13 Feb 03
Aston's stunning AMV8 Vantage concept car will also spawn a roadster version when it goes on sale in 2005. Unveiled this week at the Detroit motor show, the AMV8 'baby Aston' will sit on an advanced aluminium platform whose modularity provides Aston's engineers and designers with the flexibility to develop multiple power and drivetrain configurations without incurring significant development costs or long delays.
The AMV8, the first Aston to be styled by the company's latest design chief Henrik Fisker, will be built at a new factory at Gaydon, the former Rover site, and its underpinnings will form the basis for the new DB7 replacement due out next year as well as the Vanquish model.
Speaking to 4Car, Aston boss Ulrich Bez said, "This is a dedicated and flexible production system that only Aston will have. This new platform is simpler than that used in the Vanquish - we have learned from that - and this simplicity means we can look at V8 and V12 engines, as well as hard and soft-top options." The VH platform will eventually form the basis for all three models in the range. Its design is flexible enough to accommodate alterations not only of length but width too. It is composed of a mix of pressed, cast and extruded alloy components bonded together to create a structure even stiffer than that of the new Jaguar XJ.
The AMV8 will be powered by a 4.3-litre V8 engine derived from the Jaguar family V8, and tuned to around 370 bhp. Bez admits that the block has different heads and a different crankshaft from the Jag, however. Possibly it's redesigned as a 'flat' crank, like a Ferrari 360's, a configuration which delivers more power by making better use of intake and exhaust pulses, if at the expense of smoothness. We heard the Aston moving gently under its own power, and it did seem to sound more Ferrari than a regular V8. The engine is 'front mid-mounted', set well back in its bay to give an ideal 50:50 front:rear axle weight distribution. The six-speed manual transmission is mounted in unit with back axle for the same reasons. A sequential-shift option will follow. Expect a roadster version of the AMV8 to hit showrooms in the summer of 2006, and a 500 bhp supercharged version of the same engine is a possibility for 2007.
The Vantage is a hatchback, a wide tailgate opening to give access to a generous luggage area, with a rear shelf for further baggage. Aston first offered a hatchback on its 1953 DB2/4. The AMV8 is a two-seater, with an interior inspired by that of the Vanquish, though the bright orange leather upholstery of the concept car is unlikely to make it to production. But it will undoubtedly retain this clean-looking, high-quality finish - with no wood - and benefit from switchgear and interior componentry unique to Aston.
Aston has spent two years developing the AMV8 concept, so expect the production car to look nearly identical. "The final car may be around 10mm higher, but what you see there is what you will get. The interior will also be modified, but again not by much," said Bez.
Although he was unwilling to talk about the price, early indicators point to a £65,000 price tag - bang on 911 money. Porsche should be worried - this fresh challenge is the most serious there's been in years. The new Aston, which could be badged V8 Vantage, will rival not only the 911 but also the Maserati Coupe and the supercharged versions of Jaguar's XK8. When all three models are in full production, Aston plans to make 3000 V8 Vantages, 1500 DB7s and 500 Vanquishes annually, an output that quintuples recent Aston production and will make it more prolific than Ferrari.
