V12VS Manual - Still worth it?
Discussion
Morning All !
Having been reading the forums over the last couple of weeks, I understand that I'm in a very lucky position to have picked up one of the last build slots for the V12VS. I was absolutely over the moon about this (last N/A V12, manual etc etc) until Wednesday morning when AML were kind enough to announce the AMR.
Having spoken to a few of the sales guys from different dealer's, they've all said to keep it as the AMR is only available in certain specs, more will be made (100 V12 vs a current estimate of around 50 V12's) and that in general the V12 is still a great car. Plus obviously you can't get a V12 AMR as they are all sold.
I wondered what other people's opinions were around keeping the build slot or cancelling the order. I had hoped that this car would be somewhat special over the years to come and feel that may have been lost now. On the reverse I know a lot of people have said that the AMR is underwhelming and not that special.
Appreciate any thoughts, and to those that are at Le Mans this weekend, I am extremely jealous.
Having been reading the forums over the last couple of weeks, I understand that I'm in a very lucky position to have picked up one of the last build slots for the V12VS. I was absolutely over the moon about this (last N/A V12, manual etc etc) until Wednesday morning when AML were kind enough to announce the AMR.
Having spoken to a few of the sales guys from different dealer's, they've all said to keep it as the AMR is only available in certain specs, more will be made (100 V12 vs a current estimate of around 50 V12's) and that in general the V12 is still a great car. Plus obviously you can't get a V12 AMR as they are all sold.
I wondered what other people's opinions were around keeping the build slot or cancelling the order. I had hoped that this car would be somewhat special over the years to come and feel that may have been lost now. On the reverse I know a lot of people have said that the AMR is underwhelming and not that special.
Appreciate any thoughts, and to those that are at Le Mans this weekend, I am extremely jealous.
Wow... wasn't expecting such a quick response - thank you all !
AdamV8V said:
All of these are true for a 'standard' V12VS and, as has been discussed ad infinitum on the AMR thread, you can get to the full-fat power option too, without the paint and trim restrictions.
This is really interesting - I obviously missed that part. How is this done (if you know off the top of your head) ? Ill go fishing for the info too. AMDBSVNick said:
IanV12VR said:
Any manual V12VS will be a very special car. Why were you buying it. To enjoy or because you thought you could make money on it. If the latter then the final run out editions always seem to do better in the longer term.
I am not sure where the 50 cars figure has come from - there must be more than that worldwide, would think even more than that in the U.K. The AMR numbers are worldwide and normally 30/35% are allocated to the UK. Then there will be a split between manual/SS3 and coupe and Roadster so numbers will be lower. Even if they were all manual coupes then the max could be 35 but could be as low as 5.
Just figure's from the dealer's I spoke to - always take these kind of things with a pinch of salt. The 50 was UK rather than world though, sorry ! I am not sure where the 50 cars figure has come from - there must be more than that worldwide, would think even more than that in the U.K. The AMR numbers are worldwide and normally 30/35% are allocated to the UK. Then there will be a split between manual/SS3 and coupe and Roadster so numbers will be lower. Even if they were all manual coupes then the max could be 35 but could be as low as 5.
Absolutely to enjoy, but the man maths added benefit was that it may go back up in value over the next 10/20 years. The idea is that this car will never be sold though.
Really appreciate the feedback and help from all. Looks like I need to spec the car quickly then !
IanV12VR said:
I would guess you are under pressure to finalise the spec as these cars need to be built before the summer break. I was speaking to Bristol yesterday and they said they needed to finalise orders for such cars by the end of the week. Is it the same for you?
Ian - you're absolutely correct. It's got to be locked down ready to go to the factory on Monday morning. They wanted it to be locked down over the phone by Wednesay but said I wanted to do it in person, so managed to persuade them to go Monday. AdamV12V said:
Hmm, that's no Q options for you then! Each item takes 2-4 weeks to get a response on. 
First question is what colour are you going for? Feel free to ask for opinions on similar colours etc... as I'm sure you are aware Aston have an extended pallet of probably 200+ colours if you lift the lid off the tin of the std 30 or so colours, and that's without getting into the really special order colours.
Also feel free to post here any other spec / trim questions, there are a few of us that are rather well informed on the spec options having recently been through the process in some detail.
Do have a read of my spec thread linked below for my V12VSM - My colours choices may not be to your tastes, but I have posted TONS of info and prices on some of the less obvious bits of spec on here.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Thanks for this ! In regards to Q, i've had a flick through the brouchure and not seen anything that really tickles my fancy. Is there anything someone would suggest worth getting? I also thought you had to spend a minimum of £12k to get Q which I don't see why I would ? First question is what colour are you going for? Feel free to ask for opinions on similar colours etc... as I'm sure you are aware Aston have an extended pallet of probably 200+ colours if you lift the lid off the tin of the std 30 or so colours, and that's without getting into the really special order colours.
Also feel free to post here any other spec / trim questions, there are a few of us that are rather well informed on the spec options having recently been through the process in some detail.
Do have a read of my spec thread linked below for my V12VSM - My colours choices may not be to your tastes, but I have posted TONS of info and prices on some of the less obvious bits of spec on here.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Edited by AdamV12V on Friday 16th June 11:28
In regards to colour, I want to keep it mean but classy. Although I love the look of your outrageous colours, as this is my first AM I'm wanting to keep it a little more "standard". My thinking is between Quantm silver, magnetic silver and ceramic grey, going with the matt black rims.
Interior i'm absolutely going for the leightweight seat's. What I can't agree on is the coarse stitching colour - it's between yellow of red and will match the brake callipers with it.
Exterior meshes I can't agree on - I would go carbon but it's such an increase in price I don't know if it's worth it over the black.
Window surround black (don't want chrome on the car).
B&O Speaker setup.
Headrest embroided AM Wings (i've heard these don't look as good in red?)
We were questioning the Sport Plus pack, but with the new AMR kit I don't think this is needed.
Glass switches.
Lowline centre console was advised for the manual.
Anything I seem to be missing/making a mistake on? The spec list for the V12 doesn't seem that vast.
Phil74891 said:
I think the old style carbon bonnet vents look much better than the mesh versions they fit as standard now.
I'm with you on the colours. Grey or black, but they do look stunning in diavolo red or similar, with everything else blacked out.
Here's some yellow. And the CF vents.
That is extremely good looking. I'm with you on the colours. Grey or black, but they do look stunning in diavolo red or similar, with everything else blacked out.
Here's some yellow. And the CF vents.
AdamV12V said:
A few answers to the above...
Based on your colour shortlist I would suggest Scintilla Silver is worthy of consideration. It is a stunning silver colour - the metal flake in it is something to behold.
Not sure what carbon meshes are? There are only two colours I am aware of silver and black noctis.
B&O - really nice and certainly looks the dogs, but it is VERY expensive and the consensus is that it doesn't sound any better than the Premium Audio that is now std spec on MY17. Be aware you may want the black speaker grilles too if you go B&O otherwise they are silver, but these add another £600. Premium audio comes with black grilles as std.
Headrests embroidered with wings. Be aware that the lightweight seats come with small enamel wing badges in the headrests anyway - so IMHO the additional embroidered wings looks daft. They work on the sports seats which doesn't have the enamel badges - but I personally would suggest dropping them on the lightweights. If you want embroidery on the seat heads go for "Vantage V12 S" or "V12 S" or such like instead of having two sets of wings!
Sport pack plus - agree it makes no sense for the power increase alone, and if you are going satin black wheels then that's ruled out the biggest cost item it comes with so seems like a no-no for you. Worth considering the alcantara dash option that is part of the sport pack plus option - cost me just £695 from Q, and worth every penny IMHO.
Oh and as posted above - the full CF bonnet vents are a must. The new ones just don't look the part at all.
Noted on the lighweight seats - I was only going for the embroidery because the seats looked bare otherwise, so not precious over removing. Based on your colour shortlist I would suggest Scintilla Silver is worthy of consideration. It is a stunning silver colour - the metal flake in it is something to behold.
Not sure what carbon meshes are? There are only two colours I am aware of silver and black noctis.
B&O - really nice and certainly looks the dogs, but it is VERY expensive and the consensus is that it doesn't sound any better than the Premium Audio that is now std spec on MY17. Be aware you may want the black speaker grilles too if you go B&O otherwise they are silver, but these add another £600. Premium audio comes with black grilles as std.
Headrests embroidered with wings. Be aware that the lightweight seats come with small enamel wing badges in the headrests anyway - so IMHO the additional embroidered wings looks daft. They work on the sports seats which doesn't have the enamel badges - but I personally would suggest dropping them on the lightweights. If you want embroidery on the seat heads go for "Vantage V12 S" or "V12 S" or such like instead of having two sets of wings!
Sport pack plus - agree it makes no sense for the power increase alone, and if you are going satin black wheels then that's ruled out the biggest cost item it comes with so seems like a no-no for you. Worth considering the alcantara dash option that is part of the sport pack plus option - cost me just £695 from Q, and worth every penny IMHO.
Oh and as posted above - the full CF bonnet vents are a must. The new ones just don't look the part at all.
The CF bonnet vents are listed as "External Mesh" in the spec list.
Did anyone go for the v12 side badges? I'm going to get the one on the back, but can't justify the side one's at such a price.
Thanks all for the feedback !
It's about time I updated this thread with some photos (or it didn't happen right?)
Below are a couple of photos I took while it was up at the factory over the weekend. The paint is Ceramic Grey and it has nearly every extra on it going that wasn't retrofittable. The only noticeable missing item was the B&O speakers, and although I wanted them I just couldn't justify the cost.
The two weeks of ownership has been amazing, with the exception of the rear love bump she received Friday while sitting in traffic, but thankfully the damage is minimal and should be fixed relatively shortly.
The car is filmed in PPF from Topaz - if anyone is thinking about it I would seriously recommend it. I genuinely cannot tell the difference between the panels that are and aren't filmed. Speak to Annabel - she will get you sorted.
A massive thank you to John @ H R Owen Reading who has looked after us throughout the journey, even though it was pretty stressful at times. Especially when I rang him in almost tears on Friday after the bump. If anyone is looking to get a car in the southeast area, I know reading is a pain to get to, but I would recommend speaking to John.
Look forward to seeing some of you on the road and at events. Will be taking her to Le Mans next year.
Below are a couple of photos I took while it was up at the factory over the weekend. The paint is Ceramic Grey and it has nearly every extra on it going that wasn't retrofittable. The only noticeable missing item was the B&O speakers, and although I wanted them I just couldn't justify the cost.
The two weeks of ownership has been amazing, with the exception of the rear love bump she received Friday while sitting in traffic, but thankfully the damage is minimal and should be fixed relatively shortly.
The car is filmed in PPF from Topaz - if anyone is thinking about it I would seriously recommend it. I genuinely cannot tell the difference between the panels that are and aren't filmed. Speak to Annabel - she will get you sorted.
A massive thank you to John @ H R Owen Reading who has looked after us throughout the journey, even though it was pretty stressful at times. Especially when I rang him in almost tears on Friday after the bump. If anyone is looking to get a car in the southeast area, I know reading is a pain to get to, but I would recommend speaking to John.
Look forward to seeing some of you on the road and at events. Will be taking her to Le Mans next year.
Edited by Vibb on Tuesday 17th October 21:13
Edited by Vibb on Tuesday 17th October 21:33
Upperworks said:
These manual ceramic grey cars are going to be pretty common!
Mine should have been here by now, but I’ll save the full story for when it hopefully has a happy ending!
Jealousy levels rising further...
I haven't seen many other ceramic greys (I think partly because the paint is now a Q option). I think you'll find that the "Halo" AMR will be more common as when I was up at the factory recently, all I could see what Halo's - not many had specced the other colours. Mine should have been here by now, but I’ll save the full story for when it hopefully has a happy ending!
Jealousy levels rising further...
I just love the fact ceramic grey looks so different depending on the light it's in.
I also had a nightmare with delivery (no fault of the dealership to be clear) - we can share stories once yours arrives ! The wait is worth it...
Upperworks said:
just to be 100% clear, I'm only playing, a rare beast no doubt. Just that you 2 already have yours and my ceramic roadster is imminent. Well, coming sometime in the future, I think...
It's the best colour for me.
Absolutely ! Not panicked in the slightest. Even if it is the "popular" colour, it means there are only a handful with the colour anyway due to the rarity of the car. I am actually yet to see another V12V out on the road - irrespective of colour. Just that you 2 already have yours and my ceramic roadster is imminent. Well, coming sometime in the future, I think...It's the best colour for me.
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