AMV8 Vantage Roadster
Discussion
So, about 3 months ago I decided to change my car. Whilst I loved my 911, I'd had her almost 18 months, which is quite a long time for me, though I'd always enjoyed driving her. Here's one from the Evo Triangle - this shot actually appeared in the mag...
I'd always had a thing for the R8 since it first came out, and they were now attainable to me, so I went up to view one in Harrogate. White, V8, with black leather, and Audis automated-manual gearbox. The problem was once I sat inside it - we'd driven there in my girlfriends' TT Roadster, and I was now surrounded by the very same door pulls, nav, plastics, etc and was holding the very same steering wheel whilst sat on the exact same seats. Yes, I know there's the engine, the drive, the handling, but I wanted it to feel special even when the engine was off, and it just didn't. In fact, the TT was a nicer place to be as it had red leather, whereas this R8, and all the others I'd found online had black.
However, I bought it all the same.
There were a few paint issues that needed rectifying so I wasn't due to take delivery for a few weeks. Just enough time to change my mind about the prospect of owning a white Audi R8 based on the above, plus the following 3 facts:
1. I am not a gangster
2. I am not a wannabe-gangster
3. I am not a Premiership footballer
Luckily the dealer was fine with this, joking that he'd make it his mission to get my deposit back...
A week later, he called me to tell me of an immaculate Aston Martin they were due to take delivery of, to which I replied "I'm not at retirement age just yet!". Well...
Another week passed, and we were at a friends wedding, not far from Harrogate. The following morning, the sun was shining, and we decided to grab some lunch in Harrogate. Our journey took us past the dealership... something shiny and black caught my eye, so I asked my girlfriend to turn round, and before we'd even got out of her car, the dealer was stood there with a knowing smile on his face, and the keys in his hand. He fired the Aston up, and that was it - the hearts was in full control again! He gave us the keys, and within 100 yards my girlfriend turned to me and said "You're going to buy this aren't you?"
And somehow, the following week I did...
She's a 4.3 V8 with pretty much every option bar front PDC, a discreet aftermarket Dension iPod kit, Bluetooth, front and rear cameras, low miles, and immaculate paint, plus a beautiful shade of red leather. These pics don't really do it justice as it's a slightly dark red. And it's everywhere! Every time I drive her, or even pull onto the driveway after work and see her parked up, I can't believe she's mine! She's absolutely beautifully, with the hood up or down, and it's such a special place to sit, with almost every surface covered in leather or alcantara. Really is a special place to be every time I open the door and climb in...
And then there's the noise...
Meeeeeeeeeooooooooowwwwwww......
Apologies for the poor phone-quality clip!
A week later I found myself near the Evo Triangle again. Be rude not to...
Since then, all I've done is drive and drive and drive and drive her! The Sunday before last, I decided to pop out for a little drive... over 100 miles of country roads later, I pulled over to let he cool down and snapped this...
I'm still in awe of her.
I'd always had a thing for the R8 since it first came out, and they were now attainable to me, so I went up to view one in Harrogate. White, V8, with black leather, and Audis automated-manual gearbox. The problem was once I sat inside it - we'd driven there in my girlfriends' TT Roadster, and I was now surrounded by the very same door pulls, nav, plastics, etc and was holding the very same steering wheel whilst sat on the exact same seats. Yes, I know there's the engine, the drive, the handling, but I wanted it to feel special even when the engine was off, and it just didn't. In fact, the TT was a nicer place to be as it had red leather, whereas this R8, and all the others I'd found online had black.
However, I bought it all the same.
There were a few paint issues that needed rectifying so I wasn't due to take delivery for a few weeks. Just enough time to change my mind about the prospect of owning a white Audi R8 based on the above, plus the following 3 facts:
1. I am not a gangster
2. I am not a wannabe-gangster
3. I am not a Premiership footballer
Luckily the dealer was fine with this, joking that he'd make it his mission to get my deposit back...
A week later, he called me to tell me of an immaculate Aston Martin they were due to take delivery of, to which I replied "I'm not at retirement age just yet!". Well...
Another week passed, and we were at a friends wedding, not far from Harrogate. The following morning, the sun was shining, and we decided to grab some lunch in Harrogate. Our journey took us past the dealership... something shiny and black caught my eye, so I asked my girlfriend to turn round, and before we'd even got out of her car, the dealer was stood there with a knowing smile on his face, and the keys in his hand. He fired the Aston up, and that was it - the hearts was in full control again! He gave us the keys, and within 100 yards my girlfriend turned to me and said "You're going to buy this aren't you?"
And somehow, the following week I did...
She's a 4.3 V8 with pretty much every option bar front PDC, a discreet aftermarket Dension iPod kit, Bluetooth, front and rear cameras, low miles, and immaculate paint, plus a beautiful shade of red leather. These pics don't really do it justice as it's a slightly dark red. And it's everywhere! Every time I drive her, or even pull onto the driveway after work and see her parked up, I can't believe she's mine! She's absolutely beautifully, with the hood up or down, and it's such a special place to sit, with almost every surface covered in leather or alcantara. Really is a special place to be every time I open the door and climb in...
And then there's the noise...
Meeeeeeeeeooooooooowwwwwww......
Apologies for the poor phone-quality clip!
A week later I found myself near the Evo Triangle again. Be rude not to...
Since then, all I've done is drive and drive and drive and drive her! The Sunday before last, I decided to pop out for a little drive... over 100 miles of country roads later, I pulled over to let he cool down and snapped this...
I'm still in awe of her.
d Beautiful. Perfect color combo and stunning car. Glad you are enjoying it. So much more personality than the Porsche.
These are on the upper reaches of my list of potential upgrades for next year.
How are you finding the performance though? They do not appear to be blisteringly quick and must be very juicy.
I know its not in the same league, but the comparable price and performance of a Z4 35i are making the Aston look like a very eccentric purchase to me!
These are on the upper reaches of my list of potential upgrades for next year.
How are you finding the performance though? They do not appear to be blisteringly quick and must be very juicy.
I know its not in the same league, but the comparable price and performance of a Z4 35i are making the Aston look like a very eccentric purchase to me!
Video fixed.
The performance is a weird one. It's allegedly the same as my 911 was, yet doesn't feel like it is. I don't mean in a bad way - it's certainly not slow. I think it's because it's more of a GT car it hides its speed, because it is fast. After the journey home, I mentioned to my girlfriend that it didn't feel as quick as the 911, then she told me what speed I'd been cruising at down the motorway as we chatted with the roof down. Even I was shocked.
I've got a similar yet opposite situation with my other car - at 80 she feels like she's doing 180!
I think the AM's actually better on fuel that the 911 was, though I honestly don't pay much attention to how much fuel I put into anything - I just fill them when they're nearly empty!
The performance is a weird one. It's allegedly the same as my 911 was, yet doesn't feel like it is. I don't mean in a bad way - it's certainly not slow. I think it's because it's more of a GT car it hides its speed, because it is fast. After the journey home, I mentioned to my girlfriend that it didn't feel as quick as the 911, then she told me what speed I'd been cruising at down the motorway as we chatted with the roof down. Even I was shocked.
I've got a similar yet opposite situation with my other car - at 80 she feels like she's doing 180!
I think the AM's actually better on fuel that the 911 was, though I honestly don't pay much attention to how much fuel I put into anything - I just fill them when they're nearly empty!
Wow that is stunning! So much nicer than the R8. Also love the colour combination, must feel like a pretty special place to be in. I've just spend a weekend in a new Vanquish, which wasn't a good as I hoped it would be, but the looks and sound alone make you want one 
You've come a long way from your red fiat coupe 16vt (still remember the name from the old days on the fccuk forum
)
You've come a long way from your red fiat coupe 16vt (still remember the name from the old days on the fccuk forum
)Cheers guys!
Yeah, that Fiat Coupe was car no.16... the Aston is my 40th! Full list below.
Ant, if no.4 was true, shouldn't you be poncing about in a white R8 now?
1 Metro 1.3
2 Escort XR3i Mk4
5 Escort XR3i Mk3
3 Astra GTE Mk2
4 Mk 1 Escort
6 BMW E30 318i
7 Escort Cabriolet Mk4
8 Escort Cabriolet Mk4
9 Morris Marina estate
10 Escort RS Turbo S2
11 Granada 2.0
12 Sierra 2.0
13 Cavalier GSi
14 Renault 19
15 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6
16 Fiat Coupe Turbo
17 Fiesta XR2i
18 Fiesta Popular
19 Corsa 1.1
20 Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0
21 Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6
22 Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Sxi
23 Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6
24 BMW Z4 3.0
25 Cavalier 2.0 auto
26 BMW E36 325i Coupe
27 Freelander Estate
28 Porsche Boxster S
29 Porsche Cayman S
30 BMW E46 M3
31 Freelander 2-door
32 Ford Mondeo TDCi
33 BMW E36 M3
34 BMW X5 3.0D Sport
35 BMW X5 3.0D Sport
36 Porsche 997 Carrera 2S
37 Mk1 Escort
38 Mk1 Escort Mexico
39 Land Rover Range Rover 4.0 V8
40 AMV8 Vantage Roadster
Yeah, that Fiat Coupe was car no.16... the Aston is my 40th! Full list below.
Ant, if no.4 was true, shouldn't you be poncing about in a white R8 now?
1 Metro 1.3
2 Escort XR3i Mk4
5 Escort XR3i Mk3
3 Astra GTE Mk2
4 Mk 1 Escort
6 BMW E30 318i
7 Escort Cabriolet Mk4
8 Escort Cabriolet Mk4
9 Morris Marina estate
10 Escort RS Turbo S2
11 Granada 2.0
12 Sierra 2.0
13 Cavalier GSi
14 Renault 19
15 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6
16 Fiat Coupe Turbo
17 Fiesta XR2i
18 Fiesta Popular
19 Corsa 1.1
20 Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0
21 Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6
22 Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Sxi
23 Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6
24 BMW Z4 3.0
25 Cavalier 2.0 auto
26 BMW E36 325i Coupe
27 Freelander Estate
28 Porsche Boxster S
29 Porsche Cayman S
30 BMW E46 M3
31 Freelander 2-door
32 Ford Mondeo TDCi
33 BMW E36 M3
34 BMW X5 3.0D Sport
35 BMW X5 3.0D Sport
36 Porsche 997 Carrera 2S
37 Mk1 Escort
38 Mk1 Escort Mexico
39 Land Rover Range Rover 4.0 V8
40 AMV8 Vantage Roadster
Great choice! Had a good chuckle about the reasons to turn the R8 down!
Always love Astons, always will.
O/T - A quick check of your bio and I see you're in the graphic design field. Looking at getting into this myself, looking at heading to Uni after finishing my course.
Any advice? Not a problem if not, would be great to get someone's opinion.
Always love Astons, always will.
O/T - A quick check of your bio and I see you're in the graphic design field. Looking at getting into this myself, looking at heading to Uni after finishing my course.
Any advice? Not a problem if not, would be great to get someone's opinion.
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