| 777 | Date: Thursday, 28 Oct 2010, 12.52 | Message # 1 |
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| Take an Aston Martin Vantage -- already a supermodel among sports cars -- then stuff a 510-horsepower V12 inside like an oversized kielbasa in a too-small bun. Add a buttery manual transmission, an increasing rarity in the 6-figure class, and what do you get? The $190,000 payoff is called the V12 Vantage, and it’s as fast and focused a sports car as any to wear the Aston Martin badge, ever.
For anyone lucky enough to afford this V12 fantasy: Enjoy it while it lasts. High-end automakers are beginning to walk away from the megasized, gas-guzzling V12, V10 and V8 engines that make it hard to achieve fuel-economy rules. Mercedes-Benz has said “nein” to V12s in future performance cars. And its big-block 6.2-liter V8, which drives seemingly every AMG model, is being downsized to a less thirsty, 5.5-liter V8 with dual turbochargers. BMW’s redesigned M5 will ditch its V10 for another twin-turbocharged V8.
The world’s poshest brands, such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, will continue to offer 12-cylinder engines, that ultimate symbol of conspicuous consumption, for a while longer. The V12 Vantage, for one, gets hit with a $3,000 gas-guzzler tax thanks to its paltry EPA fuel economy of 11 mpg city/17 mpg highway, though obviously people who can afford Astons aren’t bothered by such a pocket-change penalty. But it’s not green-minded owners who are driving the engine-downsizing movement, though even some wealthy buyers are demanding more efficient rides. More tellingly, even exclusive small-volume brands are in danger of losing special exceptions that for decades have let them avoid having to meet any fuel-economy standards whatsoever -- not to mention that brands may no longer be allowed to skate around those Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules by paying millions in fines in a sort of cap-and-trade deal, but for cars.
With the feds raising the fuel-economy bar to 35.5 mpg for 2016, automakers and buyers alike will have to reconcile themselves to downsized engines and fuel-saving technology, including diesels and hybrids. But that doesn’t mean the end of powerful cars: The M5’s V8 is said to develop more than 550 horsepower. Think you can live with that?
For now, however, buyers can still party like it's 1999. I drove the Vantage to Connecticut’s historic Lime Rock Raceway this week. And while I was ostensibly there to shoot a bit for an upcoming Porsche documentary, I ended up talking my way onto the track, where I got to chase a new Porsche 911 GT3 around this once-rocky (now-repaved) 1.5-mile circuit.
Not long ago, the idea of an Aston Martin hanging with a track-centric Porsche would have seemed laughable. Roadgoing Astons, from the DB5 of the '60s to the current DB9, have been beautiful, powerful grand-touring cars -- but they’ve also been polite and gentlemanly, with no need to lower themselves to street-racing antics or handling contests.
The two-seat Vantage V8 and the mouthwatering DBS driven by Daniel Craig’s 007 have boosted Aston’s high-performance credibility. And the muscled-up Vantage V12 needn’t apologize for anything: With a lowered, stiffened chassis and suspension along with hard-core Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires, the Aston showed surprisingly deft balance on track. And despite being one chunky Brit at 3,750 pounds, about 450 more than the Porsche, the Aston’s huge advantage in displacement and low-end grunt -- with six liters of V12 versus the Porsche’s 3.8-liter flat six -- kept it glued to the 911 as we circled the course.
On public roads, the Aston’s V12 barks and backfires when you jump off the throttle, a magnificent tune that’s amplified by hitting the Sport button on the dash. And with so much power underfoot, the Aston wants to shake its pretty tail whenever you squeeze too hard, too soon -- though that’s part of the Vantage’s charm. It's like a Cobra on a billionaire’s budget. In the complaints department, though, there's a minor performance-related one: an awkward shifter placement that forces some drivers into an awkward reach.
Well, to be fair, the other awkward issue is price: about $181,000 to start, or $60,000 more than a V8-equipped Vantage. On the glass-half-full side, the V12 Vantage costs a good $80,000 less than the 007-approved DBS, and with the same engine, and the smaller Vantage is more fun to drive and nearly as dramatic to behold. Of course, those kinds of decisions are for people who can afford whatever they please. But even some cost-is-no-object buyers may soon find that money can’t buy a V12.
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