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If someone tries to sound smart by telling you that the $240,000 $185,000 ** Aston Martin V12 Vantage takes .9 seconds longer to hit 60 than a Ferrari 458 for the same price, or .8 seconds longer than a Porsche GT2 for $20,000 less, punch them in the face right then and there, because they just don’t get it, and never will.

One of my favorite activities in the world is drinking with automotive PR people, generally at new product launch events. Because most journalists out there, good writers as they may be, aren’t all that social, I’m generally the most fun “car”  person in the room. The Racing Rapide and V12 Vantage premiere party last Thursday was no exception to this rule, and after some delicious food and beverages, I found myself speaking at length about the V12 with the one person in charge of the beautiful blue demo car that had been teasing me swirling around on its turntable like a go-go dancer in Vegas. I don’t know whether he was supposed to do this or not, so I’m withholding his name for now. But he said if I came back the next day I could have 2 hours of solid-gold alone time with all 510 of the V12 Vantage’s horsepower.

Fast forward the following day, and we’re off. Just to properly fill out my fantasy, I bring my beautiful friend Ariana along for the ride. I ask where I can find the nearest empty canyon road, and a Galpin employee gives me spot-on directions to a wide-open canyon with fresh blacktop. I look over at Ariana, then down at the hefty 6-speed manual shifter. I put the glass key fob into its fobgina and hear the V12 bark to life, then echo, realizing the salesman was kind enough to leave it parked in a tunnel. How considerate. I rev the engine a few times, look back at Ariana, then shifter again, and realize immediately that this is what heaven must look like. We haven’t even moved yet.

The 405 freeway entrance ramp is right around the corner, and it was on this entrance ramp that I fell in love. I goose it a bit going around the corner to the highway and feel the tires start to break loose in second gear, but the Vantage stayed straight. At 4,000 RPM the exhaust baffles open and say,  “AAAAHHHHH,” doing their best impression of a pissed-off jungle cat. I shift into 3rd at 7,000 RPM, and the tires break loose again. I hit 4th, and by the time I reach the actual merge, I’m nearly double the speed limit. Fortunately, the V12 has the most effective brakes ever installed on an Aston, and the carbon-ceramic stoppers send Ariana’s “fuck me, I’m a librarian” glasses flying off towards the dash as I stab the slow pedal for the merge.

The canyon road was a few miles down the freeway, which gave Ariana time to fiddle with the Vantage’s many small, identical looking buttons. I’m sure we could get used to it if we actually owned the car, but the plethora of buttons are nearly indeciperable while driving, especially over LA’s concrete freway system. It’s not that the suspension is too stiff or bouncy, but the Vantage’s short wheelbase and relatively firm suspension make it impossible to see what any of those buttons did. Ditto the navigation system, which I learned from Vantage owner Ice-T, is a total piece of crap. If Aston Martin is going to license navigation technology from someone, can’t they just do it from Ford and not Volvo?

I looked up from the console to realize that several wannabe sports cars were tailing us, hard. There was an Eclipse, an early Dodge Avenger, and a Lancer Ralliart all following us, with cameraphones rolling. With visions of whisking away a paparazzi-hounded starlet, I smiled at Ariana, dropped 3 gears, and wound the shit out of that V12. Within 5 seconds, they were completely gone from my rear view mirror. If Princess Diana had one of these, she’d still be with us today.

The Galpin salesman’s “secret canyon” was everything he promised it would be. 10 miles of glass-smooth pavement, banked esses, and radically changing elevation. I drove that canyon at least 3 or 4 times in each direction, adding more speed and later braking points each time, as I grew more comfortable with the V12′s dynamics. Here’s what I learned, in no particular order:

- This is an angry, little demon of a car, that reminds me more of a Shelby Cobra than anything else. Short wheelbase, tons of power, and  the least invasive traction control system I’ve ever used make for a very interesting driving experience at speed. And by “interesting,” I mean this is the fastest, sharpest, most fun to drive Aston Martin ever built.

- There is more than enough power to break the tires loose in the first 3 gears. Because of this traction system, they often break a bit loose coming hard out of a corner or when shifting into second or third at full throttle. It was a bit unnerving at first, but quite a positive bonus once you realize the car won’t get too far away from you, at least if you leave the system on. Turn it off, and there’s only one word for it: “DORIFTO!”. (Note: I didn’t actually turn off T/C during my test. The car was hairy enough as it is. And I couldn’t find the button.)

- This is the only Aston Martin I’ve ever driven that I would even consider taking to a track day. I once took my 2003 Vanquish to a day at Monticello Motor Club, and, beautiful and loud as that car is, it’s an absolute pig on the track, with terrible braking, visibility, and transmission. Ditto the DB9 and, to an extent, the DBS, though it’s certainly better. The V12 Vantage, on the other hand, has a manual transmission, (stellar) ceramic brakes, a taut suspension, 190 mph top speed, and is an absolute rocketship from 40-140, the most effective performance range for a track.

- Despite its ragged-edge feel at speed, the V12 Vantage is just as docile as the V8 at low speeds. The steering is nicely weighted, and clutch feel is excellent. The 420 lb/ft of torque are enough that you could drive the car all day long and never exceed 3,000 RPM, keeping the exhaust quiet. But why the hell would you?

- Some people say the V8 Vantage was a tight squeeze for taller drivers, which I agree with, in the case of the Roadster. In coupe form, both V8 and V12 versions of the car have good head and legroom, given the car’s small size. The trunk is usable for a set of golf clubs or a few overnight bags, and there is a parcel shelf behind the seats with a cargo net, which kept my brand new Canon 5D in place during some of my faster canyon runs.

The most common question I got on Facebook when I posted up about driving the V12 Vantage was, “How does it compare to the DBS, or to your Vanquish?”

Well, it’s very, very different. My Vanquish is more beautiful and sounds better (because I’ve had the exhaust baffles wired permanently open), and will be one of those cars that, at least visually, really stands the test of time. In 50 years, people will still be lusting over the Vanquish, and I’m not sure if that will happen with the V12 Vantage. The Vanquish has the crap transmission and brakes, but it’s still a major panty-dropper. The DBS is an amazing car, but it’s a true GT car, like the Vanquish, not an all-out sports car. Its longer wheelbase makes it more stable at high-speed than the Vantage, but it’s also less involving.

The V12 Vantage is certainly the most “driver’s car” of the three, offering better performance, and a much more visceral experience than the Vanquish or DBS could dream of. It’s also the only one you’d want to take to a track. And, lets not forget, it’s faster in every way than the DBS and costs $45,000 less. **

What about the Porsche GT2 or Ferrari 458? Those are faster to 60 and cost the same or less. After punching you in the face, I’d leave you with this. If you care about every tenth of a second, this car is not for you. If you want to impress someone with your $240,000 car, this is probably not for you either, since a DBS or Ferrari will make more of a statement. But if you’ve ever heard a V12 engine at a full clip, and heel-toed your own gears while riding the ragged edge through a banked canyon corner, looked over at the beautiful, non-gold digging girl in the passenger seat, who thinks you’re James Bond, and thought, “yeah, I want that life.”

Start saving, now.

Big ups to Galpin Auto Sports for providing the car for this review.

** UPDATE ** This is what happens when you simply convert the european price to dollars, you get thrown way off. The V12 Vantage is only going to cost $185,000 in the US, making it a full $100k cheaper than the DBS. Why anyone would buy a DBS for $100k more than the V12 Vantage is way beyond me.

** UPDATE 2** By popular demand, I’ve added pictures of Ariana….

This entry was posted on Monday, August 30th, 2010 at 11:20 am and is filed under News, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.