In this WebRidesTV profile we interviewed Marek Reichman, the design director at Aston Martin, about the 2006 V8 Vantage Roadster. Marek summed up his design philosophy with the only words that could possibly describe this car; simplicity, purity, and beauty. The Vantage Roadster is a beautiful piece of British craftsmanship. The roadster body style suits the brand perfectly, bringing sexy style and conservative class into synergy. The relatively short wheel base and minimal overhang from the front and rear valances give the car a compact look reminiscent of a hotter, sportier Miata. The body is ultra smooth, with a fluid look from front to back featuring a bold belt line and nothing else.
The lights are flush with the body and are simple and narrow, with the taillights blending into the bright red paint. Large side vents give the massive V8 room to breathe, because the V8 Vantage is powered by a 4.3 L quad-cam 32-valve V8 which produces 380 hp at 7,000 rpm and 302 ft•lbf of torque at 5,000 rpm. Though based loosely on Jaguar's AJ-V8 engine architecture, this engine is unique to Aston Martin and features race-style dry-sump lubrication, which enables it to be mounted low in the chassis for an improved center of gravity. The cylinder block and heads, crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, camshafts, inlet and exhaust manifolds, lubrication system, and engine management are all Aston Martin designs and the V8 engine is assembled by hand at the AM facility in Cologne, Germany, which also builds the V12 engine for the DB9 and Vanquish.
The roadster is only slightly modified compared to the coupe version, featuring an ultra stiff cross bar to make up for the loss of the roof. The V8 Vantage has a bonded aluminum structure, making it the lightest and most agile of the Aston Martin's three car line-up. The V8 Vantage Roadster looks amazing with or without its soft top, which is electronically controlled and capable of being put up or down at speeds of 30 mph! Between the massive engine, aerodynamic body, and aluminum body, the V8 Vantage is a seriously fast machine, capable of a top speed of 175mph, boasting 0-60 times in as little as 4.9 seconds! The Vantage Roadster is British automotive engineering at its finest.
