Picked my V12VR: write up.
Discussion
I thought I would write up a summary of my trip from the last 3 days picking up my V12VR.
So after what seems the longest possible wait in the history of mankind, I managed to get enough time off to go pick up my new car. I live in Amsterdam and the car was located in the south of Germany.
An agonizing 12 weeks after purchasing a Volcano red V12 vantage I managed to plan a long weekend down to the Bavarian parts of Germany.
I managed to trick my girlfriend to believe we would have a lovely weekend together and Bavaria is very nice this time of year.....uhm.
So needless to say she was surprised to realize we didnt rent a car, but had our own car that we were picking up
The V12VR is a very interesting car. I had two cars in mind to compare it with:
- V8 vantage 4.3...same platform obviously was curious about the engine and brakes. The 4.3 car I had sold just 2 months ago....so I remained AM-less for a small amount of time and wanted to know if it would feel familiar.
- 550 maranllo. I own this car now little over year and its just an amazing car. The power output is almost the same, so I had a benchmark to look forward to.
I never drove a V12 vantage (none for sale in Holland except one with 150km on odometer so not allowed to drive it), so just had to buy it without any test drive.
So I had no idea what to expect but yet tried to imagine the car to be the handling of the 4.3 with the power of the Maranello.
So after 1000km in 2 days I can say the following:
Sound:
The first thing I did, was pull fuse15
WoW WoW WoW, what a great sound. Im just in love with the engine sound...its perfection.
Luckily I had great weather on the first day, so I could enjoy the sound of that engine.
The V8 vantage sounds like a boyish jock trying its best to be heard, but the V12 is a more manly sound without the necessity to show off Just burbling along it feels great, but at WOT is awesome and everything in between.
Much much better than I had hoped it would be in the sound department. It beats the Maranello hands down, eventhough that has a Larini-xpipe and Tubistyle backboxes.
The V8 Vantage had 200 cell cats with original backboxes, but it sounded too pitchy compared to this.
Power:
Obviously more powerfull compared to the 4.3, but initially I was doubtfull it would be faster than my 550.
Just to show you how great of a car the 550 is... 15 year older car with almost the same power output and much higher topspeed (obviously gearing comes into play).
The first 200 km I took it easy and gradually increased the bursts of power.
The biggest difference between the 550 is that the Maranello is VERY linear in its power output. It hardly matters if youre at 3k rpm of 5k rpm or 7k rpm... the torque is very constant. At least thats how it feels.
The V12VR has a different powercurve...a little bit less torque on the bottom-end (below 3k), but a lot more up top.
So I was a little worried in the beginning that it would not meet my expectations in power output. I dont want the fastest car, but at least it should be quicker than my 550...there is 15 years between them so it better have something to show for.
But it has... it likes to rev a lot more than the 550 and once you nail it hard, it will definitely outpace a 550. Will test shortly with a friend with 2 gopro cameras to see if im right
Brakes, clutch and ride:
Very smooth ride, much better than a 4.3. Not comparable to my 550, which has the Fiorano handling package.
The best thing: those brakes....just wow. First time with carbon brakes for me....im impressed and no wheel dust! It just gives you all the confidence you need, the 550s brakes are rubbish in comparison.
The ride itself is very sorted, the suspension is sporty enough without being harsh. As long as you dont track it, you wont need anything better (which I wont).
And finally the clutch was the 1 thing that let the 4.3 vantage down: the smallest error left a dirty clutch smell and that thing was just poorly designed using its single clutch plate. The V12 doesnt have that problem and it makes the car a lot more enjoyable.
Boot:
Terriblly small. We had 2 cabin-size rollbags we use for weekend trips...they BARELY fit. They were hard luggages, so if you have soft bags it will be easier to maximize the space.
Infotainment:
Joke, however I have the B&O sound system which is awesome. Bloody iphone woulntd connect and couldnt play music, but we had the top down...so that was not needed for now
Gas mileage:
Omg....17.5 liters per 100km....so 1 liter of fuel gets you 5.7 km... ouch. My 550 gets me at least 6 kms... I guess in 15 years time we didnt manage to do anything about fuel consumption...
Car is now safely in the garage and im a happy boy. This is the coolest thing ive ever bought... its a perfect combindation with my 550, I think they compliment each other very well.
The one coupe, black and more edgy (has original carbon bucket seats and firmer ride) and the other red, open-top and just brilliant car to waft around in.
Mandatory pic of filling up the latest member of my family :
So after what seems the longest possible wait in the history of mankind, I managed to get enough time off to go pick up my new car. I live in Amsterdam and the car was located in the south of Germany.
An agonizing 12 weeks after purchasing a Volcano red V12 vantage I managed to plan a long weekend down to the Bavarian parts of Germany.
I managed to trick my girlfriend to believe we would have a lovely weekend together and Bavaria is very nice this time of year.....uhm.
So needless to say she was surprised to realize we didnt rent a car, but had our own car that we were picking up
The V12VR is a very interesting car. I had two cars in mind to compare it with:
- V8 vantage 4.3...same platform obviously was curious about the engine and brakes. The 4.3 car I had sold just 2 months ago....so I remained AM-less for a small amount of time and wanted to know if it would feel familiar.
- 550 maranllo. I own this car now little over year and its just an amazing car. The power output is almost the same, so I had a benchmark to look forward to.
I never drove a V12 vantage (none for sale in Holland except one with 150km on odometer so not allowed to drive it), so just had to buy it without any test drive.
So I had no idea what to expect but yet tried to imagine the car to be the handling of the 4.3 with the power of the Maranello.
So after 1000km in 2 days I can say the following:
Sound:
The first thing I did, was pull fuse15
WoW WoW WoW, what a great sound. Im just in love with the engine sound...its perfection.
Luckily I had great weather on the first day, so I could enjoy the sound of that engine.
The V8 vantage sounds like a boyish jock trying its best to be heard, but the V12 is a more manly sound without the necessity to show off Just burbling along it feels great, but at WOT is awesome and everything in between.
Much much better than I had hoped it would be in the sound department. It beats the Maranello hands down, eventhough that has a Larini-xpipe and Tubistyle backboxes.
The V8 Vantage had 200 cell cats with original backboxes, but it sounded too pitchy compared to this.
Power:
Obviously more powerfull compared to the 4.3, but initially I was doubtfull it would be faster than my 550.
Just to show you how great of a car the 550 is... 15 year older car with almost the same power output and much higher topspeed (obviously gearing comes into play).
The first 200 km I took it easy and gradually increased the bursts of power.
The biggest difference between the 550 is that the Maranello is VERY linear in its power output. It hardly matters if youre at 3k rpm of 5k rpm or 7k rpm... the torque is very constant. At least thats how it feels.
The V12VR has a different powercurve...a little bit less torque on the bottom-end (below 3k), but a lot more up top.
So I was a little worried in the beginning that it would not meet my expectations in power output. I dont want the fastest car, but at least it should be quicker than my 550...there is 15 years between them so it better have something to show for.
But it has... it likes to rev a lot more than the 550 and once you nail it hard, it will definitely outpace a 550. Will test shortly with a friend with 2 gopro cameras to see if im right
Brakes, clutch and ride:
Very smooth ride, much better than a 4.3. Not comparable to my 550, which has the Fiorano handling package.
The best thing: those brakes....just wow. First time with carbon brakes for me....im impressed and no wheel dust! It just gives you all the confidence you need, the 550s brakes are rubbish in comparison.
The ride itself is very sorted, the suspension is sporty enough without being harsh. As long as you dont track it, you wont need anything better (which I wont).
And finally the clutch was the 1 thing that let the 4.3 vantage down: the smallest error left a dirty clutch smell and that thing was just poorly designed using its single clutch plate. The V12 doesnt have that problem and it makes the car a lot more enjoyable.
Boot:
Terriblly small. We had 2 cabin-size rollbags we use for weekend trips...they BARELY fit. They were hard luggages, so if you have soft bags it will be easier to maximize the space.
Infotainment:
Joke, however I have the B&O sound system which is awesome. Bloody iphone woulntd connect and couldnt play music, but we had the top down...so that was not needed for now
Gas mileage:
Omg....17.5 liters per 100km....so 1 liter of fuel gets you 5.7 km... ouch. My 550 gets me at least 6 kms... I guess in 15 years time we didnt manage to do anything about fuel consumption...
Car is now safely in the garage and im a happy boy. This is the coolest thing ive ever bought... its a perfect combindation with my 550, I think they compliment each other very well.
The one coupe, black and more edgy (has original carbon bucket seats and firmer ride) and the other red, open-top and just brilliant car to waft around in.
Mandatory pic of filling up the latest member of my family :
Edited by Brakke on Sunday 24th April 19:57
Edited by Brakke on Sunday 24th April 20:00
Edited by Brakke on Sunday 24th April 20:15
Thanks guys!
I have a few meetings to prepare for tomorrow, but havent gotten anything done hahha, just end of up looking at pics of the trip.
How will I survive this week, any tips??
btw:
Did anyone remove their secondary cats? Im afraid it will be too loud.... anyone care to comment.
straight pipes cost 600 euros, and are easily put back...although if its too loud is waste of money. Looking for any comments.
I have a few meetings to prepare for tomorrow, but havent gotten anything done hahha, just end of up looking at pics of the trip.
How will I survive this week, any tips??
btw:
Did anyone remove their secondary cats? Im afraid it will be too loud.... anyone care to comment.
straight pipes cost 600 euros, and are easily put back...although if its too loud is waste of money. Looking for any comments.
Ed50 said:
Many Congratulations on a lovely addition to the family and on a great write up.
I suspect that's the first of many visits to the Petrol Station for you, so nice to have a picture to commemorate.
Enjoy the moment and the many miles of pleasure that lay in store.
Nice to know Little Norman has a stable mate over the water.
Enjoy……...:thumb up:
I suppose asking you to bring your new Baby to Burghley is asking a bit much…….
Im afaid shes a thirsty one.. I suspect that's the first of many visits to the Petrol Station for you, so nice to have a picture to commemorate.
Enjoy the moment and the many miles of pleasure that lay in store.
Nice to know Little Norman has a stable mate over the water.
Enjoy……...:thumb up:
I suppose asking you to bring your new Baby to Burghley is asking a bit much…….
Id love to come to Burghley, but afraid the chances are slim to none...too many obligations. I did make a small donation for your efforts however, felt really gutted I couldnt make it. Seems you must be an eventplanner and/or promoter in a previous life! You dont stop trying till the last moment
4.3 was not bad at all. I loved the sound, but i think i just prefer this sound. Slightly deeper and more burbling rather than pitching in higher revs... very hard to describe sounds obviously through the interwebs, will make a video shortly of a 550 vs V12 vantage comparison.
For anyones interest:
Check out these 2 links:
http://fastestlaps.com/models/ferrari-550-maranell...
http://fastestlaps.com/models/aston-martin-v12-van...
Youll notice the minimal difference in torque and hp per liter between the 2 cars.
However the Aston has peak torque at 5750 while the ferrari has it at 5000.
The Ferrari has its peak power at 7k rpm, while the Aston gets its peak power output at 6500. So The Astons peak power and torque are very close to each other making it feel like a peaky powercurve and the torque is at a much higher rpm. The Ferrari peark torque is at a lower rpm but continues to deliver its max power output at a higher rpm.
Funny to see how little difference the torque and hp per liter have though...almost too coincidental hmmm haha
For anyones interest:
Check out these 2 links:
http://fastestlaps.com/models/ferrari-550-maranell...
http://fastestlaps.com/models/aston-martin-v12-van...
Youll notice the minimal difference in torque and hp per liter between the 2 cars.
However the Aston has peak torque at 5750 while the ferrari has it at 5000.
The Ferrari has its peak power at 7k rpm, while the Aston gets its peak power output at 6500. So The Astons peak power and torque are very close to each other making it feel like a peaky powercurve and the torque is at a much higher rpm. The Ferrari peark torque is at a lower rpm but continues to deliver its max power output at a higher rpm.
Funny to see how little difference the torque and hp per liter have though...almost too coincidental hmmm haha
I find sport mode pretty useless to be honest once you take fuse15 out
You lose a sense of control with the heightened throttle sensitivity. For good stop light acceleration it is downright useless as it just spins the rear wheels it seems.
Havent thought about the faked sense of torque...will give it some extra notice next time to see if that make any difference.
You lose a sense of control with the heightened throttle sensitivity. For good stop light acceleration it is downright useless as it just spins the rear wheels it seems.
Havent thought about the faked sense of torque...will give it some extra notice next time to see if that make any difference.
Neil1300r said:
Great writeup and lovely looking car.
To pair the iphone:-
Put the iphone Bluetooth into search mode.
Tell the car - Pair phone
Car tells you to put phone into search mode and then type 1 2 3 4 as the bluetooth code.
Phone will see the car - will list as Aston Martin. Put code in
It will then fail! Car says pairing failed.
But you now have the iphone recognising the Aston Martin bluetooth, so on the phone, select "Aston Martin" on the bluetooth menu. It will bring up the boxes to put in the passcode. Put in 1 2 3 4, but do NOT press pair on the phone yet.
Tell the car - pair phone. Then immediatley press the Pair button (top right) on the phone.
Should then pair straght away.
Checked and phone is always then recognised on startup
Why in heavens name is there an Ipod connector then? Cant you use that instead of the bluetooth??To pair the iphone:-
Put the iphone Bluetooth into search mode.
Tell the car - Pair phone
Car tells you to put phone into search mode and then type 1 2 3 4 as the bluetooth code.
Phone will see the car - will list as Aston Martin. Put code in
It will then fail! Car says pairing failed.
But you now have the iphone recognising the Aston Martin bluetooth, so on the phone, select "Aston Martin" on the bluetooth menu. It will bring up the boxes to put in the passcode. Put in 1 2 3 4, but do NOT press pair on the phone yet.
Tell the car - pair phone. Then immediatley press the Pair button (top right) on the phone.
Should then pair straght away.
Checked and phone is always then recognised on startup
Haha
No im not an expat, just a wanderer from Persia who got lost in Holland and decided to stay for its lovely weather, sandy beaches and open highways with their lack of speedcameras
I guess your name is an indication as to how much you like the red color
Dont get me wrong on the sound of a 4.3 btw
I think its lovely and especially the 4.3 backboxes are known for their pops and bangs. I just prefer the deeper throathier sound of the V12. Ferraris have the same thing if you compare a F458 to an F12 or 599.
You can hear the difference very well in this video:
https://youtu.be/1EwnRqKioEI?t=1m8s
Thats the start of the V8 vantage: its just a bit higher pitched (still not like a Ferrari ofcourse)
https://youtu.be/D-UlDLF37Y0?t=58s
Here you can hear the V12 Vantage.
Anyway, I guess its horses for courses and all that stuff.
No im not an expat, just a wanderer from Persia who got lost in Holland and decided to stay for its lovely weather, sandy beaches and open highways with their lack of speedcameras
I guess your name is an indication as to how much you like the red color
Dont get me wrong on the sound of a 4.3 btw
I think its lovely and especially the 4.3 backboxes are known for their pops and bangs. I just prefer the deeper throathier sound of the V12. Ferraris have the same thing if you compare a F458 to an F12 or 599.
You can hear the difference very well in this video:
https://youtu.be/1EwnRqKioEI?t=1m8s
Thats the start of the V8 vantage: its just a bit higher pitched (still not like a Ferrari ofcourse)
https://youtu.be/D-UlDLF37Y0?t=58s
Here you can hear the V12 Vantage.
Anyway, I guess its horses for courses and all that stuff.
Edited by Brakke on Tuesday 3rd May 08:18
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff