22 Mar 07
It always was a great-sounding V8, especially when blattering its way to its 7,000rpm peak-power speed, but with ears exposed to the elements you can hear just how savage it becomes when engine speed and load combine to trigger the exhaust bypass valve. It's a surprise the EU noise police haven't knocked these aural delights on the head: no doubt it will happen sometime, because the corridors of Brussels are unlikely to understand the distinction between noise and music, so let's enjoy them while we can.
We have to trickle out of Gordes to keep the bypass valves inactive, our environmental impact visual rather than aural because this metallic Sunburst Yellow Roadster looks every bit as loud as it will shortly sound.
We often hear hype in this job about how class-leadingly stiff an open car's structure is, only to see the windscreen's header rail dissolve in a blur over the first road ripples, but the Roadster behaves just as promised. It joins a new breed of rigid convertibles such as the Jaguar XK, the Audi TT Roadster and the Bentley Continental GTC, and feels more the sports car than any of them.
In fact, so confident is Aston Martin in the Roadster's integrity that its suspension is actually stiffer than the coupe's, although the latter is due to get a yet-firmer sports pack option soon. The open car's front springs are stiffer by 14%, the rears by 17%, yet the ride is still supple enough over bumps. Crack the pace up a bit and you'll discover excellent damping with fine control over body movements; the stiffer suspension seems to suit the Roadster well.
But it's not quite perfect. The steering has lost a little of its subtlety and fluidity, almost as if its power assistance is now by electricity (it isn't). And if you arrive at a corner very quickly, the front wheels don't bite into the bend quite as hard as you might hope. It's as if the front suspension is now too stiff.
