sport Pirelli P-Zero Corsa 245/40 ZR 19 (98Y) XL from 2007MY
    • Tyres rear – Bridgestone RE050 235/45 ZR 18 (94Y), optimal Bridgestone RE050 275/35 ZR 19 (96Y), optional sport Pirelli P-Zero Corsa 285/35 ZR 19 (103Y) XL from 2007MY
  • Suspension:
    • Front:    Forged aluminium independent double wishbone incorporating anti-dive geometry. Coil over aluminium, monotube dampers with anti-roll bar.
    • Rear:     Forged aluminium independent double wishbone incorporating longitudinal control arms, coil over aluminium monotube dampers with anti-roll bar.
    • Dynamic Stability Control (DSC).
  • Brakes:
    • Front:    355 mm ventilated and grooved steel discs with four piston monoblock calipers
    • Rear: 330 mm ventilated and grooved steel discs with four piston monoblock calipers. Independent handbrake callipers on rear disc
    • Alternative brake caliper finish – black, red , silver
    • Anti Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Traction Control (TCS) & Positive Torque Control (PTC).
  • Dimensions:
    • Length: 4380 mm
    • Width: 1866 mm excluding wing mirrors
    • Height: 1255 mm
    • Wheelbase: 2600 mm
    • Front Track: 1570 mm
    • Rear Track: 1564 mm
    • Kerb Weight: 1630 kg
    • Fuel Tank Capacity: 80 litres (78 litres usable)
    • Boot Volume 239 litres (using VDA block method)
  • Performance:
    • Top Speed: 175 mph
    • Acceleration: 0-62mph, 5.0 seconds
    • Power to weight ratio 233 bhp / tonne
    • CO2 Emissions, 406 g/km recorded from a pre-production car, but later revised to 358 g/km
  • Price at launch:
    • 2005 (2006MY)  £79,995