The 2020 Aston Martin Vantage AMRAston Martin NURBURG, Germany As inspirational as the age-old axiom is, it turns out Aristotle did not say the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. What he actually said, according to a translation by W. D. Ross, was The totality is not, as it were, a mere heap, but the whole is something besides the parts.Doesnt have quite the same uplifting kumbaya spark, does it? Indeed, quite how we got from depressing mere heap to Gestaltian greater than the sum of its parts anthem is beyond me (and, if my cursory research is anything to go by, most historians). Nonetheless, we have come to take Aristotles axiom as gospel, and its inverse that individually we are weaker than the aggregate, the basis of nationhood.A perfect case in point, in the physical world, is Aston Martins latest supercar, the 2020 Vantage AMR. Listen to Matt Becker, Astons chief engineer, detail its upgrades compared with the regular Vantage which took but 15 minutes of PR blather rather than the customary hour-and-a-half and youd swear the trip to the Nurburgring to test the new AMR was a giant waste of time. The biggest news and, as Ive been intimating, it really is small potatoes is that it gets a manual transmission. Oh, and some ceramic brakes. Thats it. For this, they claim they made a special edition run of just 200! At US$179,995 apiece! Are you kidding me? Hell, the damned thing lost power it makes 502 foot-pounds of torque in the base Vantage, but this supposed Fancy Dan version only twists out 469 lb.-ft. at its peak. Doesnt sound so special certainly not super to me.And things do get off to a rough start; the AMR is still slower to 100 kilometres an hour than the automatic transmission-ed version. Oh, part of it is that we humans are relatively slow shifting of gear. Another is the lack of any kind of launch control.But whatever excuses you make, a 4.0-seconds-to-100-km/h time is barely super these days. Plenty are the sedans that are as fleet, and its pretty darn hard to find another coupe or roadster with a super even a GT appellation that cant.Now, the part I havent mentioned yet is thanks to the dumping of the automatic gearbox and jettisoning its e-diff for a real mechanical locking rear differential (not to mention those carbon brakes) the AMR weighs a full 100 kilograms less than the garden-variety Vantage. More importantly, says Becker, whats left over is evenly distributed 50/50 between front and rear axles.Thats why and now I am quoting actual Gestaltian philosophy rather than Aristotelian misrepresentation what is happening in the whole cannot be deduced from the characteristics of the separate pieces. In other words, specs that arent quite up to rich-guy bench-racing standards do not capture the total Aston Martin.That loss in torque, for instance necessitated because the manual transmission cant handle 500 pound-feet is hardly ever noticed. Indeed, the opposite. Every time you gun the big Mercedes-sourced twin-turbo V8, the AMR literally jumps, the throttle response so immediate. The Vantage may lose on paper, but out in the real world it is truly competitive. Up top, itll top out at a legitimately super 320 km/h, just in case youre Grand Touring Germanys autobahns. In other words, behind the wheel, there was nothing lesser about it. The 2020 Aston Martin Vantage AMR Aston Martin Then theres the transmission that is the supposed centerpiece that deserved limited edition status. Sporting seven no, not six forward gears, the Graziano-sourced unit uses the traditional manuals H6 pattern for 2nd thru 7th gears; with 1st down and left, reverse is up and left. Compared with the previous Vantage V12 where we first saw this tranny, 1st is a little deliberate to get into to prevent errant downshifts into what would otherwise be second gear. Reverse, meanwhile, is similarly delineated.All that newfound precision aside, while I like the gearbox thank to its AMShifts automatic blipping, it was slicker than the proverbial knife through a fairly solid emulsion of fat globules Im not sure I see the advantage over a more conventional six-speed. Oh, I get the attraction of a stick. And, like most things these days one, does have to promise more in this case, gears to attract attention. But I remain unconvinced that my drive is any better for having an extra cog in the gearbox.Automatics are almost always better with more ratios, but there may be a limit to the effectiveness with manuals. On the other hand, perhaps if Id spent more than 250 kilometres behind the wheel, Id have become more acclimatized.Specs that aren’t quite up to rich-guy bench-racing standards do not capture the total Aston MartinAs for the chassis, other than the jettisoning of 100 kilos and the subsequent weight redistribution, its really changed little. In fact, Astons engineers liked the comportment of the base Vantage so much they softened the AMRs rear springs so its wheel rate
Origin: Aristotle, Gestalt and the 2020 Aston Martin Vantage AMR
Vantage
New Aston Martin Vantage Roadster: first images released
Aston Martin has released the first images of a new Vantage Roadster, in engineering prototype form, ahead of an expected launch in the coming months. The hardtop coupé variant of Aston’s Porsche 911 rival has been on sale in its current form since 2018, following its unveiling at the 2017 Los Angeles motor show, spearheading the firm’s design reinvention as part of CEO Andy Palmer’s Second Century Plan. The prototype retains the low, wide stance of the standard model, with styling changes limited to the addition of a canvas folding soft top. The Vantage’s slim rear light bar and ducktail-style spoiler are retained, as are the model’s prominent front splitter and rear diffuser. With the unveiling of the new Vantage Roadster, Aston will offer a convertible variant of every model in its current line-up, except the four-door Rapide, which is now only on sale in performance-focused AMR form. It remains unclear whether the AMR variant of the Vantage, which features the only six-speed manual gearbox in the maker’s range, will be offered as a drop-top. No technical details of the new model have been revealed yet, but it’s expected to retain the same 503bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 as the coupé, albeit with a fractional performance sacrifice due to the extra weight of the folding roof and the required structural bracing. The company has confirmed the model will be available globally in spring next year. As with the DB11 Volante, it can be expected to command an approximate eight percent premium over the standard model, suggesting a starting price of around £130,500. The launch will follow the high-profile revealing of the limited-run DBS GT Zagato, which joins the authentically recreated DB4 GT Zagato in Aston’s ultra exclusive DBZ Centenary
Origin: New Aston Martin Vantage Roadster: first images released
Aston Martin V8 Vantage to make appearance in Bond 25
A video posted by MI6-HQ.com, a behind-the-scenes James Bond channel, shows a lesser-known 007 vehicle being used for the next film. An Aston Martin V8 Vantage is shown driving alongside a lake in Norway, which looks to be a similar location to where The Spy Who Loved Me was filmed, but we don’t expect the Aston to sprout fins and turn into a submarine. We’ll leave that to Lotus. The vehicle obviously bears a striking resemblance to the one used by Timothy Dalton in the 1987 film The Living Daylights — even the license (to kill) plates bear the same B549 WUU designation. The V8 Vantage was the first Aston Martin that 007 had driven since On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The original car had lasers that fired from the wheel centre caps, as well as a pair of skis that came out of the rocker panels, and of course, rocket launchers of course. This time, though, Daniel Craig’s Bond will likely save the gadgets for his other car, reportedly an Aston Martin Rapid E. Bond 25, as it’s tentatively known, has been put through the wringer when it comes to production: The original director was replaced due to scripting issues, multiple accidents have occurred on set, and even an explosion seriously damaged EON Productions’ studios. Even the picturesque location in Norway, where this video was shot, had problems — tire tracks were left behind on the road by BMW owners during a large event. The movie will be Daniel Craig’s final run as the explosive secret agent.
Origin: Aston Martin V8 Vantage to make appearance in Bond 25
Aston Martin going hyper-limited with Vantage special editions
2020 Aston Martin Vantage AMR The need for the fabulously well-to-do to spend ever more of their untold wealth on limited edition automobiles continues unabated. Aston Martin, for instance, after recently announcing a customized Vantage limited to but 200 units worldwide, has unveiled an even rarer bird that takes 59 of those 200 to an even higher plateau. Think of it as a limited edition of a limited edition. The basis of all this is the twin-turbocharged V8-powered Vantage with its 510 horsepower scooting the new AMR version to 100 kilometres an hour in just 4.0 seconds thanks to its seven-speed manual transmission — with AMShift automatic “blipping” to coordinate downshifts and full-throttle upshifts. Speaking of the sophisticated stick shift, Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO Andy Palmer said, “When I joined this company, customers asked and, as a gearbox engineer and racer, I promised that we would always offer a manual transmission in our lineup. The Vantage AMR not only honours that commitment but sets us apart from our competitors in continuing to offer a three-pedal option.” The first 141 examples of the AMR will be available in either Sabiro Blue, Onyx Black, China Grey or White Stone. The final 59 — that limited edition within a limited edition — are a celebration of the 60th anniversary of Aston Martin’s famed success at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic DBR1. Named “Vantage 59”, this top-of-the-line Vantage features a unique Stirling Green and Lime exterior paint scheme and Dark Knight leather interior (Christian Bale not included, but you could likely get Aston Martin to design you a matching utility belt), finished with a signature AMR lime stripe and will cost $242,494.25. Regular limited edition models will cost but a piffling $212,744.25. Aston Martin, meanwhile, continues to race at Le Mans, the Vantage GTE to take part in this year’s GTE Pro category. “With the Vantage GTE set to race again at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June,” says Palmer,“ I hope that those customers who are lucky enough to take ownership of a Vantage 59, will have even more reason to celebrate with their new
Origin: Aston Martin going hyper-limited with Vantage special editions
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