Aston Martin V8 Vantage 4.3 power options

When the Aston Martin V8 Vantage was first launched a couple of years ago, we were all blown away by its looks. It was exactly what a small Aston Martin should be - the best looking car in its sector bar none. And we expected so much from it. After all, Aston Martin had spoken about their aim to build a 911 buster. And at a bargain price.

Well, one out of three wasn’t great. There is no doubt that the car is the best looking in its class. But it sort of stopped there. The power was…adequate. On paper it looked reasonable. In reality it never felt fast. Competently quick, yes. But never ‘make you grin’ fast. And it was no where near as cheap as Aston had led us to believe.

Price is subjective, and for such a beautiful car you could live with the premium. But the power needed help. That came with the 2009 model and its 4.7 litre engine. It could still do with more (or wait and have the V12 RS version when that arrives), but it was a big improvement. But where does that leave all those existing customers who had the 4.3? In the hands of Aston Martin, who have now decided to offer a power boost option to all existing 4.3 V8 customers.

The new upgardes are available immediately through the dealer network, and give the V8 Vantage a handy power boost of 20bhp, a lift on the torque, and a top speed of 177mph. In addition to the power increase, which is in essence achieved by improving the engine’s breathing, existing owners can have the recently available Sports Pack added.

The Sports Pack option on the V8 Vantage gives upgraded springs and Bilstein dampers, together with new, lightweight forged wheels, to give a much sharper edge to the handling. So popular is the option it is now specified on 50% of new V8 Vantages.

This is probably not such an odd move by AM in troubled times. Many people, even those who can afford it, are sticking with the car they have until they see how the economic waters lie. Offering these people a cut-price route to a better car not only keeps customer loyalty high, but gives empty dealership some much needed revenue and foot-fall.

Aston Martin showrooms go Hi-Tec

I’m not too sure it will help much with sales at the moment, but it has been announced that Aston Martin are to become the first company to use Microsoft’s Surface Device in UK Car showrooms.

The Surface device is in essence a glitzy coffee table, with a built in PC running the new software from Microsoft. Based on the software Aston Martin currently uses on its website, the device allows the salesman to configure the car on a coffee table screen, with changes of colour and wheels showing on the screen. The device also allows viewing of the car from a number of angles.

It’s inevitable that showrooms are going to get more hi-tec. The internet is actually a bigger threat to main dealers in the long run than the current economic gloom. On-line, potential buyers can configure their cars as they want and then hunt around for the best deal. From the manufacturers point of view they can’t really lose, as long as the cars get sold.

I think we’re rapidly coming to the end of main dealers as we know them. It won’t be long before there are just a handful of electronic-centred showrooms, run by the manufacturers themselves, for people who feel the need for a hands-on experience. But car sales will be almost all made on-line within a few years.

Still, the new coffe tables will give the Aston Martin sales staff something to do in the meantime. After all, they aren’t exactly snowed under with potential customers at the moment.

Aston Martin Slash 1/3rd of jobs

It’s getting silly out there.

Aston Martin has this afternoon announced that it is to cut around a third of jobs at its Gaydon facility. That’s 300 full time and 300 part time.

Aston Martin is the most iconic of British Car Brands. To be in this much trouble is really rather worrying. But there are very, very few car makers who aren’t suffering at the moment. Rolls Royce seems to be a bit of an exception, but they are exclusively at the top end. Aston Martin has, in recent years with the introduction of the V8 Vantage, gone a bit more mainstream. High-end mainstream, admittedly, but mainstream nonetheless. And this market is being hit hard.

Of course, AM has been here before. In fact, until Ford took over, they were almost permanently in trouble. But the last decade has seen a complete change in the fortunes of AM. Deservedly so. It now has world-class cars which are properly sorted and properly built, something it could never really boast in the past. But it’s now in private hands and, unlike Bentley which has VW behind it, it doesn’t have the luxury of being the Halo brand for a massive manufacturer.

The worrying think about job cuts is the loss of expertise. As things recover, will that expertise still be available? Who knows. Maybe this is just AM being cautious and making deep cuts early to stem the haemoraging. Let’s hope so.

Aston Martin Rapide - First Official Image

Those clever chaps over at Car Magazine have managed to get their hands on what they claim to be the first official images of the Aston Martin Rapide, the Aston Martin answer to the forthcoming Porsche Panamera. Not that you’d ever guess where they came from, with all those ‘Car Magazine’ watermarks plastered across the picture!

The Aston Martin Rapide has been ‘Coming’ for what seems like forever. Based on Aston’s incredibly flexible car architecture, it has allowed the company to build new cars at relatively low cost. The Rapide has been seen out testing all over the world in the last year, and by any measure it is a stunning car.

This final image is little changed from the original concept renderings. The front has lost the concept car’s 4 air intakes in favour of a split front grill, and down the side there’s a long crease running from the front wing through the back doors. There are also some small changes at the back (but we can’t see them as this is the only image Car Magazine has released).

I was only moaning the other day about how these cars that have been teased for an age end up being very watered-down versions of the concept, but Aston Martin is the exception that proves the rule. This car looks every bit as good as the concept did.

Power is expected to come from a big, 6 Litre V12 with around 500bhp, and rumour has it that there will be a high-power version to follow later. The interior is going to be very DB9-esque (which, as car interiors go, is about the best there is) but with a huge panoramic glass roof to bathe the cabin in light.

Expect the Rapide, when it gets here in late 2009, to be in the £125k-£150k bracket.

Want a Free Aston Martin DB9?

We all know car prices are in free-fall at the moment. But a free DB9? Well, that does seem a discount too far. But there is a catch. You have to buy a house first.

A property developer in Eastbourne, Andrew Mackelden of Fivewalk Homes, has dreamt up the idea to try and flog their £1.2 million homes. He’s willing to give a brand new, £110,000 Aston Martin DB9 to the first person who puts their hands up for one of the properties. And the houses seem nice enough, if you like that sort of thing.

With house prices crashing by anything up to 20% in some parts of the UK at the moment, perhaps the deal doesn’t seem that great. Particularly when you could actually get a brand new DB9 for not much over £80k at the moment. Still, we all have to try to drag customers in when things are tough. And maybe he’s on to a winner. After all, who can afford to get a new Aston Martin when they’re buying a new house. And the promise of one may just make the Petrol Head in the deal cave in.

Would it make you buy his houses?