Tales of a V8V (illustrated)
Discussion
Hi, my name's Dean, I'm a photographer, and I'm from Aotearoa, or New Zealand as it's sometimes known, but I now live in Switzerland. I have a manual 2007 4.3 Vantage, which I had the pleasure calling mine on the 6th of October 2015.
I've been floating around on PH for a few months now and injecting the occasional comment or photo here and there and the end result is being press-ganged into attending Burghley 2016 (which I am thoroughly looking forward to), and now, as some form of payback, maybe, I'm prepared to try something a bit different to the usual threads, and that is to basically create a blog about my car ownership, peppered with photos of the vehicle in question in thought provoking and strategically interesting environments...
I have a bit of catching up to do however, as I am a few months into ownership but I'll endeavour to get up to speed quickly and painlessly! Also, I realise this is possibly a little egocentric but my intentions are pure (and yeah, a little egocentric) but bear with me, because I think this could be a valid thread for future Aston Martin hopefuls, as I was up until 7 months ago, and maybe even slightly entertaining for all the Aston stalwarts lurking here, but whatever, you decide.
First, by way of an introduction, a bit of a blurb.
I have since I can remember, been a "PistonHead" (I shall use this in deference to our platform... In NZ we would say petrol head) and devoured car magazines and books, worshiped anything with two doors and a sporty profile and watched The Cannonball Run several times just to hear the glorious sound of that Countach. Magnum P.I. was my weekly dose of "I want one of those one day."
I loved the idea of attending Le Mens and Paris/Dakar and went to numerous motorsports events both as an enthusiastic spectator and as a photographer, and of those I went to, rally not only captured my imagination but also made the best images! This was in the days when the Group B Audi Quattro was the dominant force and I even bought my Dunlop tyres (lightly worn) @ 55 kiwi shekels each - much less than half price - from local kiwi rally maestro and Quattro driver, Malcolm Stewart, for my first car...
My first car was a rotary engined Mazda RX-2 which I then spent all my earnings on modifying or improving, and when that 1148cc engine was putting out a healthy 210bhp through a competition clutch and LSD I used as much of my spare time as possible going sideways through the forestry roads of Hawkes Bay in NZ's North Island, or doing self-imposed time trials from A to B through various back roads. I was, what is now referred to as, a boy racer. Sounds horrible. It was great fun! No regard for authority and a car that could outrun the local 5.0L V8 Holden Commodore police car (more than once) was an exciting introduction to the world of motor car ownership. Clearly that was long ago and I have since... ahem, grown up.
In the time since, several cars have passed through my hands and others have shone brightly from afar in my "I want one of those one day" category, but like fashion they generally come and go, yesterday's Corvette Stingray became a Ferrari 288 GTO, which became a Ford GT or Lamborghini Gallardo, or a Maserati... wait a minute... what is that absolutely gorgeous deep red Aston Martin of some description passing by, and oh my, what a noise it makes!
That was 2006 and of course the car was a V8 Vantage cruising down Auckland's "K" Road. Previously I had been fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of a DB7 and never had I sat in a car that felt so custom made for me. I also had the chance to get loose in it on some slippery roads and it handled intuitively. When I saw and heard this latest incarnation I was smitten, and since then there was no car that wanted more than an Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
This desire was primitive, primarily appearance based, and of course the exhaust note was thrilling but my previous experience in an Aston was no guarantee that this Vantage malarkey was of the same ilk. Oh well, time passes, we'll see...
Since then I had been both passenger and pilot in 911's, Lambos and a Vanquish among others, but the image and memory of that Vantage was still the one that always drew me back. In recent years after frequently studying prices I realised that ownership of a Vantage was actually becoming obtainable, albeit not new, but a Vantage none the less. OK, down to the good stuff…
I figured, from reading the reviews and sundry online opinions and speaking with a dealer, that a 4.7 sportshift was the way to go, so I budgeted for a 2009/2010 model. After keeping an eye on the market for two years I pounced, as suddenly both privately, and at a dealer, there were a couple of low mileage 4.7 options available within my price point, and conveniently two well specced 4.3's somewhat cheaper, comparison time! I decided the easiest option was to go to the local dealer and take a test drive. Long story short, I drove a 2010 sportshift back to back with a 2007 4.3 manual, and after a few days of pondering that 4.3 is what I ended up buying.
Alright, that didn’t go according to plan… but the 4.3 was impeccable, one owner summer driver, low mileage and pretty much ticked all my boxes regarding options, but ultimately it was a much more engaging drive. I found the power difference to be negligible, there was for sure more mid-range grunt in the 4.7 but not shockingly so and not something that can't be addressed with a trip to Bamford Rose. I much preferred the ride in the 4.3 too, taught and sporty but not as jiggly.
I plan on using this as a car, rather than it being a weekend warrior or an occasional show-piece, and while it is a selfish purchase it needed to be versatile AND comfy for the occasional passenger (which more often would be my wife and not some adrenaline junky mate visiting from afar) rather than a hard core sports beast.
The other problem I had was in Switzerland pretty much everybody ordered the 4.7 in sportshift so the manual versions are few and far between, and when they do pop up they seem to carry a 5-10k plus premium over the equivalent sportshift, so even if a manual 4.7 was available it would probably take me outside my budget. Besides I’d been looking long enough and I was in the mood to buy.
So, what I ended up with was a February 2007 registered Tungsten Silver coupe with Obsidian Black interior and Raven Black stitching that had done 27,500km (17,000 miles). It sat on a set of the original 7 spoke 19 inch wheels and Bridgestone tyres.
It included Rear Parking Sensors, Auto-fold Mirrors, Heated Memory Seats, Sat Nav, Cruise Control, Bluetooth and Battery Conditioner. Missing from my ideal specs were Front Parking Sensors and the grunty stereo, ahh well, stuff can be retro fitted, no!?
I've been floating around on PH for a few months now and injecting the occasional comment or photo here and there and the end result is being press-ganged into attending Burghley 2016 (which I am thoroughly looking forward to), and now, as some form of payback, maybe, I'm prepared to try something a bit different to the usual threads, and that is to basically create a blog about my car ownership, peppered with photos of the vehicle in question in thought provoking and strategically interesting environments...
I have a bit of catching up to do however, as I am a few months into ownership but I'll endeavour to get up to speed quickly and painlessly! Also, I realise this is possibly a little egocentric but my intentions are pure (and yeah, a little egocentric) but bear with me, because I think this could be a valid thread for future Aston Martin hopefuls, as I was up until 7 months ago, and maybe even slightly entertaining for all the Aston stalwarts lurking here, but whatever, you decide.
First, by way of an introduction, a bit of a blurb.
I have since I can remember, been a "PistonHead" (I shall use this in deference to our platform... In NZ we would say petrol head) and devoured car magazines and books, worshiped anything with two doors and a sporty profile and watched The Cannonball Run several times just to hear the glorious sound of that Countach. Magnum P.I. was my weekly dose of "I want one of those one day."
I loved the idea of attending Le Mens and Paris/Dakar and went to numerous motorsports events both as an enthusiastic spectator and as a photographer, and of those I went to, rally not only captured my imagination but also made the best images! This was in the days when the Group B Audi Quattro was the dominant force and I even bought my Dunlop tyres (lightly worn) @ 55 kiwi shekels each - much less than half price - from local kiwi rally maestro and Quattro driver, Malcolm Stewart, for my first car...
My first car was a rotary engined Mazda RX-2 which I then spent all my earnings on modifying or improving, and when that 1148cc engine was putting out a healthy 210bhp through a competition clutch and LSD I used as much of my spare time as possible going sideways through the forestry roads of Hawkes Bay in NZ's North Island, or doing self-imposed time trials from A to B through various back roads. I was, what is now referred to as, a boy racer. Sounds horrible. It was great fun! No regard for authority and a car that could outrun the local 5.0L V8 Holden Commodore police car (more than once) was an exciting introduction to the world of motor car ownership. Clearly that was long ago and I have since... ahem, grown up.
In the time since, several cars have passed through my hands and others have shone brightly from afar in my "I want one of those one day" category, but like fashion they generally come and go, yesterday's Corvette Stingray became a Ferrari 288 GTO, which became a Ford GT or Lamborghini Gallardo, or a Maserati... wait a minute... what is that absolutely gorgeous deep red Aston Martin of some description passing by, and oh my, what a noise it makes!
That was 2006 and of course the car was a V8 Vantage cruising down Auckland's "K" Road. Previously I had been fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of a DB7 and never had I sat in a car that felt so custom made for me. I also had the chance to get loose in it on some slippery roads and it handled intuitively. When I saw and heard this latest incarnation I was smitten, and since then there was no car that wanted more than an Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
This desire was primitive, primarily appearance based, and of course the exhaust note was thrilling but my previous experience in an Aston was no guarantee that this Vantage malarkey was of the same ilk. Oh well, time passes, we'll see...
Since then I had been both passenger and pilot in 911's, Lambos and a Vanquish among others, but the image and memory of that Vantage was still the one that always drew me back. In recent years after frequently studying prices I realised that ownership of a Vantage was actually becoming obtainable, albeit not new, but a Vantage none the less. OK, down to the good stuff…
I figured, from reading the reviews and sundry online opinions and speaking with a dealer, that a 4.7 sportshift was the way to go, so I budgeted for a 2009/2010 model. After keeping an eye on the market for two years I pounced, as suddenly both privately, and at a dealer, there were a couple of low mileage 4.7 options available within my price point, and conveniently two well specced 4.3's somewhat cheaper, comparison time! I decided the easiest option was to go to the local dealer and take a test drive. Long story short, I drove a 2010 sportshift back to back with a 2007 4.3 manual, and after a few days of pondering that 4.3 is what I ended up buying.
Alright, that didn’t go according to plan… but the 4.3 was impeccable, one owner summer driver, low mileage and pretty much ticked all my boxes regarding options, but ultimately it was a much more engaging drive. I found the power difference to be negligible, there was for sure more mid-range grunt in the 4.7 but not shockingly so and not something that can't be addressed with a trip to Bamford Rose. I much preferred the ride in the 4.3 too, taught and sporty but not as jiggly.
I plan on using this as a car, rather than it being a weekend warrior or an occasional show-piece, and while it is a selfish purchase it needed to be versatile AND comfy for the occasional passenger (which more often would be my wife and not some adrenaline junky mate visiting from afar) rather than a hard core sports beast.
The other problem I had was in Switzerland pretty much everybody ordered the 4.7 in sportshift so the manual versions are few and far between, and when they do pop up they seem to carry a 5-10k plus premium over the equivalent sportshift, so even if a manual 4.7 was available it would probably take me outside my budget. Besides I’d been looking long enough and I was in the mood to buy.
So, what I ended up with was a February 2007 registered Tungsten Silver coupe with Obsidian Black interior and Raven Black stitching that had done 27,500km (17,000 miles). It sat on a set of the original 7 spoke 19 inch wheels and Bridgestone tyres.
It included Rear Parking Sensors, Auto-fold Mirrors, Heated Memory Seats, Sat Nav, Cruise Control, Bluetooth and Battery Conditioner. Missing from my ideal specs were Front Parking Sensors and the grunty stereo, ahh well, stuff can be retro fitted, no!?
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Friday 20th September 22:27
RobDown said:
Great write-up and really looking forward to more photos (I think you have a fan club already from the Aston photo thread)!
Thank you Rob, I hope the future images meet expectations!agaton12 said:
A great photo of a beautiful car.
The original shape was (imo) the most beautiful of them all.
Thanks agaton12. I look at the new side sills and wonder if they add or detract from the car, I kinda think without them the curves are just that much more provocative... still undecided...The original shape was (imo) the most beautiful of them all.
J12KJR said:
An interesting write up Dean and yet another of those quality photos we associate with you. Look forward to meeting you at Burghley.
Likewise, it will be great to put some faces (and cars) to the names! Cheers for the kind words :-)kensilver said:
With your story another layer is peeled from the onion, and you surprisingly turn out to be a Kiwi, like me. I thought your English was too good for a Swiss national 
And another stunning photo!
Cheers Ken. A Swiss would say "I knew your schweizerdeutsch was too horrible for you to be anything other than a foreigner" ;-) I hope to maintain a few more skins on my onion yet... And another stunning photo!Pocketing the one year warranty when purchasing the car from an Aston Martin dealer certainly makes you feel more comfortable with the process, and even with a second hand vehicle, the dealer experience adds to the feel good factor a little bit. Wandering around amongst all the new metal & leather while your own (slightly more rustic version) is being prepared, completes the adventure, and sets the trap for years to come…
As a cherry on the top, the previous owner of my Vantage to be, clearly a man of great integrity, asked that the car be given the once over to make sure it was “wie neu” for sale. The result was an invoice for him of just under 8000 Swiss Francs for a full service, rear brake pads, drive belts, pulleys, gaskets, O-rings, filters, wiper blades and other sundry seals and what not, work that was performed two weeks before I drove it away. Nice.
Before driving away however, I ordered an Ultimate Car Cover. Having moved six months earlier to a house in the country, sans garaging, I felt this prudent.
It’s a nice cover, black with a red lining, and some white embroidery on the outside (“Aston Martin” & wings on the front, “Vantage” over the side strakes) and comes in a duffle-style bag. It fits snuggly and has two straps which run under the car between the wheels to secure it, but even without these I don’t think it would go anywhere.
I’ve used it several times and it seems pretty decent, little or no moisture underneath when removing, and I feel that the moisture that was there was from condensation from the heat after rain/snow rather than the cover not being waterproof. I have had it on for two solid days of rain and removed it one day later and everything was dry.
After driving away, the first thing I did was make a couple of changes to the audio system. Firstly by spending £3 on ebay for a “Mini 1.58" Black Carbon Fiber Short Stubby Aerial Antenna Mast Fit Most Cars New” and secondly, with the removal of that pesky fuse 22.
The original long aerial doesn’t bother me particularly, but the short one is certainly a cosmetic improvement, as long as you don’t look at it too closely… and means that I don’t need to unscrew the aerial when putting the car cover on.
Taking out fuse 22 makes you feel a bit like a naughty boy, and the sound of the car on cold start up and burbling around at low revs is a guilty pleasure, however I do keep the fuse on hand and slip it back in on occasion to avoid irritating neighbours with early morning departures, or early morning arrivals…
I’m looking forward to getting one of Clive Chedzey’s Fuse 22 on/off electronic switches fitted at Burghley in a couple of months to ease the process!
Now unfortunately I bought the car in October, in Switzerland, which meant that if I wanted to continue to enjoy it physically rather than just visually some winter rubber would be required very soon ...
As a cherry on the top, the previous owner of my Vantage to be, clearly a man of great integrity, asked that the car be given the once over to make sure it was “wie neu” for sale. The result was an invoice for him of just under 8000 Swiss Francs for a full service, rear brake pads, drive belts, pulleys, gaskets, O-rings, filters, wiper blades and other sundry seals and what not, work that was performed two weeks before I drove it away. Nice.
Before driving away however, I ordered an Ultimate Car Cover. Having moved six months earlier to a house in the country, sans garaging, I felt this prudent.
It’s a nice cover, black with a red lining, and some white embroidery on the outside (“Aston Martin” & wings on the front, “Vantage” over the side strakes) and comes in a duffle-style bag. It fits snuggly and has two straps which run under the car between the wheels to secure it, but even without these I don’t think it would go anywhere.
I’ve used it several times and it seems pretty decent, little or no moisture underneath when removing, and I feel that the moisture that was there was from condensation from the heat after rain/snow rather than the cover not being waterproof. I have had it on for two solid days of rain and removed it one day later and everything was dry.
After driving away, the first thing I did was make a couple of changes to the audio system. Firstly by spending £3 on ebay for a “Mini 1.58" Black Carbon Fiber Short Stubby Aerial Antenna Mast Fit Most Cars New” and secondly, with the removal of that pesky fuse 22.
The original long aerial doesn’t bother me particularly, but the short one is certainly a cosmetic improvement, as long as you don’t look at it too closely… and means that I don’t need to unscrew the aerial when putting the car cover on.
Taking out fuse 22 makes you feel a bit like a naughty boy, and the sound of the car on cold start up and burbling around at low revs is a guilty pleasure, however I do keep the fuse on hand and slip it back in on occasion to avoid irritating neighbours with early morning departures, or early morning arrivals…
I’m looking forward to getting one of Clive Chedzey’s Fuse 22 on/off electronic switches fitted at Burghley in a couple of months to ease the process!
Now unfortunately I bought the car in October, in Switzerland, which meant that if I wanted to continue to enjoy it physically rather than just visually some winter rubber would be required very soon ...
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Friday 20th September 22:37
Quarterly said:
Hello Dean I've been following your posts on here and enjoying your photos. I aspire to one day maybe getting just one good photo. 
Without wishing to sound like I know what I'm talking about, I think your next great step in automotive photography could be to take photographs of the car while its moving? To me a moving car is so much more interesting than a parked one. The only problem with this is that you can't be driving and taking a photo at the same time? What a dilemma Anyway, I look forward to seeing future efforts.
Thanks Quarterly! Actually you do know what you're talking about, I have been wanting to do some moving shots for some time, but finding the time and willing personnel to indulge my fascination is not so simple. Obviously being stationary while someone drives by only requires one additional person but what I ideally would like is to do some car-to-car shots which means I need two drivers! Without wishing to sound like I know what I'm talking about, I think your next great step in automotive photography could be to take photographs of the car while its moving? To me a moving car is so much more interesting than a parked one. The only problem with this is that you can't be driving and taking a photo at the same time? What a dilemma Anyway, I look forward to seeing future efforts. It'll happen...
martindesu said:
Nice thread, and I think I'll do the same once I eventually get mine. I am still torn on the 4.3 vs 4.7. I do think I prefer the interior of the 4.7 enough to hold out for one and make it my "keeper".
Do you own another car? As I need to drive to an office every day, I am going to be getting a daily runner, probably auto and nothing too boring, and save the Aston for weekends and road trips.
Nice photos, too. I am a bit of a photography nut myself.
I don't suppose you're near Zurich at all? I am going there this summer for a conference, and would love to meet up for a coffee—I'd like to pick your brains as I'll be going through similar decisions in the near future. I'm happy to get the train somewhere!
Martin
Cheers Martin! In the end I was 50/50 on the interior, and really we are only talking about a glass key and one square foot of real estate that doesn't concern me particularly when I'm hands on wheel. The 4.7 certainly looks more modern, but I actually like the symmetry and simplicity of the 4.3, and besides, the cup holders are in a daft place on the 4.7 particularly if it's manual!Do you own another car? As I need to drive to an office every day, I am going to be getting a daily runner, probably auto and nothing too boring, and save the Aston for weekends and road trips.
Nice photos, too. I am a bit of a photography nut myself.
I don't suppose you're near Zurich at all? I am going there this summer for a conference, and would love to meet up for a coffee—I'd like to pick your brains as I'll be going through similar decisions in the near future. I'm happy to get the train somewhere!
Martin
I also have and Audi S6 Avant, 2002 model, which I've had a few years now and it officially became the "family" car, replacing my wife's Alfa 147, when I bought the Aston... as you can see we never seem to get past the A's when looking at cars to buy
The S6 is really a big, roomy GT, 4.2 V8 and Quattro with plenty of load space and great for cruising. I really like it.I live 45 minutes from Zurich so pretty close really, I'm back and forth to that airport all the time! Let me know your movements and hopefully I will be around for a catch up.
outofstepuk said:
Has anyone ever bought a later car and made it look like an earlier one? Or are the only people that value the "purity" of the early design the ones with the older car? I think the later engine and consol are preferred by most people aren't they? So why has no-one retrofitted the old stuff as I'm sure you can pick up the parts cheap?
Don't get me wrong, the original design is great, but I chose to upgrade/ruin my V8V whichever way your preference is. Then I got a godawful looking V12V with all the bolted on extra crap and carbon.
Some stuff works, some works not so well, some people hate black wheels, some can't live without them, luckily we're all different and there's something for everyone... I think there can a tendency to get caught up in a "what can I upgrade next" syndrome. Don't get me wrong, the original design is great, but I chose to upgrade/ruin my V8V whichever way your preference is. Then I got a godawful looking V12V with all the bolted on extra crap and carbon.
One of the things I am looking forward to at Burghley is checking out all the variations of Vantage colours, accessories and treatments first hand over a short period of time and seeing what I think of them, as it sounds like pretty much everything will be there! I have some ideas about what I may like to do to the car cosmetically, which is not much, and reversible, but it will be terrific to see how I like certain things up close.
james-witton said:
Great Thread Dean
I hope you have an enjoyable journey over to the UK
I bet you will be inundated with well wishers - with requests for photographs of their cars - bring your camera!!
See you there
James
Thank you James, & yes I will be bringing a camera or two! I'm starting to wonder how easy or hard it will be to track people down with what will clearly be more than 500 cars!I hope you have an enjoyable journey over to the UK
I bet you will be inundated with well wishers - with requests for photographs of their cars - bring your camera!!
See you there
James
LordBretSinclair said:
Kia Ora Dean,
great thread - hope we can meet up at Burghley
Kia Ora, Your Lordship, and thank you. I guess you'll be easier to find at Burgley than most, what with the trumpets, corgis and velvet standards?great thread - hope we can meet up at Burghley
jarodw said:
Good report, great car and a nice little improvement with the stubby antenna, I like the car cover, where did you get it from?
Living also in Switzerland I know that the ownership of an Aston can be quite expensive. Some dealers think, that just because you are driving an Aston, you don't care about how much money you spent. I had some bad experience with a AM main dealer in Zurich. E.g. once they wanted to replace my headlight and charge me 2.000 CHF just because the 'washer-thingy' was broken, which is plastic part worth 20 CHF. Anyhow, there are also some good and reliable dealers (AM and Indy) around. Also AM parts are significantly more expansive in CH due to the monopoly of the main importer. It might be advised to find a dealer / indy which allows you to bring your own parts (e.g. from astonmartinbits).
Anyhow enjoy your AM. You definitely need winter tires. The V8V is a surprisingly capable daily driver, even in winter conditions (assuming the right tires are mounted ;-)).
Happy you've enjoyed it so far! The car cover is an Aston accessory so your local free coffee purveyor will happily take an order from you I'm sure! Ordered mine from Emil Frey in Safenwil, 750chf from memory. My dealer has been reasonably helpful thus far and everything I've gotten from them has been cheaper than expected or quoted! I may look to an indy after my warranty expires, depending on how things go.Living also in Switzerland I know that the ownership of an Aston can be quite expensive. Some dealers think, that just because you are driving an Aston, you don't care about how much money you spent. I had some bad experience with a AM main dealer in Zurich. E.g. once they wanted to replace my headlight and charge me 2.000 CHF just because the 'washer-thingy' was broken, which is plastic part worth 20 CHF. Anyhow, there are also some good and reliable dealers (AM and Indy) around. Also AM parts are significantly more expansive in CH due to the monopoly of the main importer. It might be advised to find a dealer / indy which allows you to bring your own parts (e.g. from astonmartinbits).
Anyhow enjoy your AM. You definitely need winter tires. The V8V is a surprisingly capable daily driver, even in winter conditions (assuming the right tires are mounted ;-)).
I do have some winter rubber, but back on summers now. The car works fine in the colder conditions as long as you are smart ;-) While I am not driving it daily it is getting used, because I will find any excuse to drive somewhere!
Grumpydev said:
How do you find the aerial for reception? I switched the aerial on my old TT with an S2000 one that was much smaller than the original, but still significantly bigger than the stubby one
I can't really give an accurate opinion as after fitting it I tuned into a couple of local stations and it seemed perfectly fine but to be honest I tend to listen to CD's if I want music, or actually prefer the cars soundtrack. I hope I am not the only one that stops songs in mid-flow to listen to an overtake...
Sadly, four days after picking up the car I had a 9 day trip to the USA. To sate the withdrawal symptoms I went to Exotics Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and did a bunch of laps in an Audi R8 V10, Nissan GTR, and a Vantage GT (N430). My excuse was I was interested in trying to see the handling limits and feel for the Vantage when really pushed, but also in driving cars I liked, that were cars I could have chosen for similar money to my 4.3. I was thinking to try a couple of Italians as well as the new Corvette, but it starts getting expensive so another time maybe.
This was my first time on a track and it was good fun and although the presence of an instructor sitting alongside advising and commenting was a little off-putting at times, it was also helpful. The ideal would have been to get a few laps in with him there and then have some fun alone, but I guess their insurance policy is not that comprehensive.
The R8 and GTR were certainly quicker than the Vantage, the R8 was the most planted, composed and flattering, but through my rose-tinted glasses the Vantage just felt like the best fit for me, the car handled brilliantly and I felt so in tune punting it around the track. It helped too that afterwards the instructor reckoned I was one of the fastest and smoothest he’d had in the Aston which was reinforced when I overheard the R8 instructor asking who was in the Vantage, as it took much longer for them to overhaul it than usual. I’ll take that, thanks very much!
With my head suitably enlarged I left with the enthusiastic thought that I had a very similar car waiting for me at Zurich airport in a few days!
Before leaving on this trip I mentioned to the AM dealer that I would like a quote for some winter rubber, and then sat back and waited for the worst. About a month later after I had returned from ‘Merica, conveniently around the time the weather was turning, he contacted me with what I thought was a great deal.
He had a customer who a few years earlier had swiftly bought some new wheels for his Vantage and had left his old ones in storage with them, and after them sitting there unused, the owner said to get rid of them for him. So, for 4200 Swiss Francs (3000 British Peso) I could have a set of near new 5 spoke sportpack wheels with new Pirelli Sottozeros. Done.
I whipped the car in to get the Pirellis put onto the original 7 spokes for winter, and the Potenzas swapped onto the 5-spokes would wait for summer. I was pretty stoked because the wheels I liked the most in that 2006-2010 model period were the two sets I ended up with.
While I was getting that done I also asked them to address the first problem that had cropped up, a dash message which read “Front Brake Pads Low,” which seemed an unreasonable assessment as I had only done 250km when the message came on and the pads were evidently rather new.
Turns out there are small beasties in Switzerland called Marder (Pine Marten) which have a taste for rubber and plastic and apparently do millions of dollars of damage to cars in Europe annually. I’d never heard of them, but they like brake sensors on a V8 Vantage it seems. The nice folks at the dealership replaced these for me free of charge!
The next issue was how to prevent repeat offenders, and happily cans of Anti-Marder spray can be obtained easily and sprayed around the underside areas of the car it should keep the vicious little sons of un-married mothers away. However, don’t spray this stuff around too liberally, as a side effect seems to be squeaky brakes! I know squeaky brakes is a habitual problem with these vehicles, but mine has only done it on two occasions and that was for a few days after the first two times I sprayed around the wheels, and not since, as now I am a lot more sniper-like with my application.
This was my first time on a track and it was good fun and although the presence of an instructor sitting alongside advising and commenting was a little off-putting at times, it was also helpful. The ideal would have been to get a few laps in with him there and then have some fun alone, but I guess their insurance policy is not that comprehensive.
The R8 and GTR were certainly quicker than the Vantage, the R8 was the most planted, composed and flattering, but through my rose-tinted glasses the Vantage just felt like the best fit for me, the car handled brilliantly and I felt so in tune punting it around the track. It helped too that afterwards the instructor reckoned I was one of the fastest and smoothest he’d had in the Aston which was reinforced when I overheard the R8 instructor asking who was in the Vantage, as it took much longer for them to overhaul it than usual. I’ll take that, thanks very much!
With my head suitably enlarged I left with the enthusiastic thought that I had a very similar car waiting for me at Zurich airport in a few days!
Before leaving on this trip I mentioned to the AM dealer that I would like a quote for some winter rubber, and then sat back and waited for the worst. About a month later after I had returned from ‘Merica, conveniently around the time the weather was turning, he contacted me with what I thought was a great deal.
He had a customer who a few years earlier had swiftly bought some new wheels for his Vantage and had left his old ones in storage with them, and after them sitting there unused, the owner said to get rid of them for him. So, for 4200 Swiss Francs (3000 British Peso) I could have a set of near new 5 spoke sportpack wheels with new Pirelli Sottozeros. Done.
I whipped the car in to get the Pirellis put onto the original 7 spokes for winter, and the Potenzas swapped onto the 5-spokes would wait for summer. I was pretty stoked because the wheels I liked the most in that 2006-2010 model period were the two sets I ended up with.
While I was getting that done I also asked them to address the first problem that had cropped up, a dash message which read “Front Brake Pads Low,” which seemed an unreasonable assessment as I had only done 250km when the message came on and the pads were evidently rather new.
Turns out there are small beasties in Switzerland called Marder (Pine Marten) which have a taste for rubber and plastic and apparently do millions of dollars of damage to cars in Europe annually. I’d never heard of them, but they like brake sensors on a V8 Vantage it seems. The nice folks at the dealership replaced these for me free of charge!
The next issue was how to prevent repeat offenders, and happily cans of Anti-Marder spray can be obtained easily and sprayed around the underside areas of the car it should keep the vicious little sons of un-married mothers away. However, don’t spray this stuff around too liberally, as a side effect seems to be squeaky brakes! I know squeaky brakes is a habitual problem with these vehicles, but mine has only done it on two occasions and that was for a few days after the first two times I sprayed around the wheels, and not since, as now I am a lot more sniper-like with my application.
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Saturday 21st September 16:29
Ok, it’s been a while, but I’m back on this after a mad, mad year and have some catching up to do, soooo to continue….
Despite the downside of the car being attacked by ground based critters, and occasionally shat on by flying critters, nothing really takes the shine off walking out to your very own Aston Martin! As a photographer, it’s a bit like having a supermodel in your driveway, it’s pretty much impossible to take a bad photo of it… A drive is sometimes not so easy, as it occasionally involves throwing a camera in the car as I never know what I might find the light doing, or I may come across some cool location, in fact sometimes I just drive off on side roads looking for stuff.
I love the look of the sportpack wheels, they freshen up the car and seem to go nicely with springtime and are very smart, and clearly sporty, but the original 7-spokes look great too. What’s truly nice is to just get out and drive for no reason other than to enjoy the experience. I know this is the least powerful Vantage and is only one step up from the launch model so is a long way from the current versions in regards to tweaks and refinement, but it works for me just fine!
Yes, I do feel I would like some more power, and I will address this with a power upgrade/exhaust over the next year or so, but I do not find the 4.3 slow. It gets up and moves and makes a terrific noise about it. I like the ride and handling even when pushed, it`s comfortable and the interior is a nice place to be.
When I was swatting up on the models within my budget, and I am sure this is true for many others, it’s amazing how much time things like the updated centre console or GPS system occupy your thinking. Now, when I`m driving, I never think to myself I wish I had the newer 4.7 style centre console, in fact I like the symmetry of the 4.3’s console, (The latest haptic version though is on a different level) and that square foot of real estate does not bother me at all, and it would be the same if it was the 4.7 I bought – in retrospect I don’t think it is worth worrying about more than personal preference.
As I have a tendency to travel a fair bit through countries with languages in which I am unfamiliar a good GPS was quite important to me, and there was so much written about how crappy the Vantage system is. I don’t know, maybe I am naive to the ways of the GPS world, but the thing works perfectly fine and always gets me where I want to go, and was not worth the concern I had building up to ownership. It’s a 10 year old system and so much has changed since it came out so clearly it is not up to today’s standards, but to me it would be a bit like b
hing about an older Aston not having a GPS at all. It was what it was when the car came out. It works. Get over it.
When I found MY 4.3, one of the questions I asked pre-purchase was “Can the passenger airbag be disabled” to which I was told “Yes.”
When I arrived to pick up the car my wife in double-check mode asked the same question. Again “Yes.”
This was a pertinent query as my wife was to give birth to our son 2 & ½ months later and as we were downgrading one of our car’s seating specifications the Vantage had to be able to transport the little guy on occasion as well.
A few months later on a snowy Swiss evening after driving back from Austria I had to stop at the sister-in-law’s house to uplift said little guy. It was then that I discovered that the illustrations and instructions I had previously seen in the Owner’s Manual did not correspond with what I was seeing on the passenger side of my car. There was no off switch for the airbag.
Shortly after a string of expletives, a slow and nerve racking drive home followed, and up until now has been the only time my boy has been in the car.
This has been a proverbial pain in the posterior, as not only does it mean that the person that stays home with the boy also stays home with the Audi S6 wagon (no slight against the Audi you understand) so the Vantage has been used a bit more than originally intended.
I obviously broached the subject with my dealer who was both apologetic and embarrassed as he thought they all had “the switch” and promptly promised to look into ways to fix the issue. None immediately presented themselves, but a few weeks later I had a three-week trip away so I left the Vantage with them to try and find a solution to the airbag problem, and also couple of other small irritations that had developed while they were at it.
Firstly, that occasionally when turning on the GPS it would unfold, then go back down (but not completely) and then unfold open again. Not a big thing but clearly an error that needed sorting out.
Secondly, that the passenger side speaker would randomly cut out, and then start working again. I had not used the stereo a lot so I didn’t know if this intermittent fault had been around since the beginning. I listen to music a lot, but music seems a little superfluous in the Aston, better just to crack the window a little! (Originally, I had the premium audio high on my ideal spec list, but in review I’m happy to have that little bit more boot space).
Long story short – a solution was found for the airbag, but the company would not allow the modification as it could have legal ramifications if it went wrong one way or the other, so no son in the passenger seat for a couple of years. It’s disappointing as he points at it and says “brooom brooom” all the time – hang tight lil buddy, you’ll get your chance!
Also, both the stereo and GPS were fixed and no longer misbehaving, and evidently it was after much poking around and swearing looking for a solution. My wife picked up the car and she said a few in the workshop cheered when she arrived to take it away…
Despite the downside of the car being attacked by ground based critters, and occasionally shat on by flying critters, nothing really takes the shine off walking out to your very own Aston Martin! As a photographer, it’s a bit like having a supermodel in your driveway, it’s pretty much impossible to take a bad photo of it… A drive is sometimes not so easy, as it occasionally involves throwing a camera in the car as I never know what I might find the light doing, or I may come across some cool location, in fact sometimes I just drive off on side roads looking for stuff.
I love the look of the sportpack wheels, they freshen up the car and seem to go nicely with springtime and are very smart, and clearly sporty, but the original 7-spokes look great too. What’s truly nice is to just get out and drive for no reason other than to enjoy the experience. I know this is the least powerful Vantage and is only one step up from the launch model so is a long way from the current versions in regards to tweaks and refinement, but it works for me just fine!
Yes, I do feel I would like some more power, and I will address this with a power upgrade/exhaust over the next year or so, but I do not find the 4.3 slow. It gets up and moves and makes a terrific noise about it. I like the ride and handling even when pushed, it`s comfortable and the interior is a nice place to be.
When I was swatting up on the models within my budget, and I am sure this is true for many others, it’s amazing how much time things like the updated centre console or GPS system occupy your thinking. Now, when I`m driving, I never think to myself I wish I had the newer 4.7 style centre console, in fact I like the symmetry of the 4.3’s console, (The latest haptic version though is on a different level) and that square foot of real estate does not bother me at all, and it would be the same if it was the 4.7 I bought – in retrospect I don’t think it is worth worrying about more than personal preference.
As I have a tendency to travel a fair bit through countries with languages in which I am unfamiliar a good GPS was quite important to me, and there was so much written about how crappy the Vantage system is. I don’t know, maybe I am naive to the ways of the GPS world, but the thing works perfectly fine and always gets me where I want to go, and was not worth the concern I had building up to ownership. It’s a 10 year old system and so much has changed since it came out so clearly it is not up to today’s standards, but to me it would be a bit like b
hing about an older Aston not having a GPS at all. It was what it was when the car came out. It works. Get over it.
When I found MY 4.3, one of the questions I asked pre-purchase was “Can the passenger airbag be disabled” to which I was told “Yes.”
When I arrived to pick up the car my wife in double-check mode asked the same question. Again “Yes.”
This was a pertinent query as my wife was to give birth to our son 2 & ½ months later and as we were downgrading one of our car’s seating specifications the Vantage had to be able to transport the little guy on occasion as well.
A few months later on a snowy Swiss evening after driving back from Austria I had to stop at the sister-in-law’s house to uplift said little guy. It was then that I discovered that the illustrations and instructions I had previously seen in the Owner’s Manual did not correspond with what I was seeing on the passenger side of my car. There was no off switch for the airbag.
Shortly after a string of expletives, a slow and nerve racking drive home followed, and up until now has been the only time my boy has been in the car.
This has been a proverbial pain in the posterior, as not only does it mean that the person that stays home with the boy also stays home with the Audi S6 wagon (no slight against the Audi you understand) so the Vantage has been used a bit more than originally intended.
I obviously broached the subject with my dealer who was both apologetic and embarrassed as he thought they all had “the switch” and promptly promised to look into ways to fix the issue. None immediately presented themselves, but a few weeks later I had a three-week trip away so I left the Vantage with them to try and find a solution to the airbag problem, and also couple of other small irritations that had developed while they were at it.
Firstly, that occasionally when turning on the GPS it would unfold, then go back down (but not completely) and then unfold open again. Not a big thing but clearly an error that needed sorting out.
Secondly, that the passenger side speaker would randomly cut out, and then start working again. I had not used the stereo a lot so I didn’t know if this intermittent fault had been around since the beginning. I listen to music a lot, but music seems a little superfluous in the Aston, better just to crack the window a little! (Originally, I had the premium audio high on my ideal spec list, but in review I’m happy to have that little bit more boot space).
Long story short – a solution was found for the airbag, but the company would not allow the modification as it could have legal ramifications if it went wrong one way or the other, so no son in the passenger seat for a couple of years. It’s disappointing as he points at it and says “brooom brooom” all the time – hang tight lil buddy, you’ll get your chance!
Also, both the stereo and GPS were fixed and no longer misbehaving, and evidently it was after much poking around and swearing looking for a solution. My wife picked up the car and she said a few in the workshop cheered when she arrived to take it away…
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Wednesday 25th September 23:43
fvert said:
Great write up! Let's meet sometimes, I live in Zurich and own a 4.3 (with upgraded clutch!!!)
Nevertheless I would not drive the car on snowy and salty roads!!!
Who's your AM dealer? AM Zurich wanted 450chf only to watch the car and see what was to be done for the service....
Hey fvert, 450chf just for an inspection, ouch! My dealer is Emil Frey Aston Martin in Safenwil - I don't know how they are price wise compared to anywhere else as I have only used them thus far, but they have been helpful and done a bit extra a couple of times so I can't complain.Nevertheless I would not drive the car on snowy and salty roads!!!
Who's your AM dealer? AM Zurich wanted 450chf only to watch the car and see what was to be done for the service....
Sure we can meet up, thanks for the offer. I am not often in Zurich other than coming and going from Kloten, but I will PM you if I know in advance that I will be in the area. Please do likewise if you come to Luzern!
So, when I went to get my winters off and summers on my dealer threw the key for a DB9 GT at me. I was impressed at his trust, this was a new 2016 model with 320km on the clock that weighed in at more than three times the price of the eight-year-old Vantage I’d bought a few months earlier!
Having previously been a passenger, but never driven a V12 Aston, this was a sweet moment. I took it for a 30+ minute spin over a nearby mountain pass, and I felt like a teenager who had absconded with a car they shouldn’t be driving but to hell with it, pedal to the metal and all that!
The DB9 GT delivered such nice, smooth power, and sounded prodigious while doing it! Impressive grip and handling for a vehicle that feels noticeably bigger and heavier than the Vantage, and even the shifts were relatively fluid and quick, much more so than the couple of sportshift Vantages I`ve driven anyway. Amazing too that despite such similar interiors they feel so different, yet familiar... but different...
The Aston DNA.
I walked, or rather drove away happy to have had that opportunity, one that comes from going through the AM dealer experience I guess. (And it’s not all about the coffee, my guy offers beer also!) Of course, it’s all part of the game and since then he’s drawn my attention to a new, manual, MY17 Vantage in their showroom, and offered to give me back exactly what I paid for my 4.3 as a deposit… A generous deal but not a game I want to play. I like second hand cars, they are nicely depreciated and have a bit less care factor about them, besides, if I was going to buy new I’ll spec it myself, thanks!
A couple of weeks later in mid-April I flew into the UK for the first round of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championships at Silverstone. I made good use of my rental car, an appallingly uninteresting Audi TT, to scoot over to Halford (passing two DB11’s out testing along the way) to visit Bamford Rose and have a look around the operation with Mike.
Shortly after joining up to Pistonheads one of the first things I did was sift through the 80+ pages of the “Aston Martin advice from Bamford Rose independent specialist” thread, which I found to be extremely interesting and they definitely seemed to have some performance enhancements available that I liked the sound of… These mods convinced me that one need not feel condemned to a life of 4.7 envy if owning a 4.3.
Mike kindly took a good chunk of time to show me around the garage and parts department and explain the operation amid the sundry Vantages, DB’s and a mean looking Vanquish, the wheels of which only just contained some ginormous carbon ceramic discs. I loved the engine building room in the old section of the plant, which just reeked of secret laboratory, Frankenstein type know-how. I made my way back to Silverstone thinking of when I can justify a drive to the UK to get a BR sports exhaust fitted. Maybe a lightened flywheel and clutch also... At least I had something to take my mind off the shoddy Audi.
I’d never been to Silverstone, and it was a fun couple of days and the Vantage GT8’s podiumed in Pro & Am so that was good for morale!
If anyone is interested there’s some of my photos on facebook, (& from round 2 at Spa also) – link below.
https://www.facebook.com/deantreml/media_set?set=a...
July was fast approaching and with that the 2200km (1400 mile) round trip from Switzerland to Burghley House for the 2016 Festival of Aston Martins! I was looking forward to this, not just for the gathering, but also to do a bit of a “Grand Tour” as it would be the longest trip I was likely to undertake in the Vantage any time soon, and I was curious to see how comfortable it was over that sort of distance. I had seriously figured on doing the Bamford Rose thing on this trip but it transpired that I couldn’t get my st together, so that went on the back burner for now.
When the time rolled around my daughter was visiting from down under so she came along as co-pilot. We crossed into France at Basel and carried on to Lens for dinner, such as it was, and then spent the night in Calais before Chunneling over to Blighty the next morning. The Vantage ran great, cruised like a true GT and made the journey enjoyable rather than a task. There were moments on that drive where everything came together and the feelings were sublime.
After a three day stop in London, we arrived at Burghley. Having stayed at a nearby hotel it was unexpected fun to leave for the event with two other Vantages and a DB7 whose owners had stayed at the same hotel. Along the way we picked up a couple more Astons so the view out the windscreen and in the rear view mirrors was fantastic. Previously I had given a Porsche 911 owning mate plenty of grief about his 911 country cruising get togethers (and to be fair any 911 owner deserves a certain amount of grief if for nothing else than lack of imagination) but I had to eat humble pie (no hardship, I love pie) as the convoy thing was quite a buzz.
Arrival was very cool, to rumble into the grounds of Burghley House amid all the others and see the plethora of Astons laid out across the lawns was quite the occasion.
After parking and chatting with our immediate neighbours we started doing the rounds. There were evidently 600 Astons, the largest gathering ever, and while there was a lot of very similar cars in attendance there was some precious metal lurking here and there as well. Oddly, so many Aston Martins in one place kind of takes the shine off the AM uniqueness…
It was good to see both the DB10 & DB11, both look better in real life than I’ve seen in most photos, especially the 11, which I feel suffered in images originally with the contrasting roof strake, which doesn’t work for me at all.
The Vulcan certainly drew a crowd, especially when they fired it up! Overall it was a very special event to attend and the organisation was superb, and Burghley House itself quite terrific to look through. People were open and chatty about their cars and it was all feeling quite free and easy, as one would expect. I was happy too, to bump into “BlackV8” who had made a similar trip through from Austria!
I don’t think I would do the trip again in a hurry, but it was 100% worth it to be there amid the many AM’s and enthusiasts, see all the assembled works of art and feel the pride and history in Aston Martin ownership. Having said that if another such event coincides with an excuse to be in the UK, then why not!
The other highlight of Burghley was getting Clive Chedzey to fit the exhaust valve bypass unit to my car – and he pointed out that I can program the on/off controls into my auto-dimming rear view mirror, which I have since done – no more pulling the boot apart to remove or replace the fuse depending on how I feel about the neighbours at 5am…
We cut a track at 4:30pm as I didn’t want to get caught in a mass exodus and started the drive back to Switzerland. As the trip went on I felt pretty decent and other than food and petrol, kept on the move, and 11 hours later pulled into the driveway at home (and I was only flashed twice by the sneaky little cameras of the gendarmerie!)
This is testament to the comfort of the car, as not once on the drive did I feel the need to stop for a stretch or anything to ward off seat pains or cramps, and this harks back to what I wrote previously about the DB7 – “never had I sat in a car that felt so custom made for me” - and this is true of the Vantage too, when I’m sitting in it, it just feels right.
I’ve posted some of my photos from Burghley on facebook (link below) & if you see your car, let me know!
https://www.facebook.com/deantreml/media_set?set=a...
Having previously been a passenger, but never driven a V12 Aston, this was a sweet moment. I took it for a 30+ minute spin over a nearby mountain pass, and I felt like a teenager who had absconded with a car they shouldn’t be driving but to hell with it, pedal to the metal and all that!
The DB9 GT delivered such nice, smooth power, and sounded prodigious while doing it! Impressive grip and handling for a vehicle that feels noticeably bigger and heavier than the Vantage, and even the shifts were relatively fluid and quick, much more so than the couple of sportshift Vantages I`ve driven anyway. Amazing too that despite such similar interiors they feel so different, yet familiar... but different...
The Aston DNA.
I walked, or rather drove away happy to have had that opportunity, one that comes from going through the AM dealer experience I guess. (And it’s not all about the coffee, my guy offers beer also!) Of course, it’s all part of the game and since then he’s drawn my attention to a new, manual, MY17 Vantage in their showroom, and offered to give me back exactly what I paid for my 4.3 as a deposit… A generous deal but not a game I want to play. I like second hand cars, they are nicely depreciated and have a bit less care factor about them, besides, if I was going to buy new I’ll spec it myself, thanks!
A couple of weeks later in mid-April I flew into the UK for the first round of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championships at Silverstone. I made good use of my rental car, an appallingly uninteresting Audi TT, to scoot over to Halford (passing two DB11’s out testing along the way) to visit Bamford Rose and have a look around the operation with Mike.
Shortly after joining up to Pistonheads one of the first things I did was sift through the 80+ pages of the “Aston Martin advice from Bamford Rose independent specialist” thread, which I found to be extremely interesting and they definitely seemed to have some performance enhancements available that I liked the sound of… These mods convinced me that one need not feel condemned to a life of 4.7 envy if owning a 4.3.
Mike kindly took a good chunk of time to show me around the garage and parts department and explain the operation amid the sundry Vantages, DB’s and a mean looking Vanquish, the wheels of which only just contained some ginormous carbon ceramic discs. I loved the engine building room in the old section of the plant, which just reeked of secret laboratory, Frankenstein type know-how. I made my way back to Silverstone thinking of when I can justify a drive to the UK to get a BR sports exhaust fitted. Maybe a lightened flywheel and clutch also... At least I had something to take my mind off the shoddy Audi.
I’d never been to Silverstone, and it was a fun couple of days and the Vantage GT8’s podiumed in Pro & Am so that was good for morale!
If anyone is interested there’s some of my photos on facebook, (& from round 2 at Spa also) – link below.
https://www.facebook.com/deantreml/media_set?set=a...
July was fast approaching and with that the 2200km (1400 mile) round trip from Switzerland to Burghley House for the 2016 Festival of Aston Martins! I was looking forward to this, not just for the gathering, but also to do a bit of a “Grand Tour” as it would be the longest trip I was likely to undertake in the Vantage any time soon, and I was curious to see how comfortable it was over that sort of distance. I had seriously figured on doing the Bamford Rose thing on this trip but it transpired that I couldn’t get my s
t together, so that went on the back burner for now. When the time rolled around my daughter was visiting from down under so she came along as co-pilot. We crossed into France at Basel and carried on to Lens for dinner, such as it was, and then spent the night in Calais before Chunneling over to Blighty the next morning. The Vantage ran great, cruised like a true GT and made the journey enjoyable rather than a task. There were moments on that drive where everything came together and the feelings were sublime.
After a three day stop in London, we arrived at Burghley. Having stayed at a nearby hotel it was unexpected fun to leave for the event with two other Vantages and a DB7 whose owners had stayed at the same hotel. Along the way we picked up a couple more Astons so the view out the windscreen and in the rear view mirrors was fantastic. Previously I had given a Porsche 911 owning mate plenty of grief about his 911 country cruising get togethers (and to be fair any 911 owner deserves a certain amount of grief if for nothing else than lack of imagination) but I had to eat humble pie (no hardship, I love pie) as the convoy thing was quite a buzz.
Arrival was very cool, to rumble into the grounds of Burghley House amid all the others and see the plethora of Astons laid out across the lawns was quite the occasion.
After parking and chatting with our immediate neighbours we started doing the rounds. There were evidently 600 Astons, the largest gathering ever, and while there was a lot of very similar cars in attendance there was some precious metal lurking here and there as well. Oddly, so many Aston Martins in one place kind of takes the shine off the AM uniqueness…
It was good to see both the DB10 & DB11, both look better in real life than I’ve seen in most photos, especially the 11, which I feel suffered in images originally with the contrasting roof strake, which doesn’t work for me at all.
The Vulcan certainly drew a crowd, especially when they fired it up! Overall it was a very special event to attend and the organisation was superb, and Burghley House itself quite terrific to look through. People were open and chatty about their cars and it was all feeling quite free and easy, as one would expect. I was happy too, to bump into “BlackV8” who had made a similar trip through from Austria!
I don’t think I would do the trip again in a hurry, but it was 100% worth it to be there amid the many AM’s and enthusiasts, see all the assembled works of art and feel the pride and history in Aston Martin ownership. Having said that if another such event coincides with an excuse to be in the UK, then why not!
The other highlight of Burghley was getting Clive Chedzey to fit the exhaust valve bypass unit to my car – and he pointed out that I can program the on/off controls into my auto-dimming rear view mirror, which I have since done – no more pulling the boot apart to remove or replace the fuse depending on how I feel about the neighbours at 5am…
We cut a track at 4:30pm as I didn’t want to get caught in a mass exodus and started the drive back to Switzerland. As the trip went on I felt pretty decent and other than food and petrol, kept on the move, and 11 hours later pulled into the driveway at home (and I was only flashed twice by the sneaky little cameras of the gendarmerie!)
This is testament to the comfort of the car, as not once on the drive did I feel the need to stop for a stretch or anything to ward off seat pains or cramps, and this harks back to what I wrote previously about the DB7 – “never had I sat in a car that felt so custom made for me” - and this is true of the Vantage too, when I’m sitting in it, it just feels right.
I’ve posted some of my photos from Burghley on facebook (link below) & if you see your car, let me know!
https://www.facebook.com/deantreml/media_set?set=a...
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Friday 4th October 21:57
Well, It has been a while and that seems to be a theme with this thread but anyway, summer has treated the car and I well. It`s currently sitting on 49,500km, so about to hit the half century and more interestingly means that in 23 months I`ve done 23,000km (14,300 miles) which is a decent number. I`m sure it`ll be around 1000km per month during my tenure come October 6th…
My plans to add some more power via exhaust etc., have not yet been realised but the process of making other changes is coming along. I have begun the de-chroming and I`m happy with the results so far and to date I have done the following;
Replaced 8 bar silver grill with 6 bar black grill.
Painted bonnet meshes black
Exhaust tips black
Window surround wrapped in black
Side strakes wrapped in black
Outer brake hubs painted black
Divinatech carbon fibre composite mirror caps
Additionally… other than wheels/tyres
Shorty aerial
Silver caps on seat controls
LED bulbs in internal lights
Exhaust bypass switch
It has the potential to be a little bit endless…
As the blacks start to take over I appreciate more the purity of the original chrome features, this is not to say I prefer it, I certainly like both looks but black is the pathway I am on at the moment and am happy with, and everything I have done is reversible so a return to spec is relatively easy. As I was having the window surrounds wrapped I had the side strakes done at the same time as I was not sure when I would or might get the carbon versions, but having seen the divinatech mirror caps I ordered their side strakes smartly and I have received them and will get them in at an appropriate time. I also fancy their N420 style rear diffuser and possibly a small front splitter to keep it company... oh dear.
Internally the new map reading LED bulbs in the interior made a huge difference to being able to actually see something inside the car at night. These are the items in question;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111333591645?_trksid=p20...
And thanks to Shinjuku who I had the pleasure of meeting up with for lunch in Zurich recently, I have ordered the aluminium sat nav and radio knobs off ebay which gives these round knobs on the 4.3 a better look in keeping with the other larger ones.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aston-Martin-SAT-NAV-and...
Now there is not much shiny stuff on the outside except my summer wheels, the Vantage badge and the Aston Martin wings badges. I would love to replace the existing Aston Martin wings badges with the forged carbon versions, although it`s kind of hard to justify the high expense for such a small change…
I am undecided on if I should paint the sportspack wheels or just buy a new set of anthracite or black wheels… I don`t think the sportspack`s will suit black/anthracite that well…I will wait until my winter wheels go on, which are the original 7-spokes in anthracite, and live with the overall darker look and feel for a few months before making a decision. As I am driving regularly the darker wheels make sense as the cleaning is seemingly endless!
I quite like the black 10-spokes that you see on the occasional V12 Vantage...
On a slightly different note, while I was on a job a few months back and my car was parked within viewing from the work desk in the hotel room I noticed a few people react to the car as they went past so I grabbed a camera and in between work I grabbed a couple of shots. It was quite interesting to see how the Vantage seemed to make people happy & curious.
Sadly I had no CF card in the camera when a busty young wench posed for a selfie, which originally drew my attention to these paparazzi-style photo opportunities...
It will be due in the the dealership soon for the winter tyres/wheels and a service, always nerve wracking, and in the last couple of weeks I have been getting a occasional creaking sound from the front end while moving which I suspect is suspension related and I hope is just some bushes that need renewing, watch this space...
My plans to add some more power via exhaust etc., have not yet been realised but the process of making other changes is coming along. I have begun the de-chroming and I`m happy with the results so far and to date I have done the following;
Replaced 8 bar silver grill with 6 bar black grill.
Painted bonnet meshes black
Exhaust tips black
Window surround wrapped in black
Side strakes wrapped in black
Outer brake hubs painted black
Divinatech carbon fibre composite mirror caps
Additionally… other than wheels/tyres
Shorty aerial
Silver caps on seat controls
LED bulbs in internal lights
Exhaust bypass switch
It has the potential to be a little bit endless…
As the blacks start to take over I appreciate more the purity of the original chrome features, this is not to say I prefer it, I certainly like both looks but black is the pathway I am on at the moment and am happy with, and everything I have done is reversible so a return to spec is relatively easy. As I was having the window surrounds wrapped I had the side strakes done at the same time as I was not sure when I would or might get the carbon versions, but having seen the divinatech mirror caps I ordered their side strakes smartly and I have received them and will get them in at an appropriate time. I also fancy their N420 style rear diffuser and possibly a small front splitter to keep it company... oh dear.
Internally the new map reading LED bulbs in the interior made a huge difference to being able to actually see something inside the car at night. These are the items in question;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111333591645?_trksid=p20...
And thanks to Shinjuku who I had the pleasure of meeting up with for lunch in Zurich recently, I have ordered the aluminium sat nav and radio knobs off ebay which gives these round knobs on the 4.3 a better look in keeping with the other larger ones.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aston-Martin-SAT-NAV-and...
Now there is not much shiny stuff on the outside except my summer wheels, the Vantage badge and the Aston Martin wings badges. I would love to replace the existing Aston Martin wings badges with the forged carbon versions, although it`s kind of hard to justify the high expense for such a small change…
I am undecided on if I should paint the sportspack wheels or just buy a new set of anthracite or black wheels… I don`t think the sportspack`s will suit black/anthracite that well…I will wait until my winter wheels go on, which are the original 7-spokes in anthracite, and live with the overall darker look and feel for a few months before making a decision. As I am driving regularly the darker wheels make sense as the cleaning is seemingly endless!
I quite like the black 10-spokes that you see on the occasional V12 Vantage...
On a slightly different note, while I was on a job a few months back and my car was parked within viewing from the work desk in the hotel room I noticed a few people react to the car as they went past so I grabbed a camera and in between work I grabbed a couple of shots. It was quite interesting to see how the Vantage seemed to make people happy & curious.
Sadly I had no CF card in the camera when a busty young wench posed for a selfie, which originally drew my attention to these paparazzi-style photo opportunities...
It will be due in the the dealership soon for the winter tyres/wheels and a service, always nerve wracking, and in the last couple of weeks I have been getting a occasional creaking sound from the front end while moving which I suspect is suspension related and I hope is just some bushes that need renewing, watch this space...
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Saturday 26th October 18:49
HBradley said:
Dean, stunning & very tasteful. I would love to know from where you picked up the seat control silver caps?
Thanks, great looking Vantage S you have!The caps I picked up off ebay, from China. They were 23US$. The person or company I got them from "qsuv-chrome" does not have them listed currently, but these are them, and even cheaper.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PM-Chrome-Seat-Adjustment-...
While still only plastic they provide a bit of a visual lift.
BlackV8 said:
Hi Dean, looks stunning with your black upgrades
and it seems that you are enjoying the V8V
Cheers Anthony
Thanks Anthony, and it seems that you are enjoying the V8VCheers Anthony
I am enjoying the process, and the car very much! 
IanV12VR said:
As always Dean some wonderful images. The first one is particularly striking!
Cheers Ian, I like that one too, it really looks like mercury. Mansfield said:
Hi Dean, the car is looking good. The mods enhance it well.
I would keep the sportspack wheels silver, they dont look right in black.
I think you are refering to the V12 Vantage lightweight wheels? TSW interlagos wheels look very similar if you are looking for a cheaper alternative.
All the best
Thanks! You`re quite right and I have already decided that the sportspacks will stay silver, and maybe get sold. In combination with finding a couple of images online as well as giving them the photoshop treatment I agree that they do not look right. As Shinjuku pointed out to me, the style really relies on the contrast of the spaces between the double spokes.I would keep the sportspack wheels silver, they dont look right in black.
I think you are refering to the V12 Vantage lightweight wheels? TSW interlagos wheels look very similar if you are looking for a cheaper alternative.
All the best
Cheers for the Interlagos tip, they are similar to the lightweights, that probably would have been a question I would have asked at some point...
shinjuku said:
Looking great, Dean! Looks even better in person
Cheers, and sounds good too in underground spaces I understand... Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Thursday 7th September 21:30
Well, I passed by the AM dealership as they had a second-hand V12V sitting there with the black lightweight wheels which I kinda thought might be my next thing, so i took a snap of it, and my car from the same angle with my phone and when I got home transferred the black wheels onto mine via photoshop...
Based on this quick visual experiment I cannot say I prefer the look, personally they seem too dark and lack detail, and the cloudy weather doesn`t help... in the sunshine on a Madagascar Orange Vantage they looked much better from memory!
Better to go through this process however than get some of these wheels (or more likely the TSW interlagos wheels as Mansfield suggested) and find I am not so fond of them. So now it`s going to be something anthracite I guess, or I`ll just stick with the sportspacks in chrome, which I like with the overall look of the car anyhow, it`s just not what I envisaged...
Based on this quick visual experiment I cannot say I prefer the look, personally they seem too dark and lack detail, and the cloudy weather doesn`t help... in the sunshine on a Madagascar Orange Vantage they looked much better from memory!
Better to go through this process however than get some of these wheels (or more likely the TSW interlagos wheels as Mansfield suggested) and find I am not so fond of them. So now it`s going to be something anthracite I guess, or I`ll just stick with the sportspacks in chrome, which I like with the overall look of the car anyhow, it`s just not what I envisaged...
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Saturday 21st September 17:35
Interesting thing this Vantage ownership. It`s all very well I suspect, to spec a car from new and have exactly what you want, or to be of a mind that the used car you bought is bang-on perfect just the way you received it. I on the other hand have a bunch of preconceived ideas and I really want to test those theories, however, just as everything is going according to plan I suddenly get a thrown a curve ball... 
I am pleased with the de-chroming, I think the carbon mirror caps, side strakes and rear diffuser enhance the car nicely, the silver sportspack wheels look surprisingly good with the black treatment, and the 7-spoke wheels that came with the car, a design I always liked, and then quickly had painted anthracite for my winter rubber, and I think they came up great! Well... I am not so sure about them anymore... I don`t hate them, I just don`t have the same fondness for the look of them as I had originally and find myself thinking they look a bit dated, basic even. I feel like such a wheel snob...
It`s weird because once you start venturing into this world of upgrading this and changing that, it doesn`t matter how many times you google pictures of the damn things, they never look quite the same as your own car! I don`t know if I need a visit to the AA, or Astons Anonymous, but I feel I am getting into things that maybe don`t really matter thaaaaat much in the scheme of things, and I am spending a disproportionate amount of time thinking about it.
Moving right along... I was very happy to get the carbon fibre side strakes (& side meshes painted black) and the N420 diffuser on the car, which is pretty much it for exterior carbon except for probably a small splitter, and I have a carbon gear lever surround which I will drop in at some stage and then think about the interior door handles. In the meantime though, my budget was kept occupied by a service... I was going to hang on a few extra months and have it looked at in April 2018 by Bamford Rose when I`m up in the UK, but one of the headlight washer units more or less fell out, and one tail light lost half it`s LED`s about the same time so I figured it was due. I booked a service at the same time as I had my summer/winter wheels switched over. On top of what I knew needed doing, the rear brakes required attention and the battery was the original from 2007 so that seemed prudent to replace, end result all up for the service plus extras capped out a bit over 7k in Swiss francs. Less than ideal but I kind of anticipated these things, I`d just hoped my anticipation was unfounded. Nope, a large chunk of that was the tail light, about 2k!!
This car is still incredibly good fun and gives me great vibes every time I look at it, this was the first major expense outside of the norm in two and a half years, and most of it was consumables, so the ups far outweigh any downs in the ownership experience for me.
I am pleased with the de-chroming, I think the carbon mirror caps, side strakes and rear diffuser enhance the car nicely, the silver sportspack wheels look surprisingly good with the black treatment, and the 7-spoke wheels that came with the car, a design I always liked, and then quickly had painted anthracite for my winter rubber, and I think they came up great! Well... I am not so sure about them anymore... I don`t hate them, I just don`t have the same fondness for the look of them as I had originally and find myself thinking they look a bit dated, basic even. I feel like such a wheel snob...
It`s weird because once you start venturing into this world of upgrading this and changing that, it doesn`t matter how many times you google pictures of the damn things, they never look quite the same as your own car! I don`t know if I need a visit to the AA, or Astons Anonymous, but I feel I am getting into things that maybe don`t really matter thaaaaat much in the scheme of things, and I am spending a disproportionate amount of time thinking about it.
Moving right along... I was very happy to get the carbon fibre side strakes (& side meshes painted black) and the N420 diffuser on the car, which is pretty much it for exterior carbon except for probably a small splitter, and I have a carbon gear lever surround which I will drop in at some stage and then think about the interior door handles. In the meantime though, my budget was kept occupied by a service... I was going to hang on a few extra months and have it looked at in April 2018 by Bamford Rose when I`m up in the UK, but one of the headlight washer units more or less fell out, and one tail light lost half it`s LED`s about the same time so I figured it was due. I booked a service at the same time as I had my summer/winter wheels switched over. On top of what I knew needed doing, the rear brakes required attention and the battery was the original from 2007 so that seemed prudent to replace, end result all up for the service plus extras capped out a bit over 7k in Swiss francs. Less than ideal but I kind of anticipated these things, I`d just hoped my anticipation was unfounded. Nope, a large chunk of that was the tail light, about 2k!!
This car is still incredibly good fun and gives me great vibes every time I look at it, this was the first major expense outside of the norm in two and a half years, and most of it was consumables, so the ups far outweigh any downs in the ownership experience for me.
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Saturday 5th October 10:26
rovcallum said:
Dean, what wax do you use?
Your car looks stunning in just about every photo, well done!
Cheers Callum, I have used Turtle Wax Ice Spray Wax on the car, but only a couple of times to be honest, I am generally just washing it frequently. The car shine sometimes looks a bit peakier too, due to a bit of added clarity in the photo processing.Your car looks stunning in just about every photo, well done!
OK, straight to the meat and potatoes, the work Bamford Rose have done on my car has transformed it into a bit of a beast. It grumbles and burbles now with a hearty disdain, not especially loud, just seems a bit more lumpy and purposeful, and that is with the exhaust valves closed, when open it is like a vexed dragon swooping down from a thunderous sky, with the fire-breathing happening under the bonnet. The BR equal length primary exhaust manifolds are terrific looking things, and it`s a shame they are hidden from clear view, and when integrated with the high flow cats, GT4 airbox mods and ECU remap, there is a very clear difference in power and torque output that is coming from the 4280cc V8, and then coupled with the BR lightweight flywheel and twin-plate clutch the responsiveness takes the whole experience to another lever. Colour me impressed.
The ideas I expressed earlier in this thread, that I would have Bamford Rose breath on this 4.3 at some point to bring it more in line with the engine performance of a 4.7 came to fruition last month when I drove up to the UK for a week where the car started with a two-night sleepover at BR and would finish with the Rockingham Aston Martin Track Day.
The day before departing I fitted the carbon fibre gear surround that I had been meaning to do for about three months, thanks to Rich at red pants for his instructional videos as it was good to view it and see it was a straight forward task, all done in 40 minutes.
The drive up from Luzern went well, sunny and 22 degrees so windows down most of the way, about 7.5 hours to Calais and straight onto the Eurotunnel and through to Folkstone, however within 30 minutes of driving off the train it was raining, but England in April so no surprises there. Happily, I`d fortified myself with a couple of petrol station pepper steak pasties shortly after arriving so cruising through the moisture west on the M25 then north up to Halford was no problem and saw me checked into a hotel by 9pm, about 11 hours driving time in total.
The following morning I dropped the car into Bamford Rose. I had it booked in for the exhaust/airbox treatment as well replacing the door and rear hatch gas struts. I asked Mike if they could give it a bit of a once over and see if anything else needed attention while they had it, and queried if they could assess clutch life, as twice during the past winter while reversing up inclines in the snow I smelt that unpleasantly odour that generally forewarns of impending clutch replacement. Mike then dropped me around the corner to pick up a rental car and I headed to Gaydon to meet Mark or “Bincenzo” as he`s known around here, who had kindly agreed to give me a look around the facilities that afternoon.
When I arrived, Mr JWW was filming outside the entrance, I didn`t pay it much attention but turns out he was collecting the first of the new Vantages to be driven away by a non-employee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtXPdPstIxg
Mark was a most gracious and informative tour guide and it was fascinating to be on location at the factory, to see the marvellous DB4 GT Continuation in the foyer next to the two new models, and get to look at the assembly line, the differently specced cars rolling through and all the employees going about their fastidious trade.
This got me thinking, that I guess a very, very small percentage of people that own cars actually go to the factory where they are made. If you are a car person then that does not necessarily dictate that you want to visit a car factory, or even a specific one, although if Ferrari offered to throw the doors open I assume most would accept the invitation. Generally speaking, the pilgrimage that many make to AM is quite an uncommon activity, that makes one feel all the more privileged to be in a position to want to, be able to, and own a car that has been created within this very plant.
While I was there I missed a message from Mike at BR, so after leaving Gaydon I meandered back to Halford to get the news, and an ice cream (thanks Adrian) and it transpired that when cold, the clutch did exhibit some slip, but not after things warmed up. The conclusion then without stripping it down was that the clutch was starting to go, it might be good for another year, or more, or less, not factoring in the track day on the weekend.
I had planned to ditch my AM service stamps and make this trip up to BR every couple of years for servicing and whatever needed a tickle up, and the twin-plate clutch and lightweight flywheel would have been on my 2020 shopping list, however with the uncertainty of clutch life and knowing full well that replacing the standard clutch in Switzerland would cost more than the BR twin-plate I decided to spend money to save money so to speak, man maths if you will, and get it done there and then, along with a couple of small maintenance items, that had also been picked up. This involved a bit of money juggling as having just slapped a deposit down on a house, upgrading an Aston Martin seemed a bit frivolous but as the car survived the house purchase scenario I was ultimately able to nearly completely push the guilt aside and commit further, as the Vantage should be with me for some time…
Adrian also made the observation as we were underneath it while on the hoist, that it was a nice, dry car, with no corrosion or other underbody issues, which was nice to know after three seasons of winter running.
The next day after a hearty breakfast I headed into Stratford-Upon-Avon for some casual tourism on what was to become the hottest April day on record for 70 years, and it was also approaching the weekend that celebrated the 402nd year since William Shakespeare`s death… seems strange to have a celebration around his death, if it was Hitler then understandable but Willy Waggledagger? Anyway, it was a pleasant day of walking, boating, pie eating and pint drinking. Being an antipodean relocated in Switzerland, good meat pies and fish & chips are two things that I really miss so any trip to Commonwealth shores usually involves a fair amount of pub food.
.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds)
Due to the weather and the looming death celebrations, Stratford-Upon-Avon was fairly well populated, and I presume this is often the case, as one in five shops seemed there largely for the tourist market, but hey, if I guy who put ink to paper a few centuries ago can still stimulate the local economy, then good work that man! Towards the end of the day I made my way back to my hotel, The Stag, about 5km outside of town, that featured pleasant, rustic décor and a decent bar/restaurant that`s worth spending time in…
The next day, Friday, was pick-up afternoon for the Vantage so to get me back in a car mood I headed again to Gaydon, but this time to the British Motor Museum, where I spent about three hours perusing the exhibits which was pretty interesting in the main building. Some of the vehicles really took me back, as I remembered family and friends driving some of these relics. Memories of my mum`s Triumph 2000 Mk I & Mk II, the Uncle`s Morris Oxford and Austin 1800 “Landcrab” and mates buying things like a Morris Marina or Hillman Imp for their first car, egads!
The spill over building was one floor of Jaguars and the other filled up with various vehicles and I was in and out in 20 minutes and off to Bamford Rose as it was pick up time!
I cannot deny I was quite excited as I pulled into BR, clearly the car looked exactly the same so I could hardly wait to get behind the wheel and see how different it would feel. Mike showed me the old bits that had been removed from the car, collectively they would make a good anchor for a reasonable sized boat! After the formalities and a bit more of a chin wag it was into the car for a two hour drive to the Five Bells Inn at Weston Turville, just a stones throw from Aston Clinton. I had reasoned that it would be better to drive to a destination after pick-up, rather than just wheeling around the backroads with an insane grin on my face, which may well have been the case, the insane grin bit, as my first reaction was “Bugger me!”
Quite the transformation! The car felt so much more lively, the throttle eager and the revs coming more freely. I made a point of switching the exhaust to stealth mode quickly so as not to get fooled by the abundant noise, and while opportunities were limited, the difference was undeniably apparent, from stand still or on the move it`s much more responsive at low and midrange revs, it feels unshackled. This certainly is what I was hoping for, but exceeded my expectations.
The Five Bells was a decent little spot to stop for the night, good food, friendly, humorous staff but beware of parking your car under the trees which are clearly housing overfed pigeons the size of a corgi! Brushing off the pints of Mad Squirrel Pale Ale from the night before, I checked out and headed straight for Aston Clinton and more specifically Aston Hill where Lionel Martin`s activities ultimately laid the foundation for the Aston Martin name. A couple of photos followed by a bit of a squirt back and forth through the area led me to the Aston Clinton Park late in the morning where a pie and a flat white in the sunshine as children practised football and people walked dogs seemed the perfect precursor to my drive back north to the Hampton by Hilton Corby hotel near Rockingham, where several of the track day folks where threatening to meet up for a pre-event get together. Righto, sounds like me. With my GPS set to “avoid motorways” I headed off, relishing the new-found oomph of my car, and playing with the exhaust valve switch almost constantly, trying to find a balance between being as loud as possible but not drawing undue attention to myself. Yeah, right.
The trip would be around three hours, and as I passed by Milton Keynes along the way it seemed rude not to swing by Red Bull Racing and get a quick snap outside the facilities, partly as they now have some serious AM backing but mostly because Red Bull have been my best client over the last 20 years, so I have a more-or-less unconditional support for the team, even if they have a charming mofo of an Australian behind the wheel of one of their cars. Again.
I also decided to head to Rugby for lunch and a look around, a little out of the way but it seemed worthy of a stop as my country has been reasonably good playing a sport of the same name, and I spent a solid eight years photographing the All Blacks and other teams up and down New Zealand and overseas. After checking out Rugby School, where cricket was being played, and taking a stroll around town, yet again I found myself in a pub, this one called “The Merchants” with a busy rugby and brewery themed interior and the requisite big screen showing matches all day long. They provided a very nice steak and mushroom stew to accompany the Leffe.
Post mid-afternoon lunch the rain started again, which didn`t bother me particularly after the splendid days previously, so onward to Corby. There were three other Aston`s in the hotel carpark when I arrived, two Vantage volante`s and Rob Down`s Gulf liveried GT8, I parked next to him, so as to look modest and unassuming…
An hour or two after checking in I left my room, coincidently at the same time as AMOC member Graham Bearham who was in the room next door, and we went to the bar, such as it was, (the hotel is a convenient place to stay near Rockingham, and the rooms are comfortable enough, but it`s not winning any prizes in the “additional facilities” department) and expected to easily spot a group of red trousers pontificating away, but it appeared everyone was in mufti! There was a small, suspicious looking gathering however and that`s where I began to meet up with the Pistonhead pseudonyms, Burnt Out, Bassflyer, Stevejay, J12MOC, AlpinaChris, Northernmedia, Soofsayer, V8V Pete, Ken Figenus, steviebee155, Robbo1969, PJDV8, RobDown, dal65, and Evysojf. Probably others too but I`m just pleased I can remember this lot!
Enough has been written about the track day on it`s own thread so I won`t go into details, needless to say, it was a well organised, well run and well participated event with lots of like-minded car owners having excellent fun, and it was terrific to pound around lap after lap feeding in as much acceleration as you want without worrying about the constabulary. I had a play with traction control off for a couple of laps but my confidence got the better of me and I swapped ends coming out of Yentwood with an over judicious stomp on the loud peddle and did a tidy piece of reverse parallel parking trackside. This as it turned out was the perfect spot to wave at people coming through Yentwood that got it right, and also to turn traction control back on again.
Less was written about the Wetherspoons a stone`s throw away from the hotel, where several of us spent an evening or two imbibing, talking, eating and more talking with a bit more imbibing and plenty of laughter along the way, and there are still people who I owe a beer as it was very difficult to buy a round, and AlpinaChris, the fondue is on me (not literally you understand) when you come to Switzerland!
On Monday morning I checked out around 9:30 from memory and hit the road with steviebee for company for a couple of hours until I had to veer off for Folkstone. The return trip was a slightly longer drive and the closer I got to Switzerland the more I wondered how much trouble this howling banshee of an exhaust was going to get me into. This was a month ago and now that I`ve been back home and used it around familiar roads it becomes even more apparent that my Vantage is now a little unhinged… Overtakes are immediate and I`m still surprised when I drop it down and nail it without considering the modifications, how my mind thinks, holy cow this thing is quick now! Bursts of throttle that used to see me arriving in the 140kmh range now have me nudging 160 and above, so I have to be extra careful with the right foot, or I may get to use it even more, for walking…
I`ve noticed the rear breaks loose in the wet much more readily at low revs too, the torque has arrived. I cannot thank the team at Bamford Rose enough, what a fantastic week!
Now I need to bring this to a close, the problem with posting here infrequently is that I often end up with a novel, so rather than draw things out I`m just going to give it an end.
The ideas I expressed earlier in this thread, that I would have Bamford Rose breath on this 4.3 at some point to bring it more in line with the engine performance of a 4.7 came to fruition last month when I drove up to the UK for a week where the car started with a two-night sleepover at BR and would finish with the Rockingham Aston Martin Track Day.
The day before departing I fitted the carbon fibre gear surround that I had been meaning to do for about three months, thanks to Rich at red pants for his instructional videos as it was good to view it and see it was a straight forward task, all done in 40 minutes.
The drive up from Luzern went well, sunny and 22 degrees so windows down most of the way, about 7.5 hours to Calais and straight onto the Eurotunnel and through to Folkstone, however within 30 minutes of driving off the train it was raining, but England in April so no surprises there. Happily, I`d fortified myself with a couple of petrol station pepper steak pasties shortly after arriving so cruising through the moisture west on the M25 then north up to Halford was no problem and saw me checked into a hotel by 9pm, about 11 hours driving time in total.
The following morning I dropped the car into Bamford Rose. I had it booked in for the exhaust/airbox treatment as well replacing the door and rear hatch gas struts. I asked Mike if they could give it a bit of a once over and see if anything else needed attention while they had it, and queried if they could assess clutch life, as twice during the past winter while reversing up inclines in the snow I smelt that unpleasantly odour that generally forewarns of impending clutch replacement. Mike then dropped me around the corner to pick up a rental car and I headed to Gaydon to meet Mark or “Bincenzo” as he`s known around here, who had kindly agreed to give me a look around the facilities that afternoon.
When I arrived, Mr JWW was filming outside the entrance, I didn`t pay it much attention but turns out he was collecting the first of the new Vantages to be driven away by a non-employee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtXPdPstIxg
Mark was a most gracious and informative tour guide and it was fascinating to be on location at the factory, to see the marvellous DB4 GT Continuation in the foyer next to the two new models, and get to look at the assembly line, the differently specced cars rolling through and all the employees going about their fastidious trade.
This got me thinking, that I guess a very, very small percentage of people that own cars actually go to the factory where they are made. If you are a car person then that does not necessarily dictate that you want to visit a car factory, or even a specific one, although if Ferrari offered to throw the doors open I assume most would accept the invitation. Generally speaking, the pilgrimage that many make to AM is quite an uncommon activity, that makes one feel all the more privileged to be in a position to want to, be able to, and own a car that has been created within this very plant.
While I was there I missed a message from Mike at BR, so after leaving Gaydon I meandered back to Halford to get the news, and an ice cream (thanks Adrian) and it transpired that when cold, the clutch did exhibit some slip, but not after things warmed up. The conclusion then without stripping it down was that the clutch was starting to go, it might be good for another year, or more, or less, not factoring in the track day on the weekend.
I had planned to ditch my AM service stamps and make this trip up to BR every couple of years for servicing and whatever needed a tickle up, and the twin-plate clutch and lightweight flywheel would have been on my 2020 shopping list, however with the uncertainty of clutch life and knowing full well that replacing the standard clutch in Switzerland would cost more than the BR twin-plate I decided to spend money to save money so to speak, man maths if you will, and get it done there and then, along with a couple of small maintenance items, that had also been picked up. This involved a bit of money juggling as having just slapped a deposit down on a house, upgrading an Aston Martin seemed a bit frivolous but as the car survived the house purchase scenario I was ultimately able to nearly completely push the guilt aside and commit further, as the Vantage should be with me for some time…
Adrian also made the observation as we were underneath it while on the hoist, that it was a nice, dry car, with no corrosion or other underbody issues, which was nice to know after three seasons of winter running.
The next day after a hearty breakfast I headed into Stratford-Upon-Avon for some casual tourism on what was to become the hottest April day on record for 70 years, and it was also approaching the weekend that celebrated the 402nd year since William Shakespeare`s death… seems strange to have a celebration around his death, if it was Hitler then understandable but Willy Waggledagger? Anyway, it was a pleasant day of walking, boating, pie eating and pint drinking. Being an antipodean relocated in Switzerland, good meat pies and fish & chips are two things that I really miss so any trip to Commonwealth shores usually involves a fair amount of pub food.
Due to the weather and the looming death celebrations, Stratford-Upon-Avon was fairly well populated, and I presume this is often the case, as one in five shops seemed there largely for the tourist market, but hey, if I guy who put ink to paper a few centuries ago can still stimulate the local economy, then good work that man! Towards the end of the day I made my way back to my hotel, The Stag, about 5km outside of town, that featured pleasant, rustic décor and a decent bar/restaurant that`s worth spending time in…
The next day, Friday, was pick-up afternoon for the Vantage so to get me back in a car mood I headed again to Gaydon, but this time to the British Motor Museum, where I spent about three hours perusing the exhibits which was pretty interesting in the main building. Some of the vehicles really took me back, as I remembered family and friends driving some of these relics. Memories of my mum`s Triumph 2000 Mk I & Mk II, the Uncle`s Morris Oxford and Austin 1800 “Landcrab” and mates buying things like a Morris Marina or Hillman Imp for their first car, egads!
The spill over building was one floor of Jaguars and the other filled up with various vehicles and I was in and out in 20 minutes and off to Bamford Rose as it was pick up time!
I cannot deny I was quite excited as I pulled into BR, clearly the car looked exactly the same so I could hardly wait to get behind the wheel and see how different it would feel. Mike showed me the old bits that had been removed from the car, collectively they would make a good anchor for a reasonable sized boat! After the formalities and a bit more of a chin wag it was into the car for a two hour drive to the Five Bells Inn at Weston Turville, just a stones throw from Aston Clinton. I had reasoned that it would be better to drive to a destination after pick-up, rather than just wheeling around the backroads with an insane grin on my face, which may well have been the case, the insane grin bit, as my first reaction was “Bugger me!”
Quite the transformation! The car felt so much more lively, the throttle eager and the revs coming more freely. I made a point of switching the exhaust to stealth mode quickly so as not to get fooled by the abundant noise, and while opportunities were limited, the difference was undeniably apparent, from stand still or on the move it`s much more responsive at low and midrange revs, it feels unshackled. This certainly is what I was hoping for, but exceeded my expectations.
The Five Bells was a decent little spot to stop for the night, good food, friendly, humorous staff but beware of parking your car under the trees which are clearly housing overfed pigeons the size of a corgi! Brushing off the pints of Mad Squirrel Pale Ale from the night before, I checked out and headed straight for Aston Clinton and more specifically Aston Hill where Lionel Martin`s activities ultimately laid the foundation for the Aston Martin name. A couple of photos followed by a bit of a squirt back and forth through the area led me to the Aston Clinton Park late in the morning where a pie and a flat white in the sunshine as children practised football and people walked dogs seemed the perfect precursor to my drive back north to the Hampton by Hilton Corby hotel near Rockingham, where several of the track day folks where threatening to meet up for a pre-event get together. Righto, sounds like me. With my GPS set to “avoid motorways” I headed off, relishing the new-found oomph of my car, and playing with the exhaust valve switch almost constantly, trying to find a balance between being as loud as possible but not drawing undue attention to myself. Yeah, right.
The trip would be around three hours, and as I passed by Milton Keynes along the way it seemed rude not to swing by Red Bull Racing and get a quick snap outside the facilities, partly as they now have some serious AM backing but mostly because Red Bull have been my best client over the last 20 years, so I have a more-or-less unconditional support for the team, even if they have a charming mofo of an Australian behind the wheel of one of their cars. Again.
I also decided to head to Rugby for lunch and a look around, a little out of the way but it seemed worthy of a stop as my country has been reasonably good playing a sport of the same name, and I spent a solid eight years photographing the All Blacks and other teams up and down New Zealand and overseas. After checking out Rugby School, where cricket was being played, and taking a stroll around town, yet again I found myself in a pub, this one called “The Merchants” with a busy rugby and brewery themed interior and the requisite big screen showing matches all day long. They provided a very nice steak and mushroom stew to accompany the Leffe.
Post mid-afternoon lunch the rain started again, which didn`t bother me particularly after the splendid days previously, so onward to Corby. There were three other Aston`s in the hotel carpark when I arrived, two Vantage volante`s and Rob Down`s Gulf liveried GT8, I parked next to him, so as to look modest and unassuming…
An hour or two after checking in I left my room, coincidently at the same time as AMOC member Graham Bearham who was in the room next door, and we went to the bar, such as it was, (the hotel is a convenient place to stay near Rockingham, and the rooms are comfortable enough, but it`s not winning any prizes in the “additional facilities” department) and expected to easily spot a group of red trousers pontificating away, but it appeared everyone was in mufti! There was a small, suspicious looking gathering however and that`s where I began to meet up with the Pistonhead pseudonyms, Burnt Out, Bassflyer, Stevejay, J12MOC, AlpinaChris, Northernmedia, Soofsayer, V8V Pete, Ken Figenus, steviebee155, Robbo1969, PJDV8, RobDown, dal65, and Evysojf. Probably others too but I`m just pleased I can remember this lot!
Enough has been written about the track day on it`s own thread so I won`t go into details, needless to say, it was a well organised, well run and well participated event with lots of like-minded car owners having excellent fun, and it was terrific to pound around lap after lap feeding in as much acceleration as you want without worrying about the constabulary. I had a play with traction control off for a couple of laps but my confidence got the better of me and I swapped ends coming out of Yentwood with an over judicious stomp on the loud peddle and did a tidy piece of reverse parallel parking trackside. This as it turned out was the perfect spot to wave at people coming through Yentwood that got it right, and also to turn traction control back on again.
Less was written about the Wetherspoons a stone`s throw away from the hotel, where several of us spent an evening or two imbibing, talking, eating and more talking with a bit more imbibing and plenty of laughter along the way, and there are still people who I owe a beer as it was very difficult to buy a round, and AlpinaChris, the fondue is on me (not literally you understand) when you come to Switzerland!
On Monday morning I checked out around 9:30 from memory and hit the road with steviebee for company for a couple of hours until I had to veer off for Folkstone. The return trip was a slightly longer drive and the closer I got to Switzerland the more I wondered how much trouble this howling banshee of an exhaust was going to get me into. This was a month ago and now that I`ve been back home and used it around familiar roads it becomes even more apparent that my Vantage is now a little unhinged… Overtakes are immediate and I`m still surprised when I drop it down and nail it without considering the modifications, how my mind thinks, holy cow this thing is quick now! Bursts of throttle that used to see me arriving in the 140kmh range now have me nudging 160 and above, so I have to be extra careful with the right foot, or I may get to use it even more, for walking…
I`ve noticed the rear breaks loose in the wet much more readily at low revs too, the torque has arrived. I cannot thank the team at Bamford Rose enough, what a fantastic week!
Now I need to bring this to a close, the problem with posting here infrequently is that I often end up with a novel, so rather than draw things out I`m just going to give it an end.
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Thursday 9th July 21:30
Edited by Mr.Tremlini on Thursday 7th January 16:49
steveway said:
Can you guess what the V12V is like with the BR conversion, its just mad
I shudder to think! RL17 said:
Excellent trip and write up and photos
Thank you Sir J12KJR said:
Your "novels" make for good reading Dean and the photos aren't usually too bad either
Your upgrades sound like money well spent, how are the Swiss reacting to it? Many of them seemed to despise my Tuscan when I was there some years back. Didn't understand their problem with my shy retiring exhaust.
Money well spent indeed. Cheaper than the difference in buying a manual 4.7 and I would say possibly a better option! Your upgrades sound like money well spent, how are the Swiss reacting to it? Many of them seemed to despise my Tuscan when I was there some years back. Didn't understand their problem with my shy retiring exhaust.
The Swiss-Germans don`t react a lot, they look with disdain, they look with a frown, and these expressions can be used for a multiple of moods it seems. I have tempered my use of the valve switch but am getting more venturesome and I have not had any visible anger, although it`s hard to see the detail in faces of a car that you`ve just roared past. I have had some happy people though so I am saying so far it`s been positive... and of course I`m an optimist.
shinjuku said:
Great write up and photos Dean.
Cheers! Ken Figenus said:
Lovely blog Dean.
If you end up in prison for crimes against repressed Swiss ears then do let us know (I'm sure there will be WiFi there) and we will send you some Evo Mags and Vantage mags!
And thanks again for the best picture anyone has ever taken of my car I've had a poster made and put it on the side of the house - well it was a 30Mb file and I had some gable end space to fill
I`m sure there`s WiFi in prison, right?!? I`ll hold you to the mag subscriptions if it comes to that If you end up in prison for crimes against repressed Swiss ears then do let us know (I'm sure there will be WiFi there) and we will send you some Evo Mags and Vantage mags!
And thanks again for the best picture anyone has ever taken of my car
I've had a poster made and put it on the side of the house - well it was a 30Mb file and I had some gable end space to fill For the photo, you`re welcome, and insightful usage, one less wall to paint and maintain!
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff