Aston Martin drops its V8 Vantage top with sleek new Roadster

The Aston Martin Vantage Roadster has just broken cover, with the British carmaker announcing it’s already available to order for deliveries to begin later this year.

Australians can expect to see the Vantage Roadster hit the streets in Q3 2020, with pricing starting from $315,000, which is just $15K more than the Coupe.

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With the same AMG-derived 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 as the Coupe, producing 375kW and 685Nm, the Vantage Roadster is capable of a 0-100km/h sprint in 3.7 seconds according to Aston, just a tenth off the pace of its Coupe sibling.

Its extra 60kg over the coupe contributes to this, and puts the Roadster at 1590kg.

As with the Coupe, the Roadster features adaptive damping, ‘dynamic’ torque vectoring, and an electronic rear differential, though the rear dampers and ESP software have been tweaked to better suit the Roadster.

If unexpected rain catches you off-guard, the Roadster’s roof can be raised in 6.8 seconds at speeds of up to 50km/h. Aston also says despite the roof mechanism, a 200-litre boot will fit the unofficial yardstick of convenient sports car storage space – a full-sized golf bag with accessories.

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Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer says the drop-top is an important part of the Aston range for customers, particularly those who enjoy “the true definition of the sports car experience.”

“Open-top Aston Martins are always firm favourites with our customers, so it’s very exciting to introduce the Vantage Roadster,” says Palmer

“For many, driving with the roof down is the true definition of the sports car experience as it truly brings your senses to life.

“Vantage has always delivered the purest of thrills, but in Roadster form that adrenaline rush is set to go to the next level.”

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When the hard-top Vantage was originally revealed to journalists in Melbourne, Aston Martin chief designer Marek Reichman was on hand to discuss the also-present DB11 Volante, saying Aston Martin’s process involves designing the Coupe and Roadster/Volante version of each car in parallel, rather than simply cutting the roof off the Coupe.

This is likely one of the reasons Aston’s road car engineering boss Matt Becker is confident in saying there were no concessions in the Vantage’s driving experience when designing the Roadster.

“Convertible sports cars are often seen as compromised when compared to their Coupe equivalents, but the Vantage Roadster remains absolutely dedicated true to its mission of delivering precise, agile and expressive handling dynamics combined with stonking straight-line performance.

“And of course, there’s the added dimension of driving a great-sounding sports car with the roof down.”