The new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster

15 January 2025, Gaydon, Warwickshire: Aston Martin is proud to introduce the new Vantage Roadster, a convertible stablemate of the world-beating Vantage Coupe. Launched in 2024, new Vantage continued the marque’s shift in sector defining luxury and dynamic credentials, far exceeding the capabilities and engagement of any Vantage before. Now, Vantage Roadster arrives to enhance the real driving experience even further.

Powered by the Aston Martin 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine delivering 665PS/800Nm, Vantage Roadster brings all the class leading performance, dynamic sensations and visual excitement of the coupe, with an additional dimension of top-down freedom and thrills for those addicted to open air motoring. Vantage Roadster brings a new level of emotion to the already unforgettable driving experience, broadening still the phenomenal appeal of this quintessential, yet state-of-the-art British sports car.

New Vantage Roadster has been designed to offer all the style, sense of freedom and adventure for which convertibles are known, but without the limitations traditionally inherent in their design. As beautiful as its hard top companion, with minimal weight increase and the fastest operating fully automatic roof on the market, Vantage Roadster is a convertible without compromise and a worthy new member of the Vantage family.

It continues a tradition of open top Aston Martin Vantage models that date back 75 years to the launch of the Vantage engine upgrade pack for the DB2 (available both as a coupe – known as a saloon – and convertible – known as drophead coupe) in 1950, which featured larger carburettors and a higher compression ratio to raise power for the 2.6-litre twin cam engine from 105bhp to a heady 125bhp.

This year, Aston Martin is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 2005 introduction of the V8 Vantage. The first Gaydon-built ‘modern’ Aston Martin to use the name and the first Vantage to be a distinct model in its own right, rather than a derivative, with its own Roadster version arriving just one year later.

Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Adrian Hallmark, said: “The technical and dynamic capability of New Vantage delivered outstanding performance; far beyond any other preceding Vantage and it is now seen as a true class leading sports car. Vantage Roadster was no different feat in that it is a fully reinvented experience, with all the benefits of the Coupe and no compromise to refinement or performance through meticulous work by our engineering and dynamics teams. Vantage Roadster delivers a world-class roof-down driving experience like no other.”

ENGINEERING

Key to Vantage Roadster’s ability to retain the crucial dynamic attributes of Vantage Coupe is that both cars were designed and engineered in parallel rather than in sequence, the Roadster therefore being a fully developed model in its own right, allowing the team to implement features and attributes that result in zero compromises to performance, ride and handling and excessive additional weight.

Compared to the previous Vantage Roadster, Aston Martin’s bespoke 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine has seen power and torque rise by an unprecedented 155PS and 115Nm thanks to larger turbochargers, revised camshaft profiles and an optimised compression ratio. With a total of 665PS and an incredible 800Nm of torque running through an eight-speed paddle-shift transmission to an electronically controlled limited slip differential driving the rear wheels alone, Vantage Roadster combines explosive performance (0-60mph in 3.5seconds, top speed 202mph) and state-of-the-art technology within the classic, front engine, rear-wheel drive configuration adored by those who simply love to drive. With thanks to a retractable roof, even more of the inimitable V8 thunder can be heard by occupants, emanating from under Vantage’s dramatically sloping bonnet and exhaust tail pipes.

Thanks to its ultra-stiff yet lightweight aluminium structure, composite body panels and 49:51 front to rear weight distribution, Vantage Roadster provides the ideal platform for the suspension to act upon. Featuring race-inspired unequal length double wishbones at the front, a multi-link rear axle, coil springs and Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers (with a bespoke tune), along with a non-isolated steering column, Vantage Roadster provides the precision, balance, poise and, above all, the confidence that are the unmistakable hallmarks of the truly great high performance driver’s car.

Brake discs measuring 410mm at the front (with carbon ceramic brakes) clamped by six piston monoblock calipers ensure Vantage Roadster can shed speed even more rapidly than it is gained – and do so repeatedly. The necessary grip is provided by bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tyres, specially developed by Michelin and tuned by Aston Martin with a compound tailored to the specific requirements of the Vantage. These provide not just superlative grip in both dry and wet conditions but also outstanding steering feel and progressive breakaway characteristics.

All of this hardware is supported by an electronic architecture using six axis sensors, capable of creating an astonishingly detailed overview of precisely how the car is behaving, allowing the ESP system to adopt optimal settings both for the road conditions and the style in which the car is being driven. In addition, Vantage Roadster carries over the innovative Advanced Traction Control system from the Vantage Coupe, allowing the driver to choose one of eight settings for the traction control; the default setting of five is optimised for achieving the fastest, cleanest laps. The lower the number the greater the level of intervention, providing an additional level of reassurance and safety in, for example, adverse weather conditions, while drivers wishing to hone their skills most likely on track have the option to turn traction control off and experience the car free of any electronic influence.

From the outset several measures were designed into the structure of Vantage Roadster to ensure the Vantage spirit, astonishing ability and love of the open road were passed across from Coupe to Roadster in undiluted form. To do this, two primary goals, traditionally seen as diametrically opposed objectives, were given top priority from the start. These were to keep the Roadster as light as possible relative to the Coupe and to maintain structural rigidity at an outstandingly high level for a convertible car.

These include identifying the load paths through the structure and body and modifying the way the body is attached at the back of the car to add additional stiffness relative to the Coupe. In addition, weight-optimised shear panels have been added in strategic positions to laterally stiffen the structure further even than the Coupe in order to offset the reduction in rigidity inherent in any convertible car.

The roof itself comes in ‘Z-fold’ configuration, which is both faster and lighter than a traditional ‘K-fold’ roof and removes the requirement for a tonneau cover, further saving weight and lowering the centre of gravity. The roof on Vantage Roadster can be opened or closed at any speed up to 31mph (50km/h) with the entire roof fold operation (open or closed) taking just 6.8sec – the fastest fully automatic deployable roof mechanism on the market today. Additionally, this slick operation can be performed when seated in the car or remotely via the key, so long as the operator is within a two-metre radius of the car.

Despite the extraordinary speed of the roof operation and its lightweight design, no sacrifice to refinement has been made. The roof comprises no fewer than eight levels of insulation ensuring that cabin sound levels with the roof up are comparable to those of Vantage coupe.

The Z-fold action results in a simpler and therefore lighter roof, leading to Vantage Roadster delivering an overall weight increase of just 60kg, an outstanding achievement – and class leading – for a car in this category.

Even the roll-over structure has been carefully optimised to be both as strong and lightweight as possible. The aluminium Roll-Over and Protection System (ROPS) is formed using a process called ‘Castrusion’ for the way it combines optimal elements from both casting and extrusion to create a system that is robust, light and simple to package.

Finally, attention has also been paid to the suspension system to account both for the change in mass and weight distribution. Minimal though these changes are, the fact that Vantage Roadster has recalibrated software for its rear dampers and retuned mountings for its rear mounted gearbox just shows the lengths Aston Martin engineers go to in order to ensure a full measure of the legendary Vantage handling prowess is carried over from Coupe to Roadster.

Simon Newton, Director of Vehicle Performance, said “Vantage made headlines last year for the huge increases in power and torque over the outgoing model, and the vivid way in which it deployed such immense performance completely seduced enthusiasts and purists alike. Developing both Vantage Coupe and Roadster simultaneously meant we were able to retain the outrageous dynamic capabilities and agile sporting character of Vantage with no compromise upon removal of the roof, allowing drivers to revel at the limit with the added exposure to the elements. This has been achieved from meticulous optimisations in the body structure combined with Roadster specific chassis tuning carried out by our skilled dynamics team and is the perfect stablemate to its Coupe cohort.”

DESIGN

It was essential that all of the visceral impact and beauty of Vantage Coupe was retained for Vantage Roadster, and that it should retain its stunning lines whether the roof is in its raised or lowered position. So successfully has this been achieved that when the roof is stowed Vantage Roadster looks like it was never designed to be anything else. The dramatically angled windscreen joins with the car’s high waistline to create a proportionally perfect thoroughbred sports car profile.

The roof stows seamlessly behind the seats with no need for a bulky and heavy tonneau cover while the bootlid deck slopes gently downwards until it meets the dramatic upkick of the distinctive rear spoiler. The widened stance introduced on the coupe is retained on Roadster, as is the increased aperture of the signature Aston Martin grille; an object lesson in how to combine beauty with function, with the large grille increasing air flow the powerful engine by almost 30 per cent.

With a spectacular canvas to create a sporting masterpiece, three new paint colours – Iridescent Sapphire, Satin Iridescent Sapphire and Bronze Flare have been added to the paint palette, while the Vantage Roadster’s roof can be specified in Black, Red, Blue or Black and Silver. To enhance the cars sporting character further still, a selection of painted liveries can also be applied in a choice of 21 complementary colours. There are four 21” wheel styles, available in a range of finishes, behind which can be seen one of seven different colour choices of brake calipers.

Marek Reichman, Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer, said: “This new Vantage Roadster is a sculptural masterpiece. The resonant roar of its engine brings its simple yet refined surface design to life, creating a connection that’s impossible to ignore. Its form exudes beauty, its athletic stance conveys predatory intent, and its sound delivers a visceral, sensory experience. Created as both art and performance, the engine’s sound amplifies this balance, turning the auditory experience into an essential part of the journey. With the roof down, the soundscape becomes as dynamic as the design, blending simplicity, power, and a visceral connection that transcends driving into an unmatched sensory experience.”

Like all Aston Martin models, Vantage customers can explore endless bespoke and customisation possibilities via the Q by Aston Martin personalisation service. Enlisting the skills of Q’s designers and crafts people, customers take an unforgettable personal commissioning journey that can encompass everything from a single small distinguishing detail to full-scale engineering and production of entirely bespoke components to create a true one-off.

Vantage Roadster, like its Coupe counterpart, is the latest model to feature Aston Martin’s next-generation infotainment. Created in-house and first introduced on DB12, it is entirely bespoke and developed in-house from scratch. The system combines a fully integrated multi-screen system with full online connectivity, featuring 10.25” Pure Black touchscreen technology with full capacitive single and multi-finger gesture control. Touchscreen commands remain balanced with the tactility of physical switches, with buttons retained for the key mechanical operations of gear selection, drive selection, heating and ventilation. There are also control switches for Chassis, ESP and Exhaust, Active Safety System settings and Park Distance Control, ensuring the most used controls can be operated intuitively and without the need to take your eyes off the road. Supplemented by a new Aston Martin customer connectivity app which supports iOS and Android devices, it allows interaction, control and feedback to and from the customer’s Vantage via their personal device.

Vantage Roaster is fitted as standard with the Aston Martin 390w 11 speaker audio system. Developed utilising advanced hardware, this system features a Surround sound mode with QuantumLogic^® surround sound processing for an immersive soundscape. However, if a musical soundtrack to the drive is deemed truly significant, some customers will delight in the optional system developed with Aston Martin’s audio partner, Bowers & Wilkins. Acoustically engineered to the Vantage Roadster’s interior volume and shape, this exceptional system uses technologies and innovations found in Bowers & Wilkins’ acclaimed world-class loudspeakers.

Vantage Roadster deliveries will commence in Q2 2025. It joins its Coupe sibling, the DB12 and DB12 Volante, the stunning new Vanquish and, of course the Supercar of SUVs, DBX707 as well as the forthcoming Valhalla supercar to form unquestionably the most capable, comprehensive and desirable product line up in the 112-year history of the Aston Martin marque.