RE: Tell me I'm wrong: Aston Martin V12 Vantage
Discussion
Token Jock said:
I'd have a V12V in a heartbeat, be a nice step up from my slow unresponsive, poor handling 4.3 V8V 
It always surprises me how many people believe these cars are slow and don't handle or are poorly balanced, most of the time it seems to come from folk that haven't been lucky enough to own one or have extensive driving time
I had a hoot yesterday driving round Wales with a bunch of fellow Aston owners, none of us ended up going through a hedge or in a pond thankfully.
Also thoroughly enjoyed having a play with a chap driving his R35 GTR in a spirited fashion
Who then moved over to let 3 "slow" Astons passed because he couldn't shake them It always surprises me how many people believe these cars are slow and don't handle or are poorly balanced, most of the time it seems to come from folk that haven't been lucky enough to own one or have extensive driving time
I had a hoot yesterday driving round Wales with a bunch of fellow Aston owners, none of us ended up going through a hedge or in a pond thankfully.
Also thoroughly enjoyed having a play with a chap driving his R35 GTR in a spirited fashion
Dan Trent said:
Yes, the stability control did go on the blink. No idea why but lots of colourful lights on the dash and a more measured pace because of it. There was a little bridge and an evil, violent little compression just after and my sense is that the lack of suspension travel, stiff springs and the tyres all conspired together and even though it was on a trailing throttle and at around 30-40mph tops off I went.
Sorry to disappoint those hoping for a hack trying to do a big skid and ending up in the rough scenario but there it is! Boringly mundane, very slow and disturbingly quiet and I faced a long, wet walk back to the road wondering what the hell had just happened. There was no warning, no chance for a dab of oppo - one minute I was on the road, the next I wasn't and the chap following who saw it all unfold was as perplexed as me. One of those events that 99% of the time would be a twitch and flash of a yellow light on the dash and you'd think nothing of it. But because, for whatever reason, the stability control was on the blink it became rather more.
Too many here not reading the details:Sorry to disappoint those hoping for a hack trying to do a big skid and ending up in the rough scenario but there it is! Boringly mundane, very slow and disturbingly quiet and I faced a long, wet walk back to the road wondering what the hell had just happened. There was no warning, no chance for a dab of oppo - one minute I was on the road, the next I wasn't and the chap following who saw it all unfold was as perplexed as me. One of those events that 99% of the time would be a twitch and flash of a yellow light on the dash and you'd think nothing of it. But because, for whatever reason, the stability control was on the blink it became rather more.
Edited by Dan Trent on Friday 27th April 16:32
1. Trailing throttle: So it matters not whether you've 50 or 500 bhp under foot - you were using none of them.
2. 30 - 40 mph: Pretty difficult to get into much trouble at that speed without abrupt and substantial loss of adhesion ... which leads to
3. Stability control on the blink ... but perhaps not completely disabled?
I suspect the stability control, in its malfunctioning state, got confused by the violent compression, and abruptly braked one side of the vehicle. Cue pirouette.
tjlees said:
Maybe but my other car is an Ultima GTR and that's British to the core of Ted's beard (and shed!) ... and I am not afraid to use it in wet see http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?t=1... ;-)
Anyway would I have a Aston Martin V12V if I had the money, space and single - of course, hell yeah and bring on those hedges - the added bonus is the GILFs that will be admiring the car are great without teeth.
Ultima might be considered a mitigating factor but ultimately it's up to her Majesty. I don't hold out much hope for your wife though! Could have had a Spitfire but you went Messerschmitt instead.Anyway would I have a Aston Martin V12V if I had the money, space and single - of course, hell yeah and bring on those hedges - the added bonus is the GILFs that will be admiring the car are great without teeth.
Back to the topic, there are a few glaring things that make the V12 Vantage a car to be celebrated, that Dan appears to have overlooked.
1. It has a V12 engine. That gives you seamless thrust and multi-layered, multi timbral noises that no other cylinder count can offer.
2. It has a manual gearbox. A nice one at that.
3. It looks like an Aston Martin Vantage.
4. It has a very small footprint on the road. That makes it more usable more often than many cars of similar performance.
5. It's a Spitfire, not a Messerschmitt.
6. The carbon ceramic brakes are the best resolved out there in that they work progressively from light pressure as well as the expected brick wall stopping power.
7. It has a carbon fibre prop shaft. They could easily have gotten away with a steel one, but it's nice to know it's there. It's a statement of intent about the car.
8. The 5.9 V12 is much heavier than the V8 but the whole car isn't. It's only 50kg heavier.
9. It has steering that judders at parking speeds. They could have got rid of this by fitting a damper but that would have been at the expense of the car's abundant steering feel. They chose wisely to let the steering judder.
10. All the carbon weave lines up on all the carbon parts very precisely to the point of OCD.
1. It has a V12 engine. That gives you seamless thrust and multi-layered, multi timbral noises that no other cylinder count can offer.
2. It has a manual gearbox. A nice one at that.
3. It looks like an Aston Martin Vantage.
4. It has a very small footprint on the road. That makes it more usable more often than many cars of similar performance.
5. It's a Spitfire, not a Messerschmitt.
6. The carbon ceramic brakes are the best resolved out there in that they work progressively from light pressure as well as the expected brick wall stopping power.
7. It has a carbon fibre prop shaft. They could easily have gotten away with a steel one, but it's nice to know it's there. It's a statement of intent about the car.
8. The 5.9 V12 is much heavier than the V8 but the whole car isn't. It's only 50kg heavier.
9. It has steering that judders at parking speeds. They could have got rid of this by fitting a damper but that would have been at the expense of the car's abundant steering feel. They chose wisely to let the steering judder.
10. All the carbon weave lines up on all the carbon parts very precisely to the point of OCD.
The Pits said:
Back to the topic, there are a few glaring things that make the V12 Vantage a car to be celebrated, that Dan appears to have overlooked.
1. It has a V12 engine. That gives you seamless thrust and multi-layered, multi timbral noises that no other cylinder count can offer.
2. It has a manual gearbox. A nice one at that.
3. It looks like an Aston Martin Vantage.
4. It has a very small footprint on the road. That makes it more usable more often than many cars of similar performance.
5. It's a Spitfire, not a Messerschmitt.
6. The carbon ceramic brakes are the best resolved out there in that they work progressively from light pressure as well as the expected brick wall stopping power.
7. It has a carbon fibre prop shaft. They could easily have gotten away with a steel one, but it's nice to know it's there. It's a statement of intent about the car.
8. The 5.9 V12 is much heavier than the V8 but the whole car isn't. It's only 50kg heavier.
9. It has steering that judders at parking speeds. They could have got rid of this by fitting a damper but that would have been at the expense of the car's abundant steering feel. They chose wisely to let the steering judder.
10. All the carbon weave lines up on all the carbon parts very precisely to the point of OCD.
OMG you're swallowed the sales brochure! 1. It has a V12 engine. That gives you seamless thrust and multi-layered, multi timbral noises that no other cylinder count can offer.
2. It has a manual gearbox. A nice one at that.
3. It looks like an Aston Martin Vantage.
4. It has a very small footprint on the road. That makes it more usable more often than many cars of similar performance.
5. It's a Spitfire, not a Messerschmitt.
6. The carbon ceramic brakes are the best resolved out there in that they work progressively from light pressure as well as the expected brick wall stopping power.
7. It has a carbon fibre prop shaft. They could easily have gotten away with a steel one, but it's nice to know it's there. It's a statement of intent about the car.
8. The 5.9 V12 is much heavier than the V8 but the whole car isn't. It's only 50kg heavier.
9. It has steering that judders at parking speeds. They could have got rid of this by fitting a damper but that would have been at the expense of the car's abundant steering feel. They chose wisely to let the steering judder.
10. All the carbon weave lines up on all the carbon parts very precisely to the point of OCD.
It's a 1.7 tonne car that looks gorgeous, sounds wonderful and handles well but isn't a racer. I agree with Dan (and back on topic), I never felt confident or hooked up unlike the german barges, the suspension is a gen behind some of our euro friends and annoyingly the V12V understeers in the dry when pushed - well certainly in my hands.
Some further fuel for the fire - this is one that autocar tested ... http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-video/v12-vantage/ ... Steve sutcliffe is also a spitfire fan but o dear ...
btw it was interesting to hire a Porsche and V12V with 40,000+ miles on. The Aston's second key's rubber buttons were coming off, the leather stitching was starting to come out, kryten's n*b (gear lever) was wearing badly etc - the hairdryer (Porsche) was ageing a lot better. Maybe all that pork crease from Messerschmitt pilot hands protects the interior better?
cayman-black said:
This is the first time that i have heard of, that a woman prefers a Porshe. From what i hear the ladys love Aston Martins.
In my brief experience the GILFs love Astons and MILFs love Porsches :-0 ... I like the fact that every male hates me with a passion and even feels the need to give me the porsche salute (W Anchor sign). Fueling up with the Ultima always requires running the gauntlet with ten people asking you "what is it? ... what size is the engine? .. where's the luggage?" Zwolf said:
Where are Aston Martin V12s built? Still in Cologne?
At least Rapides are now built here, rather than by Steyr, in Graz.
The V8 and the V12 are built in the ex Ford factory in CologneAt least Rapides are now built here, rather than by Steyr, in Graz.
Edited by Zwolf on Sunday 29th April 21:13
The Rapide is not yet in production at Gaydon there are just planning how to reconfigure the Vantage line to take it.
tjlees said:
OMG you're swallowed the sales brochure!
It's a 1.7 tonne car that looks gorgeous, sounds wonderful and handles well but isn't a racer. I agree with Dan (and back on topic), I never felt confident or hooked up unlike the german barges, the suspension is a gen behind some of our euro friends and annoyingly the V12V understeers in the dry when pushed - well certainly in my hands.
Some further fuel for the fire - this is one that autocar tested ... http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-video/v12-vantage/ ... Steve sutcliffe is also a spitfire fan but o dear ...
btw it was interesting to hire a Porsche and V12V with 40,000+ miles on. The Aston's second key's rubber buttons were coming off, the leather stitching was starting to come out, kryten's n*b (gear lever) was wearing badly etc - the hairdryer (Porsche) was ageing a lot better. Maybe all that pork crease from Messerschmitt pilot hands protects the interior better?
I had hope for you with that Ultima cover of yours but you've just revealed yourself to be a not just a traitor but an infiltraitor working for the germans. Expect a knock on the door from some Beefeaters soon!It's a 1.7 tonne car that looks gorgeous, sounds wonderful and handles well but isn't a racer. I agree with Dan (and back on topic), I never felt confident or hooked up unlike the german barges, the suspension is a gen behind some of our euro friends and annoyingly the V12V understeers in the dry when pushed - well certainly in my hands.
Some further fuel for the fire - this is one that autocar tested ... http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-video/v12-vantage/ ... Steve sutcliffe is also a spitfire fan but o dear ...
btw it was interesting to hire a Porsche and V12V with 40,000+ miles on. The Aston's second key's rubber buttons were coming off, the leather stitching was starting to come out, kryten's n*b (gear lever) was wearing badly etc - the hairdryer (Porsche) was ageing a lot better. Maybe all that pork crease from Messerschmitt pilot hands protects the interior better?
At what point was there any suggestion that the V12 Vantage is a racer? And I imagine you'd be showing one or two signs of wear after 40,000 miles worth of rental abuse too!
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