At first glance the latest Aston Martin Vantage “might appear to be little more than an extreme and expensive new version of a car we already know and mostly love”, says Steve Sutcliffe in AutoExpress magazine. “But in reality, it is a sign of things to come under the new regime at Aston Martin, and it’s a good sign.”
The luxury car brand re-entered Formula One just over a year ago as a manufacturer in its own right, having taken a break from 1960. It has also appointed Tobias Moers as its new boss. It felt right, then, to “launch a new version of an existing road car” to commemorate both events. The Vantage F1 has been made “sharper, quicker and more focused than the V8 Vantage on which it’s based”.
And it’s far from just a “stripes and fancy paint special edition”, says Adam Towler on Evo. A myriad of structural improvements have delivered a new “calmness and precision” to the way the F1 changes direction “that simply wasn’t there before”. Drivers can feel “genuinely connected to the car now”, accurately placing it on the road thanks to its stable steering, “which in turn makes you... enthusiastic about dispatching a sequence of curves with gusto”. Although “barely different on paper”, the engine “certainly feels more energetic” and gear shifts have become more sophisticated. This upgrade has made it “a lot less intimidating, while simultaneously being much more effective and enjoyable at the same time”.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
It is “a thorough dynamic revision of a car that was already pretty well sorted”, says Matt Bird on Piston Heads. Anyone who “feels a modern sports car lacks a sense of occasion owes it to themselves to drive an F1”.
Price: from £142,000. Engine: 3,982cc, twin turbocharged V8. Power: 535bhp at 6,000rpm. Torque: 505 lb ft at 2,000-5,000rpm. Top speed: 195mph; 0-62mph: 3.6 seconds.
-
8 of the best lakeside properties for saleThe best lakeside properties – from a house on the southeastern shore of Loch Lomond, to a 15th-century hall overlooking a lake in King’s Lynn, Norfolk
-
Gold’s allure and why you should never 'pay a premium for graded coins'It is easy to become distracted by the beauty of gold, but remember why you buy it, says Dominic Frisby
-
Global car shares slide amid lower demand in China – what happens now?Has the car sector run into trouble? Britain’s Aston Martin and Germany’s Volkswagen are among the key automobile brands that have issued profit warnings.
-
Volkswagen mulls closure of German factoriesWhy is Volkswagen considering the closures and how is the carmaker performing?
-
Is China winning the electric car race?China now sells more electric cars than conventional ones within its territory. Western countries seem determined to stop them from crossing their borders. Why?
-
Val d’Isère is a valley of delightsMoneyWeek Travel Matthew Partridge reviews Airelles Val d’Isere and Hotel Mont-Blanc in the famous French ski resort
-
Review: The Ozen Collection – a dream stay in the MaldivesMoneyWeek Travel Ozen Life Maadhoo and Ozen Reserve Bolifushi, where luxury meets nature, are almost too good to be true, says Nicole García Mérida.
-
Review: An odyssey through Sri LankaMoneyWeek Travel Merryn Somerset Webb explores the South Asian country’s ruins, jungle and fabulous food.
-
Flexjet review: the only way to flyMoneyWeek Travel Chris Carter flies with Flexjet, a provider of fractional ownership of private jets, to St Moritz in Switzerland for the Snow Polo World Cup.
-
South American nature holidays – take a walk on the wild sideTravel We find holidays in South America where you can explore nature in all its diversity.
