Aston Martin V8 Vantage 4.3 power options

Aston Martin V8 Vantage gets Power Upgrade Option

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 upgrades 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.