Vantage

The proportions are unmistakably Vantage: long bonnet, cab-rearward stance and a body drawn 30 mm wider than its predecessor to cover the broadened tracks. A grille aperture 38 percent larger than before feeds 29 percent more mass airflow to the V8, framed by all-new Matrix LED headlamps with a fresh daytime running light signature.

Detailing rewards a closer look. The Aston Martin side strake returns with recontoured vents, frameless mirrors and pop-out door handles keep the flanks clean, and a widened rear bumper with side vents concludes in quad exhaust tailpipes. Twenty-one-inch forged alloy wheels are offered in three designs, with 21 exterior colours and a choice of pinstripe and lipstick liveries.

A bonded aluminium structure with additional underbody stiffening underpins the car, with rear-end stiffness raised 29 percent under cornering load and mass split evenly front to rear. Suspension is double wishbone at the front and multi-link at the rear, with Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers and an electronic rear differential working alongside Integrated Traction Control and Integrated Brake Slip Control to place the torque precisely.

Braking comes from 400 mm front and 360 mm rear cast-iron discs with drilled faces; optional carbon ceramics are rated to 800 degrees C and remove 27 kg of unsprung mass. Bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tyres — 275/35 R21 front, 325/30 R21 rear — were developed specifically for the car. The result is a chassis that stays consistent and legible as the pace rises.