03 Jan 07
So, into Drive to select the fully automatic mode that many manually illiterate buyers will demand, especially those likely to buy Roadsters. It's the same upshift-surge problem again, made worse because I'm not in control of the gearshift points unless I trick the system into an upshift by easing the throttle. All told, this Sportshift feels much like Alfa Romeo's Selespeed did in its early versions. Not great. It's slow to select reverse, too, which is tiresome when manoeuvring.
To be fair, V8 Vantage programme manager David King knows the problems and says there is still some software tuning to do before the March launch. It shouldn't be too hard; after all, the latest F1-shift Ferraris work well. And out on the Bahrain racetrack, the V8 Sportshift was in its element with speedy downshifts and great controllability through the slithery, streaming esses. The Vantage has 380bhp and a sub-five-second 0-60 time, but it proved entirely benign and great fun. With the bugs eradicated, the Sportshift should be a good system.
But would I have one? I also drove the N24 race car, after it had finished eighth in the race without any problems at all. A converted late V8 prototype, it has a manual gearbox which is now very nicely run-in. Its shift is smooth, precise and well oiled, the clutch is easy and progressive. In short, the transmission is an interactive joy - a compliment equally deserved by the rest of the car, which is probably the friendliest, easiest racing car I've ever driven. Quick, too, thanks to the weight saved by the stripped-out interior.
Incidentally, during the wet second half of the race the drivers kept the ESP switched on. They were faster that way, which shows how clever these systems have become. Now Aston Martin just needs to give the Sportshift's brain a similar IQ. Or, failing that, insert an edgily programmed ZF six-speed auto.
