Without James Bond at the wheel of that gimmicky DB5 in pursuit of Auric Goldfinger 40 years ago, Britain's Aston Martin brand wouldn't have much of an image in North America at all.
Because of its starring role in that film and a more recent 007 outing with Halle Berry at the wheel of a new model, the Ford-owned sports luxury brand has a much bigger and better reputation than it deserves.
For the most part, Astons in recent years have been tarted-up, cobbled-together, and over-priced -- just the thing for people with too much money looking for something different.
But now the English brand wants to move a little down-market with a smaller and less-expensive model called the V8 Vantage, which will be on sale in Canada by the end of the year. The unofficial role of this new two-seat ''premium sports car'' is to give sportscars lovers somewhere else to go besides Ferrari, Maserati, Honda, and especially Porsche.
V8 Vantage buyers are the folks who hate that Porsche is primarily a luxury SUV manufacturer now, and if you don't think that's true then you haven't been checking out the Stuttgart firm's sales numbers lately.
V8 Vantage will be built at Aston Martin's facility in the Midlands area of England, and completes the a lineup that also includes the Vanquish S and the DB9.
Aston Martin's CEO, Ulrich Bez, calls the V8 Vantage ''the more affordable Aston Martin, and its design and agility should help to widen our appeal and attract younger customers.'' It should be seriously quick, able to go from 0 to 100 kmh in about five seconds. That's heady territory.
Notwithstanding the fact that the model takes the brand down-market, Bez makes the claim that "The V8 Vantage is a true Aston Martin, built with the same high integrity and passion as all of our cars. The V8 Vantage has all of the hand-built bespoke attributes for which Aston Martin is renowned.''
Even by CEO standards, Bez is enthusiastic about the shape of the V8 Vantage, calling it ''beautiful and perfectly proportioned from every angle with a low purposeful stance. Each carefully detailed feature provides graphic evidence of the painstaking craftsmanship and quality, which is synonymous with the Aston Martin marque.''
Bez is so enthusiastic about this car, he even brags about its hatchback practicality, which is quite often a kiss of death for Yankee buyers with money to spend. It does, however, create enough space for two people's luggage, if they're careful when they pack.
''It was important to ensure that the design was pure, clean and innovative,'' Bez says, ''while at the same time you should be able to cover the front nose badge and instantly recognize the V8 Vantage as an Aston Martin.''
Offered with ''an imaginative combination of different leathers, contemporary fabrics and aluminum,'' the V8 Vantage will give customers ''an extensive choice of standard body and trim colours from which to choose.''
Sarah Maynard, Aston Martin's interior design manager, says ''the look, feel and functionality of the interior was a key priority from the outset. We wanted to ensure the V8 Vantage reflected the new direction that the company is now taking.''
Maynard says the interior matches Aston Martin's craftsmanship to ''striking 21st century style. The dials are made from aluminum, and together with the switchgear have a very distinct design and unique Aston Martin look and feel. Everything you touch and see within the cabin area is special to Aston Martin. The ambience of the cabin is extremely important, and we needed to ensure we continued to maintain the high standards we have already set.''
Because of its starring role in that film and a more recent 007 outing with Halle Berry at the wheel of a new model, the Ford-owned sports luxury brand has a much bigger and better reputation than it deserves.
For the most part, Astons in recent years have been tarted-up, cobbled-together, and over-priced -- just the thing for people with too much money looking for something different.
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| 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage (photo: Aston Martin) |
V8 Vantage buyers are the folks who hate that Porsche is primarily a luxury SUV manufacturer now, and if you don't think that's true then you haven't been checking out the Stuttgart firm's sales numbers lately.
V8 Vantage will be built at Aston Martin's facility in the Midlands area of England, and completes the a lineup that also includes the Vanquish S and the DB9.
Aston Martin's CEO, Ulrich Bez, calls the V8 Vantage ''the more affordable Aston Martin, and its design and agility should help to widen our appeal and attract younger customers.'' It should be seriously quick, able to go from 0 to 100 kmh in about five seconds. That's heady territory.
Notwithstanding the fact that the model takes the brand down-market, Bez makes the claim that "The V8 Vantage is a true Aston Martin, built with the same high integrity and passion as all of our cars. The V8 Vantage has all of the hand-built bespoke attributes for which Aston Martin is renowned.''
Even by CEO standards, Bez is enthusiastic about the shape of the V8 Vantage, calling it ''beautiful and perfectly proportioned from every angle with a low purposeful stance. Each carefully detailed feature provides graphic evidence of the painstaking craftsmanship and quality, which is synonymous with the Aston Martin marque.''
Bez is so enthusiastic about this car, he even brags about its hatchback practicality, which is quite often a kiss of death for Yankee buyers with money to spend. It does, however, create enough space for two people's luggage, if they're careful when they pack.
''It was important to ensure that the design was pure, clean and innovative,'' Bez says, ''while at the same time you should be able to cover the front nose badge and instantly recognize the V8 Vantage as an Aston Martin.''
Offered with ''an imaginative combination of different leathers, contemporary fabrics and aluminum,'' the V8 Vantage will give customers ''an extensive choice of standard body and trim colours from which to choose.''
Sarah Maynard, Aston Martin's interior design manager, says ''the look, feel and functionality of the interior was a key priority from the outset. We wanted to ensure the V8 Vantage reflected the new direction that the company is now taking.''
Maynard says the interior matches Aston Martin's craftsmanship to ''striking 21st century style. The dials are made from aluminum, and together with the switchgear have a very distinct design and unique Aston Martin look and feel. Everything you touch and see within the cabin area is special to Aston Martin. The ambience of the cabin is extremely important, and we needed to ensure we continued to maintain the high standards we have already set.''