My new Vantage S Roadster
Discussion
Jockman said:
Weren't the Astons technically American cars for a short period of time..........
I think throughout the thread I've used the term US built. Meaning - built in the US of A.The ownership - well, for a time some wealthy Greeks were substantial investors but I've never heard anyone call AML a Greek company.
Indeed, FoMoCo are a big part of the story of AML being around now and with the continuation of the engine supply contracts they are still around. And once the current financial crisis ends I'd welcome FoMoCo back as investors/owners of AML.
As I also said, I love America. Great place.
But our American friends are not great at making heavy metal that the rest of the world actually desires or buys.
JohnG1 said:
The ownership - well, for a time some wealthy Greeks were substantial investors but I've never heard anyone call AML a Greek company...But our American friends are not great at making heavy metal that the rest of the world actually desires or buys.
When it comes to product development, Greek ownership means as much to me as the current ownership.At least FoMoCo did a bit more than just provide the bucks.
Has Detroit and its Unions ever seriously made a car suitable for use in another country when it always (until recently) had a vibrant market back home ? A few scraps from the table of plenty perhaps, but nothing more meaningful. The European divisions were left to tend to this in a more targetted way.
Quinny said:
Jeep...??
Ahem...Apart from 'Jeep', has Detroit and its Unions ever seriously made a car suitable for use in another country when it always (until recently) had a vibrant market back home ?I'm going to include that within the 'scraps from the table of plenty' comment Mr Q, if you don't mind
JohnG1 said:
I think throughout the thread I've used the term US built. Meaning - built in the US of A.
So, how about the US-built BMW Z4, Toyota Camry or the plenty of other cars built in the US for the rest of the world by "foreign" car marques? You can't generalize anymore. By your definition, an Aston isn't American just because it is owned by a US company because it is built in the UK. But a BMW isn't American (even though it is US-built) because it is owned by a German company. Which one is it then?
Edited by KarlFranz on Monday 10th October 02:07
KarlFranz said:
So, how about the US-built BMW Z4, Toyota Camry or the plenty of other cars built in the US for the rest of the world by "foreign" car marques? You can't generalize anymore.
By your definition, an Aston isn't American just because it is owned by a US company because it is built in the UK. But a BMW isn't American (even though it is US-built) because it is owned by a German company. Which one is it then?
I can generalise as much as I like, that's the joy of free speech.By your definition, an Aston isn't American just because it is owned by a US company because it is built in the UK. But a BMW isn't American (even though it is US-built) because it is owned by a German company. Which one is it then?
Edited by KarlFranz on Monday 10th October 02:07
However, point taken. Let me re-phrase: "US built and designed for the US market".
I would humbly suggest that the fact that BMW screw together cars in Alabama or wherever does not make them "American". Same way that Nissan building cars in Sunderland (England) does not make them British. An economist can look at value added by location and attempt to work out in some logical way where the car is from.
But back to the point - Ford, GM and Chrysler between them have not built performance cars that are desired by the rest of the world. For the nation that put a man on the moon I have always found it baffling. Look back to my earlier posts, I love America. I just don't understand this fact.
There were plenty of crap Corvettes. The new ones are NOT crap. Well, the seats are. Current generation Corvettes are not only seriously fast, they also handle. Well. There is a very important point that seems largely lost here, which is that in the US -- and this is NOT the case in Europe -- the Corvette is a very good performance car, and an extraordinary one for the money. In the US, a 430 hp Corvette is vastly less expensive than a 911 -- approx. $50K - 60K, vs. typically $95K+ for a 911. And the Corvette is faster. A Z06 offers 505 hp for about $90K. The ZR1 gives 638 hp for about $120K -- far less $$$ than a 911 Turbo at about $150-ish. Sure, the Corvette's build quality isn't a match for the Porsche's, but I wouldn't expect it to be given the HUGE price differential. Hmm, kind of like how Astons tend to be more expensive than Porsches, but the quality of materials in an Aston is far superior to that of a new 911...
George H said:
Lets face it, the reasoning why anyone outside of America would buy a corvette over say, a 911, is laughable. In fact, I can't see one reason why an American would buy a corvette over a 911, unless they desperately wanted an old fashioned plastic sports car with no style.
Wow. Sorry. You really should be kicked out of the Aston forum for lack of taste. How exactly anyone can equate a 911 with style is beyond me. Damn ugly.I just have to laugh. Nothing but prejudice causes you to have no idea what you are missing. Do you guys even understand the kind of cars are commonplace on the streets of the US now? Vettes, Camaros, Mustangs, Challengers. Cars that are affordable, can be driven every day, reliable, easy to maintain, with tons of performance, completely customizable, and just simply fun.
JohnG1 said:
Fair points. But a heads-up display, while cool is hardly core to the driving experience.
Before I had one I though the same thing. But once you get used to never having to take your eyes off the road for anything, you start to realize just how nice it is. When I got the Aston it took me a month to retrain myself to glance down again. Plus, it was sort of neat to have a G meter display on the HUD.Jay_Davis said:
Before I had one I though the same thing. But once you get used to never having to take your eyes off the road for anything, you start to realize just how nice it is. When I got the Aston it took me a month to retrain myself to glance down again. Plus, it was sort of neat to have a G meter display on the HUD.
Look, fess up, you just want to be in Top Gun!Jay_Davis said:
Wow. Sorry. You really should be kicked out of the Aston forum for lack of taste. How exactly anyone can equate a 911 with style is beyond me. Damn ugly.
I just have to laugh. Nothing but prejudice causes you to have no idea what you are missing. Do you guys even understand the kind of cars are commonplace on the streets of the US now? Vettes, Camaros, Mustangs, Challengers. Cars that are affordable, can be driven every day, reliable, easy to maintain, with tons of performance, completely customizable, and just simply fun.
I'm not saying a 911 is really stylish, but compared to a Corvette? I just have to laugh. Nothing but prejudice causes you to have no idea what you are missing. Do you guys even understand the kind of cars are commonplace on the streets of the US now? Vettes, Camaros, Mustangs, Challengers. Cars that are affordable, can be driven every day, reliable, easy to maintain, with tons of performance, completely customizable, and just simply fun.
Those sort of cars are truly awful. I cannot think of one way where a Corvette/Camaro/Mustang et al are in one way superior to a European sports car. Except maybe that they are cheaper, but it certainly shows. The Corvette Z06 I sat in had the worst interior I've seen in a car. I certainly wouldn't want to do a long journey in it.
As someone who has owned Mustang, Corvette, 911 and now AMV8 I can't resist chipping in here.
The key to what I bought and how much I enjoyed it is where I was living at the time. I had the Mustang and Corvette while living in the US and the 911 and now AM back here in the UK.
The Mustang was a Bullitt anniversary model and probably had the best exhaust note I have ever heard - after the AM. It wasn't massive in the handling department but it was a fun car to take to work every day. The Corvette was also a great car, easy to run and maintain and always an occasion. Heading off to the Outer Banks on a Friday evening in the 'Vette - doesn't get much better than that.
But, the key here is would I have run either of those cars here in the UK? No, for the same reason I wouldn't run an F150 Harley truck or a Cadillac Escalade - they just don't seem to fit in with our motoring culture or notions of European design.
I sold a 911 before I went to the US and thought about getting another when we arrived but was swayed by the idea of sampling the best of what the US has to to offer. I'm glad that I did, no regrets and enjoyed the experience immensely.
The key to what I bought and how much I enjoyed it is where I was living at the time. I had the Mustang and Corvette while living in the US and the 911 and now AM back here in the UK.
The Mustang was a Bullitt anniversary model and probably had the best exhaust note I have ever heard - after the AM. It wasn't massive in the handling department but it was a fun car to take to work every day. The Corvette was also a great car, easy to run and maintain and always an occasion. Heading off to the Outer Banks on a Friday evening in the 'Vette - doesn't get much better than that.
But, the key here is would I have run either of those cars here in the UK? No, for the same reason I wouldn't run an F150 Harley truck or a Cadillac Escalade - they just don't seem to fit in with our motoring culture or notions of European design.
I sold a 911 before I went to the US and thought about getting another when we arrived but was swayed by the idea of sampling the best of what the US has to to offer. I'm glad that I did, no regrets and enjoyed the experience immensely.
Bringing this back on topic 
(you could start a new one corvette vs AM?)
Paint corrector and machine polisher booked for weekend after next, paint should be fully set by then
Then on to the paint film guy the following Monday.
In the meantime I'm going to get the sealants on the arches, engine bay and wheels, followed by some stain guard on the roof liner.
Stuck some LED lights in to the rear plate and door lights to get rid of the "yellow" glow from them.
I'll do the footwell lights when I'm feeling flexible enough
Also going to add 100W main beam as I found the 55W ones a bit too dim for my style of night driving
(you could start a new one corvette vs AM?)
Paint corrector and machine polisher booked for weekend after next, paint should be fully set by then
Then on to the paint film guy the following Monday.
In the meantime I'm going to get the sealants on the arches, engine bay and wheels, followed by some stain guard on the roof liner.
Stuck some LED lights in to the rear plate and door lights to get rid of the "yellow" glow from them.
I'll do the footwell lights when I'm feeling flexible enough
Also going to add 100W main beam as I found the 55W ones a bit too dim for my style of night driving
Edited by mikey k on Wednesday 12th October 08:31
I've not updated this for a bit.
I've been busy though! Just not driving it 
(yet)
Paints now had 4 weeks hardening so I started on detailing it.
I had a good look over it and there was way too much tyre "grease" on the tyres and in the wheel arches so that had to come off.
Paint work was actually OK considering the warning I was given about AM paint quality, still not perfect though
1)one piece of dirt under the paint coat on the bonnet
2) two black spots in the paint on the bonnet
3) sanding powder under the bonnet, in the roof seals and front area behind the grill
4) dried clear coat wet sanding debris set rock solid in the rear wing arches, engine bay, under the bonnet, behind the front upper grill, along the underneath of the sills and behind the lower front bumper grill (no idea how to get to this frown )
5) clear coat dripping and setting from the bonnet hinge
6) dirt under the paint on the back edge of the bonnet and the back edge of the drivers front wing.
No marring, holograms or sanding marks that I could find with 3 different light sources
So on with a Meguiars APC 10:1 wash to the engine, arches alloys and body panels.
Rinsed it off and dried it.
Out with the Meguiars Clay Bar kit, as the clay is less aggressive and suited the new paint. Still surprised how much crap came off the paint! You could feel the difference afterwards
Vantage S detail 004 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
I had a good look at my stone chip and got my Chipex ordered - turned up 2 days later!
Found two others on the front as well.
Here it is before polishing it up after Chipex filling.
Vantage S detail 013 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Moved on to cleaning up the engine bay, after a good clean up of body shop debris and sorting out a few errant loom clips and masking the body work up I sprayed it with Meguiars Hyperdress 2:1 for a satin rather than gloss finish. Ran the engine for 10 minutes and brushed up the excess that had pooled. Quick metal polish to Mr Freeman's plaque (who I'd like to have a word with )
Vantage S detail 019 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Then I moved on to the wheels and brakes. Using small ramps and a trolley jack I removed and sorted out one corner at a time. After another APC 10:1 wash I dried them and gave the wheel and the calipers two coats of my favourite harsh duty polish! Collinite 845 insulator wax. I was amazed at the size difference of the front calipers to my old V8 and found out how they take a bit of weight out the wheels - drill big holes in the back!
refitted them with my old locking wheel nuts (that need de rusting )
Vantage S detail 006 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 011 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 009 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 010 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
I was contemplating paint filming the rear of the seats and the extruded inner sills.
Took one look at the back of the seat and decided film would never follow the contours so I gave them a couple of coats of Collinite as well
Vantage S detail 024 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
I ordered a few strips of Ventureshield to do the inner sills with, I gave up after trying to use a heat gun to wrap it round the edge of the sill It's just took thick for intricate curves. So I got some "sticky back plastic" to have a go with that. It went on OK and could easily be cut and formed. But the surface finish was $hit and it looked awful So that came off and two coats of Collinite went on until I cna come up with a better plan.
Vantage S detail 064 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
So a semi professional detailer mate (thanks Paul!) came over to machine polish and fettle the paint work at the weekend. He was happy there was no correction needed and simple used a Menzerna light cutting/polish compound on orbital polisher. You could see the improvement as he finshed each panel. It really started to look like the way it should have come out the factory.
Vantage S detail 062 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 048 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 044 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
The master at work
Vantage S detail 026 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Once he had finished and done the carbon fibre bits as well the colour really came out.
You can see how Lightning Silver changes with the light. Blue to Lilac hint to Silver all in one car!
Vantage S detail 025 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Moved it outside ot get a good look at it!
Vantage S detail 036 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 032 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 030 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 029 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Off to the paint film guys tomorrow to seal in the fantastic finish.
Once its back 3 coats of Zaino 2 to seal it all up!
The grill is out for the detailer and paint film guys Oh and for the dealer to replace it as it's falling apart
Gave all the leather a wipe down with the Meguiars 10:1 APC just to remove finger prints etc
I need to stain guard the roof liner and clean the glass down
Really looking forward to getting it dirty and exploring it!
More pics here for you
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25369163@N08/sets/721...
As an aside I found the same issue on this ones roof as I had on my last one.
The middle support bar is not properly covered enough to stop the metal edge rubbing and fraying the roof liner
I'll get the dealer on to that one as well
Vantage S detail 016 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 017 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
I've been busy though!
Just not driving it (yet)Paints now had 4 weeks hardening so I started on detailing it.
I had a good look over it and there was way too much tyre "grease" on the tyres and in the wheel arches so that had to come off.
Paint work was actually OK considering the warning I was given about AM paint quality, still not perfect though
1)one piece of dirt under the paint coat on the bonnet
2) two black spots in the paint on the bonnet
3) sanding powder under the bonnet, in the roof seals and front area behind the grill
4) dried clear coat wet sanding debris set rock solid in the rear wing arches, engine bay, under the bonnet, behind the front upper grill, along the underneath of the sills and behind the lower front bumper grill (no idea how to get to this frown )
5) clear coat dripping and setting from the bonnet hinge
6) dirt under the paint on the back edge of the bonnet and the back edge of the drivers front wing.
No marring, holograms or sanding marks that I could find with 3 different light sources
So on with a Meguiars APC 10:1 wash to the engine, arches alloys and body panels.
Rinsed it off and dried it.
Out with the Meguiars Clay Bar kit, as the clay is less aggressive and suited the new paint. Still surprised how much crap came off the paint! You could feel the difference afterwards
Vantage S detail 004 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
I had a good look at my stone chip and got my Chipex ordered - turned up 2 days later!
Found two others on the front as well.
Here it is before polishing it up after Chipex filling.
Vantage S detail 013 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Moved on to cleaning up the engine bay, after a good clean up of body shop debris and sorting out a few errant loom clips and masking the body work up I sprayed it with Meguiars Hyperdress 2:1 for a satin rather than gloss finish. Ran the engine for 10 minutes and brushed up the excess that had pooled. Quick metal polish to Mr Freeman's plaque (who I'd like to have a word with
)Vantage S detail 019 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Then I moved on to the wheels and brakes. Using small ramps and a trolley jack I removed and sorted out one corner at a time. After another APC 10:1 wash I dried them and gave the wheel and the calipers two coats of my favourite harsh duty polish! Collinite 845 insulator wax. I was amazed at the size difference of the front calipers to my old V8 and found out how they take a bit of weight out the wheels - drill big holes in the back!
refitted them with my old locking wheel nuts (that need de rusting ) Vantage S detail 006 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 011 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 009 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 010 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
I was contemplating paint filming the rear of the seats and the extruded inner sills.
Took one look at the back of the seat and decided film would never follow the contours so I gave them a couple of coats of Collinite as well
Vantage S detail 024 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
I ordered a few strips of Ventureshield to do the inner sills with, I gave up after trying to use a heat gun to wrap it round the edge of the sill
It's just took thick for intricate curves. So I got some "sticky back plastic" to have a go with that. It went on OK and could easily be cut and formed. But the surface finish was $hit and it looked awful So that came off and two coats of Collinite went on until I cna come up with a better plan.Vantage S detail 064 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
So a semi professional detailer mate (thanks Paul!) came over to machine polish and fettle the paint work at the weekend. He was happy there was no correction needed and simple used a Menzerna light cutting/polish compound on orbital polisher. You could see the improvement as he finshed each panel. It really started to look like the way it should have come out the factory.
Vantage S detail 062 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 048 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 044 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
The master at work
Vantage S detail 026 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Once he had finished and done the carbon fibre bits as well the colour really came out.
You can see how Lightning Silver changes with the light. Blue to Lilac hint to Silver all in one car!
Vantage S detail 025 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Moved it outside ot get a good look at it!
Vantage S detail 036 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 032 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 030 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 029 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Off to the paint film guys tomorrow to seal in the fantastic finish.
Once its back 3 coats of Zaino 2 to seal it all up!
The grill is out for the detailer and paint film guys Oh and for the dealer to replace it as it's falling apart
Gave all the leather a wipe down with the Meguiars 10:1 APC just to remove finger prints etc
I need to stain guard the roof liner and clean the glass down
Really looking forward to getting it dirty and exploring it!
More pics here for you
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25369163@N08/sets/721...
As an aside I found the same issue on this ones roof as I had on my last one.
The middle support bar is not properly covered enough to stop the metal edge rubbing and fraying the roof liner
I'll get the dealer on to that one as well
Vantage S detail 016 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
Vantage S detail 017 by mikey k V8VR, on Flickr
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