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The history of the Ricasoli family and the Castle of Brolio
has more in common with Aston Martin than might be readily
apparent. Compress those 900 years of Ricasoli successes
and failures, tragedies and comedies into some 90 odd
years and it is a pretty good parallel to the storied and
stormy history of the Aston Martin car company. And how
important is the success of the V8 Vantage to Aston Martin's
future? Consider that over its more than nine decades of
history, Aston Martin was profitable in only one of those
years — last year.
Aston Martin CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez made these comments
two years ago when the DB9 was introduced. "The launch
of the all-new DB9 is a significant moment as it reflects the
company today and the future direction. It is more than a car
launch, it is the re-launch of Aston Martin as a brand and a
signal that Aston Martin is set to become a serious contender
in the world sports car market.
"Our plans do not end there. In addition to the Vanquish
and the DB9, we will introduce a third model line in 2005
with the addition of the V8 Vantage and this will allow just
a few more people access to what we regard as the world's
most exclusive sportscar company."
So is the good Doctor right? Or is he hedging his bets?
And is the new V8 Vantage contender or pretender? Let's
start at the beginning.
First shown as a concept car at the 2003 North American
International Auto Show in Detroit, the V8 Vantage immediately
caused a worldwide sensation as it positioned Aston
Martin into a more affordable sector of the premium sports
car market. At an expected price of around $110,000 here
was a car that took direct aim at Porsche, Lamborghini and
Maserati customers.
It would be easy to simply describe the V8 Vantage as a
smaller, lighter, less powerful and less expensive, 2-seater
version of the V-12, 2+2 DB9, which was introduced in
2003. After all, the V8 Vantage is the second model (DB9
was the first) to use Aston Martin's unique VH (Vertical
Horizontal) architecture. Constructed from lightweight aluminum
extrusions, precision castings and stampings, the
underframe (what we would call the tub or chassis) is bonded
with aerospace adhesives and mechanically fixed with
self-piercing rivets. Certain complex parts of the frame are
precision die cast in aluminum; the door inner panels are
cast magnesium and the windscreen surround is a one piece
aluminum casting. The frame is bonded with cold-cure
adhesive, which has exceptional damping properties that
help soak up the vibrations, which may otherwise appear if
the structure had been welded.
The unique architecture provides an excellent backbone,
while the use of sophisticated materials such as lightweight
alloys, magnesium and advanced composites for the body
further contributes to the car's low weight and class-leading
rigidity. The Vantage's tighter exterior packaging (wheelbase
and overall length are 5.5 inches and 12.9 inches less,
respectively, than the DB9's) and shorter overhangs have
allowed Aston's designers (Henrik Fisker penned the original
sketches and Peter Hutchinson, Aston's current design
manager, brought them to 3D reality) to wrap the Vantage in
a skin that is tauter than that of the larger DB9.
The 2-seat Vantage is beautifully proportioned with an
aggressive yet purposeful stance. The car sits low and close
to the road and screams sports car from every angle. The
design — every line, every curve, every shape — is instantly
recognizable as an Aston Martin.
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