Aston Martin has commenced production of the new Vantage, the most sporting model in the luxury carmaker’s series production range.
With the first Vantage coming off the British brand’s Gaydon production line today, deliveries to customers will commence later this month.
Speaking of a V12 Vantage, a new one based on the latest generation is being considered as the bigger twelve-cylinder taken from the DB11 has enough room in the engine bay without having to make any modifications. However, it hasn’t been approved just yet as Aston Martin still has to figure out the impact a heavier engine might have on the car’s balance.
Since we’re on the subject of engines, an entry-level Vantage with a smaller six-cylinder is not on the agenda, despite rumors saying otherwise. Speculation had suggested the partnership between Aston Martin and Mercedes would enable the creation of an AMG-powered Vantage with the new 3.0-liter inline-six available in cars such as the CLS 53.
If you’ve been patiently waiting to buy a new-generation Vantage with a manual gearbox, the bad news is it’s still at least a year away from being available and could be the same seven-speed ‘box as found in the aforementioned V12 Vantage V600. Until then, Aston Martin will sell the coupe exclusively with the ZF-engineered eight-speed automatic transmission.
Aston Martin says it will kick off customer deliveries of the new Vantage later this month.
Marking the Start of Production at the Aston Martin headquarters in Warwickshire, Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “Aston Martin is an iconic brand that is an integral part of Britain’s proud automotive heritage.
Hand-built at the company’s sports car production plant and headquarters, in Gaydon, Warwickshire, the new Vantage joins the Rapide S, the DB11 family, and the soon to be launched DBS Superleggera. The new Vantage is the second in a line of seven new models to be launched over a period of seven years, in line with the company’s ‘Second Century Plan’, which takes the 105-year-old company into its next century of operation.
Source : Aston Martin, Motor1
