OH no, he won’t… Oh yes, I will. I am about to be so unoriginal as to make a James Bond reference in the introduction of a driving impression of an Aston Martin, but bear with me, it’s supposed to be ironic. Aston Martin’s local importer and the makers of the British spy film franchise might not like this, but I happen to find James Bond a bit creepy. For all his suave sophistication and sensational subterfuge he’s still a middle-aged bloke brandishing a Walther like some homicidal Peter Pan dressed in a bulletproof suit. Heck, in the most recent Bond film the plot bluntly suggested the old boy was past his best, but of course he prevailed at the end.
Aston Martins are ravishing, sonorous and ultra-exclusive, but they’re a bit like 007 and so are the majority of people who buy them. Sexy, but set in their ways, spirited, but greying at the temples and desirable, if mostly by brand association. To compare Astons with cutting edge supercars is to imagine Bond battling maniacal villains unburdened by fatal character flaws or over-engineered designs for world domination. The whole Aston Martin schtick urges you to suspend disbelief, but what if you can’t?
Well, this is the V12 Vantage S and there’s nothing formulaic or staid about it. With the exception of the limited edition One-77, it’s the fastest road-going car Aston Martin has ever launched and it looks race-track ready thanks to its menacing black carbon-fibre grille, ten-spoke forged alloy wheels, and, should you specify it as such, a distinctive exterior graphics pack that includes black painted roof and colour-coded boot panel. The car shown here is finished in Morning Frost.
The vicinity of Palm Springs, where the S and its Vanquish Volante sibling were launched, offers the stark contrast between the serpentine route that traces the outlines of the snow-topped pine forests of Mount San Jacinto and the Karoo-like monochromatic starkness of the searing Californian hinterland. It all tends to blur into a mélange of earthy hues and cacophonous V12 shrieks when at the wheel of the S, however; its 6,0-litre V12 engine comes equipped with the latest-gen Bosch engine management and a bespoke exhaust system – derived from that of the One-77 – which is lighter, smaller and even more melodic than that of the outgoing car.
CAR sampled a six-speed manual Vantage V12 for its 2010 Performance Shootout and, at the time, the majority of the test team felt underwhelmed by the clunkiness of that Aston’s ‘box. The new S version eschews the previous car’s six on the floor for a Sportshift III automated manual transmission that is said to be 25 kg lighter than the previous unit. It is, however, just as infuriating to operate at low speeds due to lumbering, nee lurching upshifts when applying anything but the subtlest of throttle inputs.
When caning the Aston in anger it’s another story altogether, of course, because the paddle shifters actuate punchy shifts up and down the transmission with alacrity. Sport mode, selected via a button on the facia, not only optimises shift speed and timing, it sharpens the S’s throttle response, adds more frenzy to the exhaust note and puts the three-stage adaptive damping into its most dynamic setting.
The rapid-but-pin sharp ZF Servotronic steering is a major highlight. Linked to the adaptive damping button, it alters the level of hydraulic steering assistance (Normal or Sport) and makes the Aston easy to place especially on tighter, windier sections of blacktop. Moreover, it transmits the texture of the road (and the front end’s adhesion to it) ever so eloquently through the rim of the steering wheel.
As a foil to the racing harnass-adorned versions of other supercars, the V12 S is single-minded in its licence to thrill (oh, sorry). Whereas it’s general road manners are arguably passible for everyday use, its low-speed shift quality remains infuriating and that Paleolithic infotainment system is passé on a car that costs six, let alone seven, figures. But, given the newcomer’s lofty handling in extremis and unburstable free-revving 12 pot, one cannot help but fall under the Aston’s spell…
When James Bond requires a reinvention, the Vantage V12 S should be a suitable vehicle for his new image – this particular Aston does not trade on its name.
Specifications*
Model: Aston Martin V12 Vantage S
Engine: twelve cylinder, V configuration
Capacity: 5 935 cm3
Power: 422 kW @ 6 750 r/min
Torque: 620 N.m @ 5 750 r/min
0-100 km/h: 3,9 secs
Fuel consumption: 12,2 l/100 km
Top speed: 328 km/h
Price: R2 900 000 (est)
*According to the manufacturer.
