Monday 1 December 2008

V8 VANTAGE 420 BACK ON YOUR STOEP



Just because the world is in a recession doesn’t mean ultra-luxury car makers are putting significant brakes on their menus. This holds true for Aston Martin too, whose new V8 Vantage 420 has just arrived in Mzansi. Called 420 because it produces 420bhp (brake horse power), Vantage has been improved on the previous model in a number of ways.


Firstly the engine gets an upgrade from 4.3-litres to 4.7-litre for both Coupe and Roadster. From this the Vantage now produces 313kW and 470Nm of torque, which should also increase its real-life road performance as well. A 0 – 100km/h time of 4.8 seconds is attainable, leading to a stop speed of 288km/h. Fitted to the Vantage is a standard manual gearbox, and the optional Sportshift.



A Comfort mode can be engaged, which softens the suspension, while in Sport mode the car becomes harder and handling improves. The car runs on 19-inch alloy wheels sold in either diamond turned silver or graphite finish. A new dash area appears inside and features that ECU (key) that’s made from glass, polished stainless steel and polycarbonate, which is a kind of plastic. A hard disk drive with satellite navigation is included now, with full iPod/MP3 integration.


How much, you ask? Aston Martin won’t say, but the last Vantage Coupe started at around R1.8 million, while its roadster brother was about R1.9 million fresh. Expect similar prices for these here two.

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