Good things come to those who wait

[franki68]

jonby said:

Funnily enough we all went for the alternative DIM (instrument surrounds) - something else the three cars have in common

Apart from the common Q features I've mentioned in the last couple of days, the main remaining areas I've not posted about yet that tie our cars together and that are arguably the most unique are the badging/foils inside & out - more about that soon

Spent yesterday doing nothing but driving after picking up the car first thing in the morning. As it should be ! Fab day - car is everything I hoped it would be

Didn't take any photos at all - was far too busy enjoying the car but here's a photo some friends sent me a little earlier - their daughter in the passenger seat who I took for a quick spin was a little photo shy as she wasn't long out of bed ...

Will get some proper photos up soon

Couple of minor niggles to sort but hopefully nothing that won't be easy to fix

Right, sun is out and off for some more driving - that's what the car is for !!!

Did you catch the guy who painted that stripe on ?

I’m joking,that is lovely ,lovely lovely .

[LordBretSinclair]

franki68 said:

Did you catch the guy who painted that stripe on ?
I’m joking,that is lovely ,lovely lovely .

Stunning cars - Jon, Graham and Ian have done the most amazing job speccing these cars to the minutest detail.

I've raised it before but what are the views on AML attention to detail????

To me the front stripe looks all wrong with the vents encroaching into it. I know the width has been done to match the badge but to me (being really picky) I'm sure they could have made it look better.

Still can't wait to see them in the flesh though

[AMDBSVNick]

LordBretSinclair said:

To me the front stripe looks all wrong with the vents encroaching into it. I know the width has been done to match the badge but to me (being really picky) I'm sure they could have made it look better.

Yep, really bugs me too.

[jonby]

LordBretSinclair said:

I've raised it before but what are the views on AML attention to detail????

To me the front stripe looks all wrong with the vents encroaching into it. I know the width has been done to match the badge but to me (being really picky) I'm sure they could have made it look better.

Still can't wait to see them in the flesh though

The issue is also of course that this is the scheme they are mimicking, with an equally wide stripe matching the width of the wings badge



I don't think it looks wrong in the flesh - to me, it more has the image of the stripe being first and the vents sitting on top but I'd agree it's not ideal. It doesn't jar in person

As for other views on attention to detail..... Well some things are done great and others less so. I wasn't so sure about the interior schemes but actually, the more I played around with possible changes, the more I realised how challenging it must have been and how well they did, to have such a complicated scheme where they could keep the basics but change bits and pieces for each car - the schemes all have a pure black base, with a second colour and then a highlight colour. I think with the basic interior schemes, they did really well

They also offer a lot within the AMR cars - lots of stuff in black that is normally charged for, premium leathers, welts, etc

But I think they did a little less well with highlight colours. The various optional brake callipers, the stripes and the interior highlight colours in some instances clash- we all worked hard looking at grahams with the various oranges - the off the shelf scheme with the off the shelf available orange callipers would not, IMO, be anything other than poor given the clashes. But that only affects one or two accent colours - overall as I say, I think they did a really good job and there are a number of really neat details and an awful lot thrown in for free

I think someone dropped a huge clanger in not having exterior AMR branding on the car that launches properly the AMR sub brand

The wheel centre caps should not, IMO, have a silver ring to the edges, hence us sourcing older ones without.

I think there's a strong argument all the AMR DIMs (instrument surrounds) should have been the contemporary/vanquish/gt8 style which we got through Q, as standard

They unfortunately had to drop the black main car wing badges originally destined for the AMR cars - a real shame although I had Union ones as part of Halo anyway

I also think the S tread plates which were in the literature as being for all AMRs, but in fact only appear on the V8s (though I sourced a set for my car) would have been a nice touch on all the AMRs - I suspect it was just a misprint through copy & paste but that's just a guess

There are a few non-AMR specific spec drops on Vantage which I think are a shame but in terms of attention to detail of the AMR schemes, my list above is pretty short and as you know, I'm somewhat OCD, so I'd probably give an 8 or 9 out of 10 to the AMR 'base' specs - that's pretty good in my language

I'd give a slightly lesser mark to the AMR accessories, but that's a different matter :-)

[AB]

Undoubtedly a beautiful car, and a lot of love has gone into the specification - the end result is fantastic.

However, do you not worry about spending so much time and money on a model that has been replaced?

[Upperworks]

AB said:

Undoubtedly a beautiful car, and a lot of love has gone into the specification - the end result is fantastic.

However, do you not worry about spending so much time and money on a model that has been replaced?

having done a similar route, the fact it is being replaced is the biggest reason for this kind of thing. Not slinging mud at the replacement, but there are a lot of people that have strong feelings towards the outgoing model, and the idea of personalising an "ultimate" version is very appealing. I personally think my car will look better and better the older and older it gets.

There's no logic to be applied to these things though!

[jonby]

Upperworks said:

AB said:

Undoubtedly a beautiful car, and a lot of love has gone into the specification - the end result is fantastic.

However, do you not worry about spending so much time and money on a model that has been replaced?

having done a similar route, the fact it is being replaced is the biggest reason for this kind of thing. Not slinging mud at the replacement, but there are a lot of people that have strong feelings towards the outgoing model, and the idea of personalising an "ultimate" version is very appealing. I personally think my car will look better and better the older and older it gets.

There's no logic to be applied to these things though!

The short answer AB is no, none of us were worried - quite the opposite

We all three were V12VR owners, buying in the belief they would be the last ever N/A V12 Manual Vantage Roadsters (and actually, the last N/A V12 Manual of any model or body shape by Aston)

So we were inspired to replace our cars, once V12VS launched a manual option, with the last/best n/a V12 manual soft top Vantages, which is what we have

We were very aware a replacement was coming soon after - that was the point. In fact we wanted the very last three off the line - that wasn't entertained !

I don't want to get into any specifics, but lets just say we had an idea of what the replacement might look like before we signed off on our cars. It didn't stop us going ahead

However unlike many on here, that doesn't mean we don't like the new car. Personally, I think it looks stunning. I don't have the same concerns about the use of AMG engines that some have. I love the idea of owning one in the future to sit alongside my AMR

But the new car will be developed and refined. Faster, more powerful versions, with better aero, etc will follow one after the other. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable going to the same level with Q on the starting point in a new range. There will always be a better one to come

But there will never (I don't think !), be another soft top n/a V12 Aston with a manual box. I'm not sure there will ever be another n/a V12 of any description unless accompanied by batteries or some other form of hybrid (e.g. Valkyrie) and I doubt any hybrid car will work with a manual box. There will always be faster cars but that doesn't make them better for what I want

I've got the ultimate version of my ultimate (semi-affordable) car so I'm over the moon. But I'm sure you'll not be the only person to struggle to get to grips with why I've just spent over £200k personalising a car that has just been replaced :-)

[silverspeed]

AB said:

Undoubtedly a beautiful car, and a lot of love has gone into the specification - the end result is fantastic.

However, do you not worry about spending so much time and money on a model that has been replaced?

I’ve started to appreciate new Vantage for what it is in isolation instead of comparing to current Vantage . IMO There’s been a shift change which differentiates the new models and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that . Why did I want an AMR - well I didn’t. I wanted one of the last, bonkers but brilliant , normally aspirated manual Aston Martin V12 Roadsters . It happened to be called AMR and Just because it’s got 595bhp and happens to be clothed in one of the best designs ever is just an added bonus .

Edited by silverspeed on Wednesday 28th March 16:48

[jonby]

silverspeed said:

AB said:

Undoubtedly a beautiful car, and a lot of love has gone into the specification - the end result is fantastic.

However, do you not worry about spending so much time and money on a model that has been replaced?

I’ve started to appreciate new Vantage for what it is in isolation instead of comparing to current Vantage . IMO There’s been a shift change which differentiates the new models and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that . Why did I want an AMR - well I didn’t. I wanted one of the last, bonkers but brilliant , normally aspirated manual Aston Martin V12 Roadsters . It happened to be called AMR and Just because it’s got 595bhp and happens to be clothed in one of the best designs ever is just an added bonus .

Edited by silverspeed on Wednesday 28th March 16:48

Indeed

But you did want the last, best, most powerful version once we were spending all this time and money :-)

This is the only time the full fat GT12/Vanq S powertrain has left the factory in a Vantage with a manual box (Dreadnought aside) and the only time with a soft top. Of course I get that you can have that powertrain if you put in the performance pack on a V12VS post delivery, but that to me is just a tad different. As you say, the fact it's an AMR is something that wasn't overly important to us

[AB]

Thanks for the responses, I wasn't being critical, just wondering.

I'm not in the position to give anything like this any consideration so I'm not sure how I'd be thinking.

[jonby]

AB said:

Thanks for the responses, I wasn't being critical, just wondering.

I'm not in the position to give anything like this any consideration so I'm not sure how I'd be thinking.

Be as critical as you like ! :-) No offence taken

As I mentioned, I think it's a legitimate question and certainly not the route for everyone.

It's an interesting more general question - take the new vantage - do you buy a launch car to have the latest car on the market, or wait til a higher power version comes out which will be faster but not as new a concept/shape, or get the send off version in 6 or 7 yrs time, which will presumably be the most desirable, sophisticated and fastest vantage of this new shape, but will be replaced shortly after purchase by a new new model, albeit in base form probably slower than the flagship of the outgoing range. No right or wrong answers for sure

Of course if it was a 911 or V8 mid engined Ferrari, much easier in relative terms to keep changing every year or two as depreciation is less of an issue. Lets just hope Aston pricing moves in that direction - it helps the sale of new cars of course if deprecation is less. If the market changes so that its harder to get a new one and discounts become non existant, that's actually great news for everyone, given that it's the difference between what you pay and what you sell at which impacts owners more than discount when buying

But with outgoing Vantage of course, there is seldom such a huge shift in terms of shape & engine change, on so many levels, particularly given that the outgoing model is often voted amongst the most beautiful shapes of all time

Edited by jonby on Thursday 29th March 12:58

[AdamV12AMR]

jonby said:

But I think they did a little less well with highlight colours. The various optional brake callipers, the stripes and the interior highlight colours in some instances clash- we all worked hard looking at grahams with the various oranges - the off the shelf scheme with the off the shelf available orange callipers would not, IMO, be anything other than poor given the clashes.

So poor:

In fact, I’m going to take it back!

[jonby]

AdamV12AMR said:

jonby said:

But I think they did a little less well with highlight colours. The various optional brake callipers, the stripes and the interior highlight colours in some instances clash- we all worked hard looking at grahams with the various oranges - the off the shelf scheme with the off the shelf available orange callipers would not, IMO, be anything other than poor given the clashes.

So poor:

In fact, I’m going to take it back!

Ha ! Your car is stunning

From memory, the issue was the orange body stripe (which you don't have), which had a clash with the other oranges, especially on the roadster with hood down. I'm sure Graham can clarify one way or the other - I remember Graham looking at lots of orange samples including gulf & CP to be sure it all matched.

[silverspeed]

The clash was due to having different oranges and different materials . Getting a matching orange stitch , orange embroidery thread , orange painted stripe and orange leather ,all potentially in the same area , was the issue . The callipers , although being darker than the orange painted accents , was managed by the AMR option wheel breaking up the mass of colour . Time will tell if I got it right ! Not long now hopefully - good things come to .....................

Edited to add - sounds like I’ve specced a lot of orange !

[LordBretSinclair]

silverspeed said:

Edited to add - sounds like I’ve specced a lot of orange !

Can't wait to see it with it's sister car at Goodwood

[CSK1]

jonby said:

I do genuinely tour a lot in my car. I wasn't overly happy with the AMR luggage option - it's a small, medium & large holdall which won't all fit in the boot of a roadster at the same time (they will in a coupe, well certainly if you put one behind the seats. I could have bought the set for the small & large bags, then ordered the garment bag & beauty bag via Q, to make up the standard arrangement for a roadster boot (Marcel has come up with a different arrangement that works) but the problem was the way they have applied the three colours to the AMR holdalls doesn't lend itself to the garment & beauty bags - the way the leather is cut just wouldn't quite work

So I went totally bespoke for the full 4 piece set - essentially the black & tan are how you get a 2 colour bag set if you order through Q, but I had the welts done in lime, to replicate the interior of the car. The custom bags come with a leather 'plaque' on each side, so one says Aston Martin and the other side says Q. The lime fobs are stamped AMR.

Then I ordered one additional bag, an XL holdall. You can't use it at the same time as the rest of the luggage, but it holds well over 50% more than the next size down and I know from experience, the large holdall isn't quite big enough for a weekend but the XL definitely is - when I'm travelling alone for a couple of nights, I'd prefer to be able to get everything into one bag. Overkill - yes. But these items will genuinely get used a lot

Jonby, I'm thinking of ordering a luggage set for my Roadster too, do you think I should go for the 4 piece set? Will the two additional bags of the 6 piece set fit behind the seats of the Roadster? I find it odd that AML hasn't thought of anything that fits behind those seats in a Roadster.

[jonby]

I don't think anything Aston make easily fits behind the seats. You can get the smallest holdall squeezed in between the back of the seat, sort of on the mini ledge, but it's not ideal

I personally think the 'standard' 4 piece set works really well in the roadster boot but it's worth looking at Marcel's 'alternative' set up which he has found works well for him

Behind the seats, I tend to put small soft items like shoe bags, toiletries, etc (on the floor) then messenger/man/hand bags on the little ledges

[hornbaek]

I really don't envy car bosses such as Andy Palmer's job these days. The future is so uncertain as to what the automobile of the future is going to be, and with every new model you get closer to the cut off date for the petrol engine. I think that is a certain rationale for people opting for the previous model "end of an era" version rather than plunging for the new Vantage. The outgoing model has proven itself to be a timeless design and a great driver's car. The new Vantage has a tall order to follow and who knows whether it will be able to take up the gauntlet from the outging model.

[dbs2000]

hornbaek said:

I really don't envy car bosses such as Andy Palmer's job these days. The future is so uncertain as to what the automobile of the future is going to be, and with every new model you get closer to the cut off date for the petrol engine. I think that is a certain rationale for people opting for the previous model "end of an era" version rather than plunging for the new Vantage. The outgoing model has proven itself to be a timeless design and a great driver's car. The new Vantage has a tall order to follow and who knows whether it will be able to take up the gauntlet from the outging model.

I've thought similar, in 10 years it'll be "the last none hybrid Aston" instead of todays "last N/A". Tough times ahead for all.

[silverspeed]

Good news today - status ‘vehicle complete’ . Now it just needs transporting to Nottingham for them to do their bits . Good things .........