The legendary ‘V8’ tag once adorned the grand statesman of the Aston Martin range, rumbling behemoths built with tender, loving care in that evocative ramble of sheds at Newport Pagnell.
But just as the company has changed so radically in the past 15 years, so has the meaning of the badge. No vehicle epitomises that development better than the Vantage, the baby of the range and the car that has undoubtedly played the biggest part in the brand’s revival over the past decade.
It takes the company’s aluminium VH platform – previously used on the more expensive Vanquish and DB9 – and adapts it to a model that is ‘mass market’ by Aston’s standards.
In a way, then, this is the toughest test yet for the construction, because the Vantage name has come to stand for aggression, compactness and driver focus.
And the latest generation has to deliver all of those in spades if it’s to keep pace with a number of outstanding rivals in this class; merely ‘being an Aston Martin’ won’t be enough against such accomplished cars as the Audi R8 and Porsche 911.
