Aston Martin Virage / Aston Martin Vantage S
The Ascari Race Resort circuit in Southern Spain is a fine place to launch a car. Built by the elusive supercar makers Ascari, owned by Klaas Zwart, the 5.4km track weaves its way through the scrubby contours of a sprawling site a few kilometres north-east of Ronda. Opened in 2002, the track is a cut-and-paste design, a full size collage of the 'best bits' from circuits from around the world. As a result it's a popular place to develop and test cars, as well as play host to track days for wealthy enthusiasts.
Aston Martin chose the resort to reveal their two newest cars to the world's media. For such a comparatively small manufacturer, Aston Martin produces a remarkable number of products. Ever since the launch of the DB9 in 2004, AM has played an evolutionist strategy. Underpinning the DB9, and the V8 Vantage that followed in 2005, was a clever chassis formed from bonded aluminium, a flexible building block from which cars could be made larger (the Rapide 4-door) and smaller (V8 Vantage), as well as in coupe and convertible variants.
This fine piece of product planning has seen the original DB9 evolve gracefully, constantly being refined and enhanced while at the same time more powerful and luxurious variants have emerged to fill the various slots in the still buoyant £100K+ car market.
Which brings us to the current launch. Aston Martin's new cars are the V8 Vantage S, a hardcore, more driver-focused version of the original V8 Vantage, itself a formidable piece of automotive dynamism that already forms the basis of several racing cars and a ferocious V12-engined version. Alongside the Vantage S is the new Virage, a name that is much a strategic departure as the car itself is a clear evolutionary development of the original DB9.
Virage shares the rakish profile, muscular flanks and classic proportions of its siblings, but there are some substantial changes that justify the new car's position as the supreme GT of the family. Stylistically, there is a general fleshing out of the sinuously curved bodywork, starting with the revised front grille and carbon splitter, then drawn back along the flanks to anchor the car to the ground. The longer headlights, with LED inserts, mirror the units used in the larger Rapide, while the rest of the body is alive with little details where chrome and carbon are integrated with the bodywork.
The most obvious interior upgrade is a long-overdue satnav system, finally putting AM back on the technological track in this increasingly competitive part of the cabin. Otherwise it's business as usual, with the glass buttons, hand-stitched leather and excellent driving position all contributing to the Virage's feeling a complete package. Both coupe and Volante (convertible) variants were on hand, with the latter giving more opportunity to enjoy the rasping exhaust. But driving at full tilt all the time is exhausting. As far as its big 2+2s go, AM has bowed out of the numbers game, preferring to emphasise quality, experience and emotional engagement over sprint times and high end speed.
That's not to say the Virage is slow - far from it - but it is a delightfully relaxing car to drive, as tactile and familiar as a pair of well-fitted gloves. The DB9 has long been our favourite sporting GT, and the Virage just upped the ante. The name is also telling. The link between the modern company and the classic Astons of the 50s and 60s were David Brown's initials. Now, ten years into the enthusiastic and forward-thinking stewardship of CEO Dr Ulrich Bez, the 'DB' nameplate could finally be heading off into the sunset.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
The V8 Vantage S is a very different beast. Aston Martin's V8s have proved to be mighty on the track, and Aston Martin Racing offers a selection of Vantage-based race machines. The Vantage S shares its professional sibling's snappy enthusiasm, with a snarling exhaust and an all-new gearbox that makes short work of snapping the paddles up and down. On the track at Ascari, it's a delight, but on the road the Vantage S is almost criminal in its ability to spur you on. Even the droptop version dissuades you from a simple, modest cruise in favour of the occasional engine scream and accompanying G-force thrust.
On initial encounter, these two new models feel rather crowbarred into the existing Aston range. But given the space to play with their respective strengths - the wide open roads of Southern Spain and the tight corners of a purpose-made raceway - and their individual characters shine through.
... Stylistically, there is a general fleshing out of the sinuously curved bodywork, starting with the revised front grille and carbon splitter, then drawn back along the flanks to anchor the car to the ground. The longer headlights, with LED inserts, mirror the units used in the larger Rapide, while the rest of the body is alive with little details where chrome and carbon are integrated with the bodywork.
The most obvious interior upgrade is a long-overdue satnav system, finally putting AM back on the technological track in this increasingly competitive part of the cabin. Otherwise it's business as usual, with the glass buttons, hand-stitched leather and excellent driving position all contributing to the Virage's feeling a complete package.
The Vantage S shares its professional sibling's snappy enthusiasm, with a snarling exhaust and an all-new gearbox that makes short work of snapping the paddles up and down. On the track at Ascari, it's a delight, but on the road the Vantage S is almost criminal in its ability to spur you on...
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Why Bollinger’s La Grande Année 2015 champagne is worth celebrating
Champagne Bollinger unveils La Grande Année 2015 and La Grande Année Rosé 2015, two outstanding cuvées from an exceptional year in wine-making
By Melina Keays Published
-
Lexus installation explores time at Milan Design Week 2024
Lexus brought designer Hideki Yoshimoto’s ‘Beyond the Horizon’ to Milan’s Art Point, part of its ongoing series of collaborations with Fuorisalone
By Nargess Shahmanesh Banks Published
-
Cult 1960s boutique Granny Takes A Trip gets a sustainable reboot
Founded on King’s Road in 1966, ‘radically creative’ fashion store Granny Takes A Trip is being reimagined for a new generation. Dal Chodha takes a closer look
By Dal Chodha Published
-
New Aston Martin Ginza showroom brings customer personalisation to life
Aston Martin Ginza showroom is a two-storey space in The Peninsula Tokyo hotel and a new hub for the car maker
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Aston Martin Vantage is reshaped and revitalised for a new generation
The Aston Martin Vantage is a sports car with an authentic racing heritage, now upgraded and enhanced with new styling and fresh interiors
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Year in review: the top 10 cars of 2023, as selected by Wallpaper’s Jonathan Bell
What were the best four-wheeled offerings of 2023? Transport editor Jonathan Bell takes us through the year’s most intriguing automobiles
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The J.Laverack Aston Martin .1R bicycle is a pedal-powered, two-wheeled hypercar
Aston Martin and J.Laverack reveal their exquisitely crafted road bike
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Zoute Grand Prix is a car fest like no other at a pristine Belgian beachside town
Amy Serafin takes to the well-heeled streets of Knokke-Heist to experience the Zoute Grand Prix, its annual cavalcade of classic car-related events, from a rally to an auction
By Amy Serafin Published
-
Aston Martin Valour celebrates 110 years of the British sports car manufacturer
Unashamedly macho, the limited-edition Aston Martin Valour is a birthday gift for moneyed enthusiasts of old-school driving sensations
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The Little Car Company’s garage of pocket exotics are small, speedy and beautiful
The Little Car Company specialises in bespoke ‘junior classics’, exacting, scaled-down reinterpretations of iconic (and expensive) automobiles injected with electric driving delight
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Aston Martin’s Q New York showroom blends classic modernism with cutting-edge technology
Q New York is an invite-only space on Park Avenue, Aston Martin’s latest foothold in the American market
By Jonathan Bell Published