Making my V8 Vantage complete thank you to BR
Discussion
I have always been a real fan of the Aston Martin Vantage since I first saw one n the metal so to speak, at the time little did I know that one day I would be able to purchase one.
I have owned many sports cars ranging from a BMW M5 the real one the E39 with a manual gearbox to more recently a 996 Turbo, but there has always been something I have changed to make them better.
This is especially true of the 996 which I modified substantially to make it go stop and handle better, and having owned a Boxster I always felt the interior was not as special as it should have been on a car that started its life at over £100K.
Having owned the 996 for over 4 years I suddenly realised that due to the ongoing economic crisis the V8 vantages were now affordable so I started to look.
I initially test drove a couple of 4.3 standard cars and although they looked and sounded fantastic I felt the drive was a little heavy and dare I say slow almost lazy!
This left me with a dilemma here was a fabulous looking car both inside and out, it made a great sound but just fell short in the performance department.
I luckily I was invited to a dealer day at Millbrook where I was able to try all of the models out which was very nice however the best test drive was in a standard V8 vantage manual on the Alpine route.
My instructor encouraged me to push the car hard which I did however he then took me out and I have to say he wrung it out and that was incredible.
The V8 Vantage is a car you need to drive well and then it will reward, so I bought one but only after reading up on this forum and speaking to Mike at Bamford Rose as I needed to know there was more to be had in the future.
Having owned the car for a few months and really started to get to know it well it was time to start the upgrades.
I checked them all out the official Aston upgrade the Prodrive package and finally the Bamford Rose offering.
I spoke to Mike in detail and he was very understanding and recommended their Headers, Cats and induction modification package would be the best place to start so it was agreed.
Whilst waiting my turn in the queue I read Oli Halls posting and was so impressed with his write up on the Flywheel and clutch package that a phone call to Mike and that was booked as well.
I don’t know what my expectation was but nothing prepared me for the transformation of the car,
when I picked it up Adrian took me out for a quick test drive to show me how the car now responds and feels and I was blown away.
The engine revs pick up so fast there is no barbecue smell from the clutch and then there is the noise WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The car feels so alive, gear changes are so much quicker and smoother you would say that you have had a new engine fitted.
Having read many of the posts on this forum you always have tendency to think people are exaggerating however the transformation is Night and Day.
A big thank you to Mike and his team for making my Vantage into the complete sports car I have always dreamed of.
I have owned many sports cars ranging from a BMW M5 the real one the E39 with a manual gearbox to more recently a 996 Turbo, but there has always been something I have changed to make them better.
This is especially true of the 996 which I modified substantially to make it go stop and handle better, and having owned a Boxster I always felt the interior was not as special as it should have been on a car that started its life at over £100K.
Having owned the 996 for over 4 years I suddenly realised that due to the ongoing economic crisis the V8 vantages were now affordable so I started to look.
I initially test drove a couple of 4.3 standard cars and although they looked and sounded fantastic I felt the drive was a little heavy and dare I say slow almost lazy!
This left me with a dilemma here was a fabulous looking car both inside and out, it made a great sound but just fell short in the performance department.
I luckily I was invited to a dealer day at Millbrook where I was able to try all of the models out which was very nice however the best test drive was in a standard V8 vantage manual on the Alpine route.
My instructor encouraged me to push the car hard which I did however he then took me out and I have to say he wrung it out and that was incredible.
The V8 Vantage is a car you need to drive well and then it will reward, so I bought one but only after reading up on this forum and speaking to Mike at Bamford Rose as I needed to know there was more to be had in the future.
Having owned the car for a few months and really started to get to know it well it was time to start the upgrades.
I checked them all out the official Aston upgrade the Prodrive package and finally the Bamford Rose offering.
I spoke to Mike in detail and he was very understanding and recommended their Headers, Cats and induction modification package would be the best place to start so it was agreed.
Whilst waiting my turn in the queue I read Oli Halls posting and was so impressed with his write up on the Flywheel and clutch package that a phone call to Mike and that was booked as well.
I don’t know what my expectation was but nothing prepared me for the transformation of the car,
when I picked it up Adrian took me out for a quick test drive to show me how the car now responds and feels and I was blown away.
The engine revs pick up so fast there is no barbecue smell from the clutch and then there is the noise WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The car feels so alive, gear changes are so much quicker and smoother you would say that you have had a new engine fitted.
Having read many of the posts on this forum you always have tendency to think people are exaggerating however the transformation is Night and Day.
A big thank you to Mike and his team for making my Vantage into the complete sports car I have always dreamed of.
Edited by Markv8v on Wednesday 2nd May 19:31
Hi Mark,
I'm glad to hear you're as pleased with the BR mods as I am!
As you say, before you've driven the car with modifications, it's hard to imagine just how much of a positive transformation the exhaust coupled with the clutch and flywheel provide.
As soon as I get an afternoon free, I'm going to take mine back to AMD for a rolling road test to see exactly how much more torque and BHP the mods give. I will post on here as soon as I get the results!
I went for a test ride in Matt's green car Jessica last friday at the BR open day. It is the absolute nuts. 4.7 GT4 race spec engine, six pot brakes, electronic adjustable dampers, the whole BR caboodle. IWOOT!
thanks,
Oli.
I'm glad to hear you're as pleased with the BR mods as I am!
As you say, before you've driven the car with modifications, it's hard to imagine just how much of a positive transformation the exhaust coupled with the clutch and flywheel provide.
As soon as I get an afternoon free, I'm going to take mine back to AMD for a rolling road test to see exactly how much more torque and BHP the mods give. I will post on here as soon as I get the results!
I went for a test ride in Matt's green car Jessica last friday at the BR open day. It is the absolute nuts. 4.7 GT4 race spec engine, six pot brakes, electronic adjustable dampers, the whole BR caboodle. IWOOT!
thanks,
Oli.
Oli, Who's Matt ? if you mean me that will be Ben !! Ha Ha.
I have been out today In Jessica and she just makes me giggle, So much fun, FAST FUN !
Since I went to BR its been enjoyable reading threads where other people have been to BR and realised the potential of their Vantages.
They have developed and fine tuned components to transform Astons into the very best cars on the road. "IMO" enjoy and keep us informed of your experiences.
I have been out today In Jessica and she just makes me giggle, So much fun, FAST FUN !
Since I went to BR its been enjoyable reading threads where other people have been to BR and realised the potential of their Vantages.
They have developed and fine tuned components to transform Astons into the very best cars on the road. "IMO" enjoy and keep us informed of your experiences.
Edited by pommehogster on Wednesday 2nd May 19:44
AMDBSNick said:
Me too 
Me too Oh.
Car goes in next Tuesday and I get it back a few weeks later after rolling road sessions and a handover at the Millbrook test track so Mike can show me how to drive it!
Then it's off to Le Mans 24 with Pommehogster... I think a few drivers may get a shock via the old man's DB9 and the underpowered early Vantage...
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