Vantage - redesign???
Discussion
Reading the "make an offer" post I thought it was an appropriate time to revisit the subject of the new Vantage’s design 
Do you remember the launch of the jelly mould Ford Sierra, or the last bug eyed Granada that finished off that range, then there was BMW’s "flame surfacing" period.... both companies trying to lead the market into a new forward looking design language (just two examples there are others) and getting it wrong. Both stuck by their design mistake and paid the price.. for years!
Aston are trying to expand the appeal of their biggest seller to capture a younger buyer, slicing a piece of the 911 (and similar) market, while differentiating their sports car from their more GT orientated tradition... The DB11 retains the sleek, stunning beauty of Aston’s recent past, updated for a new era, but the Vantage was redesigned to be - young - thrusting - aggressive - controversial - powerful - in your face!!!
To be fair Marek got it pretty much right with the 11, but while I appreciate many like the new Vantage it is clear that the design has turned more people off the brand than those it has gained. Looks are a personal thing so I won’t comment
but the fact is it needs a redesign to achieve what A.M. are seeking. The new roadster grille is a start, but it clearly needs more work. I get that the tooling and costs involved with a new look would be very expensive for a small company like Aston, but the you only need to look at the opening paragraph to see that the cost of not recognising the mistake will ultimately be higher.
This has been done before on Pistonheads, but now the design has had chance to settle, I thought it would be worth revisiting the subject. Of course it isn’t just about design but also pricing, dynamics, performance etc.
So rather than bashing A.M. please post your ideas to improve the new Vantage, ultimately the aim has to be to try and appeal to a new (younger?) market while retaining loyalty and aspiration from current owners.... not easy
Do you remember the launch of the jelly mould Ford Sierra, or the last bug eyed Granada that finished off that range, then there was BMW’s "flame surfacing" period.... both companies trying to lead the market into a new forward looking design language (just two examples there are others) and getting it wrong. Both stuck by their design mistake and paid the price.. for years!
Aston are trying to expand the appeal of their biggest seller to capture a younger buyer, slicing a piece of the 911 (and similar) market, while differentiating their sports car from their more GT orientated tradition... The DB11 retains the sleek, stunning beauty of Aston’s recent past, updated for a new era, but the Vantage was redesigned to be - young - thrusting - aggressive - controversial - powerful - in your face!!!
To be fair Marek got it pretty much right with the 11, but while I appreciate many like the new Vantage it is clear that the design has turned more people off the brand than those it has gained. Looks are a personal thing so I won’t comment
but the fact is it needs a redesign to achieve what A.M. are seeking. The new roadster grille is a start, but it clearly needs more work. I get that the tooling and costs involved with a new look would be very expensive for a small company like Aston, but the you only need to look at the opening paragraph to see that the cost of not recognising the mistake will ultimately be higher.This has been done before on Pistonheads, but now the design has had chance to settle, I thought it would be worth revisiting the subject. Of course it isn’t just about design but also pricing, dynamics, performance etc.
So rather than bashing A.M. please post your ideas to improve the new Vantage, ultimately the aim has to be to try and appeal to a new (younger?) market while retaining loyalty and aspiration from current owners.... not easy
Wilky7 said:
The rear is perfect. For the front, reduce the size of the grille and make the headlights bigger.
When we had a factory tour a couple of years ago, my girlfriend commented that the Vantage front looks too much like an MX5 and I agree......so did someone else at AM who was present!
This first post shows how subjective it all is. From the side, I think it looks OK. To me, the rear is an unfathomable mess, the metal surround by the exhausts looks and feels cheap too. Sadly, I also mistook an MX5 for a Vantage a few months ago when I saw it out of the corner of my eye.When we had a factory tour a couple of years ago, my girlfriend commented that the Vantage front looks too much like an MX5 and I agree......so did someone else at AM who was present!
For a redesign, I'd say the whole thing needs throwing out. Its just not selling (or I'm completely wrong and the price is too high)
To be clear, I'm yet to see a single review of note or owner reporting that they don't like how the new car drives, so dynamically its spot on.
When I bought my first Vantage 9 years ago (aged 30), it was the elegance of the car that drew me to the brand and at that time the DBS was way out of my league, it was a doorway into AM. If I were looking for my first 'expensive' car now, I don't think AM would be getting my money.
Edited by dbs2000 on Friday 13th November 13:47
but with a new man at the top, new investment from MB and the design being out long enough for people to get used to it and make a more informed decision I think it’s the right time to revisit the subject in one thread 
t to Zagato. So I've owned a V8V and now a V12VS over the past 5 years.
.
The V12 is staying in the garage.
I'd love a Vanquish but suspect it's too close to the V12 to be my second Aston. It will be a couple of years before I buy the next one.
I really like the aesthetics of the DB11 and the DBSS even more. Although I'm north of 60 (according to my birth certificate which I must remember to burn as it's getting embarrassing) I don't think either are for me, for different reasons - the DB 11 seems a bit too GT and the DBSS just too mental to ever be able to appreciate all that it has to offer on a public road system with radars, mobile radars, police bikes, the general public etc.
So that brings me to the new Vantage. I didn't like it from the front when I saw and drove a pre production car in early 2018. The interior is a bit fussy and not as classy as the last series as we all know, but I quite like it, and can live with the screen. I love the rear and highlighting the diffuser in contrasting colours can produce some outsatnding detail (particularly with the dual pipes), and think it looks great from most angles except full front on. I haven't seen the new roadster front other than in photos and really not sure it's the solution, in fact prefer photos of the Revenant option.
The original front in the right combination of body and mesh colour can look really sporty but not elegant, beautiful or graceful.
I'll buy one when the price and the available funds crossover on the man maths graph. Why, because it will be a fantastic, dynamic daily drive, fun on weekends, stylish enough to fit with my (possibly distorted ) self image and a lot of fun, and sufficiently different to the V12 to be interesting.
And it's the best car around for my taste - Ferrari, Porsche, AM GT, R8 don't come close for me
I know most won't agree with me and that's ok.
If they do a re hash if the front and the interior and it's a slam dunk then all the better for AM and all our fellow owners.
Graze[url]
.The V12 is staying in the garage.
I'd love a Vanquish but suspect it's too close to the V12 to be my second Aston. It will be a couple of years before I buy the next one.
I really like the aesthetics of the DB11 and the DBSS even more. Although I'm north of 60 (according to my birth certificate which I must remember to burn as it's getting embarrassing) I don't think either are for me, for different reasons - the DB 11 seems a bit too GT and the DBSS just too mental to ever be able to appreciate all that it has to offer on a public road system with radars, mobile radars, police bikes, the general public etc.
So that brings me to the new Vantage. I didn't like it from the front when I saw and drove a pre production car in early 2018. The interior is a bit fussy and not as classy as the last series as we all know, but I quite like it, and can live with the screen. I love the rear and highlighting the diffuser in contrasting colours can produce some outsatnding detail (particularly with the dual pipes), and think it looks great from most angles except full front on. I haven't seen the new roadster front other than in photos and really not sure it's the solution, in fact prefer photos of the Revenant option.
The original front in the right combination of body and mesh colour can look really sporty but not elegant, beautiful or graceful.
I'll buy one when the price and the available funds crossover on the man maths graph. Why, because it will be a fantastic, dynamic daily drive, fun on weekends, stylish enough to fit with my (possibly distorted ) self image and a lot of fun, and sufficiently different to the V12 to be interesting.
And it's the best car around for my taste - Ferrari, Porsche, AM GT, R8 don't come close for me
I know most won't agree with me and that's ok.
If they do a re hash if the front and the interior and it's a slam dunk then all the better for AM and all our fellow owners.
Graze[url]
Hi Grant
Wouldn’t it be easier if you just re-read the whole New Vantage thread?! Most of the criticisms levelled at the new car then are probably still valid now.
But if you insist, here we go.....
As has been noted elsewhere, there isn’t much criticism about the performance and the gearbox. Perhaps more power from the V8 may help, and the engine is perfectly capable of that as we know from other MB products. A dual clutch gearbox may attract more buyers, although personally I think the auto works fine and suits the car. But if we are talking about mass appeal, then a dual clutch is probably the way to go. The manual is a specialist choice and will continue to be a rare sight. I don’t think Porsche sell many manual 911s and I think the same is true of the New Vantage. That won’t change going forward imho.
Obviously, most of the problems lie with certain aspects of the external design and the interior.
I don’t think the bonnet design helps, and that is one of the reasons for the small lights. So a new bonnet, with some decent sized venting, even if it’s only for show, new lights, and clearly a new front grille. The DB11 and DBSS seem to work much better in that respect so perhaps mimic them a little? I know they don’t want them all to look the same etc etc, but it did no harm to the previous gen cars.
I’m really not a fan of the side gills and the way they integrate with the side profile of the car. The swage lines never seem to look aligned properly to me, particularly when the gills are body coloured. Metal or CF seems to help as it breaks up the slab of colour and the mish mash of lines, but perhaps I’m just seeing things as no one else seems to comment on this too much!
As for the interior, it’s a tricky one, as the MB influence is so clear in the current car, and that’s unlikely to change going forward. I think they need to improve the quality of some of the materials, particularly the tactile stuff like switches. Simple things like the door pulls and mirror/seat controls feel nasty and look cheap.
The infotainment screen needs to be integrated, much like it is in the DBX, and the OS needs to be the latest version. I don’t like the one small central dial on the dash. Again the DBX is the way to go here. Adopt the two dialled lay out and I think that would help. It is more in line with previous gen AMs with a reverse rev counter, but it is also modern looking too.
I’m sure others will pitch in with different ideas.
As I said, not much I’ve written here is particularly new or ground breaking, and I don’t want to sound like I’m bashing the current car. We have done more than enough of that on here over the last three years.
But you did ask.........!!
Best Regards
Minglar
Wouldn’t it be easier if you just re-read the whole New Vantage thread?! Most of the criticisms levelled at the new car then are probably still valid now.
But if you insist, here we go.....
As has been noted elsewhere, there isn’t much criticism about the performance and the gearbox. Perhaps more power from the V8 may help, and the engine is perfectly capable of that as we know from other MB products. A dual clutch gearbox may attract more buyers, although personally I think the auto works fine and suits the car. But if we are talking about mass appeal, then a dual clutch is probably the way to go. The manual is a specialist choice and will continue to be a rare sight. I don’t think Porsche sell many manual 911s and I think the same is true of the New Vantage. That won’t change going forward imho.
Obviously, most of the problems lie with certain aspects of the external design and the interior.
I don’t think the bonnet design helps, and that is one of the reasons for the small lights. So a new bonnet, with some decent sized venting, even if it’s only for show, new lights, and clearly a new front grille. The DB11 and DBSS seem to work much better in that respect so perhaps mimic them a little? I know they don’t want them all to look the same etc etc, but it did no harm to the previous gen cars.
I’m really not a fan of the side gills and the way they integrate with the side profile of the car. The swage lines never seem to look aligned properly to me, particularly when the gills are body coloured. Metal or CF seems to help as it breaks up the slab of colour and the mish mash of lines, but perhaps I’m just seeing things as no one else seems to comment on this too much!
As for the interior, it’s a tricky one, as the MB influence is so clear in the current car, and that’s unlikely to change going forward. I think they need to improve the quality of some of the materials, particularly the tactile stuff like switches. Simple things like the door pulls and mirror/seat controls feel nasty and look cheap.
The infotainment screen needs to be integrated, much like it is in the DBX, and the OS needs to be the latest version. I don’t like the one small central dial on the dash. Again the DBX is the way to go here. Adopt the two dialled lay out and I think that would help. It is more in line with previous gen AMs with a reverse rev counter, but it is also modern looking too.
I’m sure others will pitch in with different ideas.
As I said, not much I’ve written here is particularly new or ground breaking, and I don’t want to sound like I’m bashing the current car. We have done more than enough of that on here over the last three years.
But you did ask.........!!
Best Regards
Minglar
Minglar said:
Hi Grant
Wouldn’t it be easier if you just re-read the whole New Vantage thread?! Most of the criticisms levelled at the new car then are probably still valid now.
Hi Minglar, I have read the thread/s but I’m interested whether opinions and ideas are still the same 3 years after the initial launch.Wouldn’t it be easier if you just re-read the whole New Vantage thread?! Most of the criticisms levelled at the new car then are probably still valid now.
So often a design we initially dislike grows on us, and early ideas change over time, hence re-visiting the subject again with those 3 years of clear air......although you may well be right that opinions haven’t changed
Grant3 said:
Yes, but with ...... new investment from MB ......
I have not heard about that before.
My understanding is that Mercedes-Benz presumably make a profit on all the parts sold to Aston Martin, and also receive free shares for agreeing to sell those parts.
The original (think 2013) agreement similarly involved free shares, on that occasion 5%. Later it was apparent that MB decided not to put money into AML, because they did not subscribe for more shares in the rights issue. The result being, it reduced their percentage ownership of AMLGH plc.
According to the Aston Martin 3Q presentation, the Vantage is to receive a new look and updated technology (infotainment etc) within twelve (12) months. If they can actually make this happen and the new design is well received it could turn the negative tide.
In looking at purchasing a lightly used or new Aston, I am now inclined to wait and see what Aston comes up with. Even if I could get a great deal now on a new 2020 Vantage, if the new design and technology package promised is truly improved I fear the value of the 2020 will plummet to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
In looking at purchasing a lightly used or new Aston, I am now inclined to wait and see what Aston comes up with. Even if I could get a great deal now on a new 2020 Vantage, if the new design and technology package promised is truly improved I fear the value of the 2020 will plummet to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
I just really want to see a photoshop of what it would look like with new headlights and bonnet. Someone on youtube has done this to the back end but for me that was never the problem, the rear/rear quarter is bang on in my eyes. I'd love to know what it would look like with DBS style headlights, the new vaned grille and more detail on the bonnet, similar to the old Vantge/current DBS lines and contours to break up the huge expanse of metal.
I do think the new grille looks really good, having finally seen one in person. So much so that I'm considering spending £2.5k to get it fitted to mine. I guess most of the customer ordered cars will be coming out the factory with this rather than the hunter from now on, that would really prove whether the original hit the mark or not.
One thing I never see discussed but think lets the looks down are the wheels. Why are the forged wheels diamond cut on every other spoke and the outer lip, so that from any distance it looks like they're comically big with weird spokes?! My car has the black pack so no chrome on it anywhere, other than the alloy highlights that look naff. You also can't order them black from the factory, they're either diamond turned or a weird textured grey. When the Vantage has so much glossy black plastic running around its lower edges why on earth did they think an off-grey textured finish would look right on the wheels?! I've noticed this on the DBS too, on a black car these grey wheels just look plain wrong and really stand out.
My car with the diamond cutting:
A pic I pinched from Instagram to show the grey wheels vs gloss black detailing:
I don't know if these are all 'Marek-isms' but I've said it before and I'll say it again, its these weird styling cues that let these cars down, perhaps in an effort to stand out. Anodised DB11 cantrails (no one went for those!), hunter grille, grey textured wheels, square steering wheels, 'the largest automotive clamshell on sale' for the Vantage's bonnet....please AM just stick to what works!
I do think the new grille looks really good, having finally seen one in person. So much so that I'm considering spending £2.5k to get it fitted to mine. I guess most of the customer ordered cars will be coming out the factory with this rather than the hunter from now on, that would really prove whether the original hit the mark or not.
One thing I never see discussed but think lets the looks down are the wheels. Why are the forged wheels diamond cut on every other spoke and the outer lip, so that from any distance it looks like they're comically big with weird spokes?! My car has the black pack so no chrome on it anywhere, other than the alloy highlights that look naff. You also can't order them black from the factory, they're either diamond turned or a weird textured grey. When the Vantage has so much glossy black plastic running around its lower edges why on earth did they think an off-grey textured finish would look right on the wheels?! I've noticed this on the DBS too, on a black car these grey wheels just look plain wrong and really stand out.
My car with the diamond cutting:
A pic I pinched from Instagram to show the grey wheels vs gloss black detailing:
I don't know if these are all 'Marek-isms' but I've said it before and I'll say it again, its these weird styling cues that let these cars down, perhaps in an effort to stand out. Anodised DB11 cantrails (no one went for those!), hunter grille, grey textured wheels, square steering wheels, 'the largest automotive clamshell on sale' for the Vantage's bonnet....please AM just stick to what works!
Edited by Shrimpvende on Friday 13th November 15:53
Grant3 said:
Hi Minglar, I have read the thread/s but I’m interested whether opinions and ideas are still the same 3 years after the initial launch.
So often a design we initially dislike grows on us, and early ideas change over time, hence re-visiting the subject again with those 3 years of clear air......although you may well be right that opinions haven’t changed
I think the lack of responses to your plea tells you what you want to know. I may be wrong, but it feels like many people on here, some of whom are multiple and repeat owners, including myself, have feelings of exasperation and frustration over this car. We know some at AM read this forum, and the core PH criticisms have been very consistent from the official reveal. It feels like AM (perhaps it’s just MR) are being stubborn and just won’t admit that they got this one wrong. There are multiple reasons why, and the new redesigned grille has helped a little I suppose. But they are still not flying off the shelves, so something somewhere isn’t right. So either they scrap it and start all over again, which is probably unrealistic due to the tooling and investment required, or they take heed of some of the comments on here and come up with a New New Vantage, which is restyled both in and out. God only knows what either move will do to the values of the current car though! It’s rarely a good idea to be an early adopter in anything, but AM have shown in the last 15 years that they adopt a policy of continual model enhancement and improvement. However, for some reason, three years on, there has been very little change. Perhaps the focus has just been the DBX? Maybe Stroll and his new team do have a nuclear Vantage option waiting in the wings.....we shall see. So often a design we initially dislike grows on us, and early ideas change over time, hence re-visiting the subject again with those 3 years of clear air......although you may well be right that opinions haven’t changed
Best Regards
Minglar
Edited by Minglar on Friday 13th November 16:01
My view.
Vantage. Right car, wrong clothes. Too fussy and aggressive (as are many things nowadays). Had it been akin to the DB10, and there is nothing significant to preclude that still happening, then yes in an instant. The Roma has not nailed this either.
DB11. Has grown on me. Rear from the door back not perfect but for me the best blend of the range. DBSS again a little shouty.
Interesting the slow march of time too. As examples, I worked on the X350 and X150 Jags in development ca. 2002-2006. the 350 also had the „right car, wrong clothes“ label but eventually aged well. The X150 seemed to be a poor relationship at the time to the V8V and DB9 being developed down the road, but again seems to have matured well (the bodykitted versions aside).
Equally the DBS was a bit Halfords at launched but seems to be well regarded now. The Vanquish 2 remains quite unresolved at least for me.
I’m also slightly surprised for those with the pockets there’s not more bespoking going off aside from interior / exterior trinkets. Yes it seems some of the rules are quite restrictive for certain hard points but not all, and minor panel variations are not expensive to tool or produce for the premium you could charge. Take a DB11 v DBSS, same cars, very different executions, and I am lots of scope for inbetween if you paid for it...
In the end whatever floats your boat but I again remain amazed with the generally parlous state of the industry and AML in particular as an example, not attempting to change something, is not going to result in anything...
Vantage. Right car, wrong clothes. Too fussy and aggressive (as are many things nowadays). Had it been akin to the DB10, and there is nothing significant to preclude that still happening, then yes in an instant. The Roma has not nailed this either.
DB11. Has grown on me. Rear from the door back not perfect but for me the best blend of the range. DBSS again a little shouty.
Interesting the slow march of time too. As examples, I worked on the X350 and X150 Jags in development ca. 2002-2006. the 350 also had the „right car, wrong clothes“ label but eventually aged well. The X150 seemed to be a poor relationship at the time to the V8V and DB9 being developed down the road, but again seems to have matured well (the bodykitted versions aside).
Equally the DBS was a bit Halfords at launched but seems to be well regarded now. The Vanquish 2 remains quite unresolved at least for me.
I’m also slightly surprised for those with the pockets there’s not more bespoking going off aside from interior / exterior trinkets. Yes it seems some of the rules are quite restrictive for certain hard points but not all, and minor panel variations are not expensive to tool or produce for the premium you could charge. Take a DB11 v DBSS, same cars, very different executions, and I am lots of scope for inbetween if you paid for it...
In the end whatever floats your boat but I again remain amazed with the generally parlous state of the industry and AML in particular as an example, not attempting to change something, is not going to result in anything...
Edited by mabbott on Friday 13th November 16:09
Minglar said:
I’m really not a fan of the side gills and the way they integrate with the side profile of the car. The swage lines never seem to look aligned properly to me, particularly when the gills are body coloured. Metal or CF seems to help as it breaks up the slab of colour and the mish mash of lines, but perhaps I’m just seeing things as no one else seems to comment on this too much!
It's not just you - I also think they look overly fussy given their size and placement with too many panel gaps. IMO, the classic Aston side strake was something that really didn't need completely re-inventing for the new Vantage. So many of the details like this just needed evolving into a slightly more aggressive design langauge and I think the final car would have been far less devisive. The DB10 was what an 'evolved' Vantage should have looked closer to, but I guess once they'd rolled this car out for the Bond film, the production car had to be significantly different.dbs2000 said:
Wilky7 said:
The rear is perfect. For the front, reduce the size of the grille and make the headlights bigger.
When we had a factory tour a couple of years ago, my girlfriend commented that the Vantage front looks too much like an MX5 and I agree......so did someone else at AM who was present!
This first post shows how subjective it all is. From the side, I think it looks OK. To me, the rear is an unfathomable mess, the metal surround by the exhausts looks and feels cheap too. Sadly, I also mistook an MX5 for a Vantage a few months ago when I saw it out of the corner of my eye.When we had a factory tour a couple of years ago, my girlfriend commented that the Vantage front looks too much like an MX5 and I agree......so did someone else at AM who was present!
For a redesign, I'd say the whole thing needs throwing out. Its just not selling (or I'm completely wrong and the price is too high)
To be clear, I'm yet to see a single review of note or owner reporting that they don't like how the new car drives, so dynamically its spot on.
When I bought my first Vantage 9 years ago (aged 30), it was the elegance of the car that drew me to the brand and at that time the DBS was way out of my league, it was a doorway into AM. If I were looking for my first 'expensive' car now, I don't think AM would be getting my money.
Edited by dbs2000 on Friday 13th November 13:47
AM is in a bit of a trap (at least with me) as I'd never pay top dollar for another Vantage as currently configured. Without a serious redesign of the exterior, and very importantly without a huge overhaul the interior I wouldn't even consider. How about a special version with the NA V12 and the 7 speed? That I'd pay over the odd for.... I discussed this with my local dealer and he wasn't too hopeful on a serious redesign any time soon.... I think they are battening down for lean times.
Shrimpvende said:
I just really want to see a photoshop of what it would look like with new headlights and bonnet. Someone on youtube has done this to the back end but for me that was never the problem, the rear/rear quarter is bang on in my eyes. I'd love to know what it would look like with DBS style headlights, the new vaned grille and more detail on the bonnet, similar to the old Vantge/current DBS lines and contours to break up the huge expanse of metal.
I do think the new grille looks really good, having finally seen one in person. So much so that I'm considering spending £2.5k to get it fitted to mine. I guess most of the customer ordered cars will be coming out the factory with this rather than the hunter from now on, that would really prove whether the original hit the mark or not.
One thing I never see discussed but think lets the looks down are the wheels. Why are the forged wheels diamond cut on every other spoke and the outer lip, so that from any distance it looks like they're comically big with weird spokes?! My car has the black pack so no chrome on it anywhere, other than the alloy highlights that look naff. You also can't order them black from the factory, they're either diamond turned or a weird textured grey. When the Vantage has so much glossy black plastic running around its lower edges why on earth did they think an off-grey textured finish would look right on the wheels?! I've noticed this on the DBS too, on a black car these grey wheels just look plain wrong and really stand out.
My car with the diamond cutting:
A pic I pinched from Instagram to show the grey wheels vs gloss black detailing:
I don't know if these are all 'Marek-isms' but I've said it before and I'll say it again, its these weird styling cues that let these cars down, perhaps in an effort to stand out. Anodised DB11 cantrails (no one went for those!), hunter grille, grey textured wheels, square steering wheels, 'the largest automotive clamshell on sale' for the Vantage's bonnet....please AM just stick to what works!
If you're looking at spending 2.5k on new grill then spend another 600 on refurbishing your wheels to gloss black. When I bought my DB11 it had diamond cut, so just had my dealer sort them out before I collected it. I do think the new grille looks really good, having finally seen one in person. So much so that I'm considering spending £2.5k to get it fitted to mine. I guess most of the customer ordered cars will be coming out the factory with this rather than the hunter from now on, that would really prove whether the original hit the mark or not.
One thing I never see discussed but think lets the looks down are the wheels. Why are the forged wheels diamond cut on every other spoke and the outer lip, so that from any distance it looks like they're comically big with weird spokes?! My car has the black pack so no chrome on it anywhere, other than the alloy highlights that look naff. You also can't order them black from the factory, they're either diamond turned or a weird textured grey. When the Vantage has so much glossy black plastic running around its lower edges why on earth did they think an off-grey textured finish would look right on the wheels?! I've noticed this on the DBS too, on a black car these grey wheels just look plain wrong and really stand out.
My car with the diamond cutting:
A pic I pinched from Instagram to show the grey wheels vs gloss black detailing:
I don't know if these are all 'Marek-isms' but I've said it before and I'll say it again, its these weird styling cues that let these cars down, perhaps in an effort to stand out. Anodised DB11 cantrails (no one went for those!), hunter grille, grey textured wheels, square steering wheels, 'the largest automotive clamshell on sale' for the Vantage's bonnet....please AM just stick to what works!
Edited by Shrimpvende on Friday 13th November 15:53
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