Despite being inextricably linked to James Bond, Aston Martin has (thankfully) never been an overtly masculine brand. The same qualities that lured Sean Connery to a silver DB5 in Goldfinger draws women and men alike to this quintessentially British luxury brand now: graceful lines, flowing silhouettes, sharply defined shadows and elongated bodywork stretch towards the horizon. There’s the signature grille, the Aston Martin-green paintwork and gunmetal-grey buttons. The cars feel simultaneously mechanical and soft.
It also helps that Aston has specialised in grand tourers (GTs) since its inception, rather than supercars. The marque has always celebrated continental, long-legged travel. You know the sort: Berlin for breakfast, Venice for lunch and Monte Carlo for supper.
The introduction of the DBX, Aston’s first SUV, in 2020 seemed to breathe new life into the brand, as it reached out to women and families with the new car. But then along came new owner, Lawrence Stroll, the same year, who pointed one finger at Formula One and all things motorsport-related, and declared racing the north star for the company. That meant more aggressive, sportier cars for the road, too.
So where does that leave the new Vantage Roadster, the baby sports car of the range in convertible form? And what does it mean for those of us who prefer to take our time on the road, in luxurious cars that look great but are easy to drive?
Aston took us into the heartlands of grand touring, the Austrian Alps, to try out the Vantage Roadster on a route that combined hair-raising, hairpin mountain bends with stunning hotels and restaurants, to ease the nerves of piloting this beast. I say “beast”, because, sadly, the Vantage is now just that: another unnerving sports car with a soul that quivers with a rage the chassis can barely contain: one slight misstep with your right foot on the eager accelerator pedal and you’ll find the car’s rear end snapping round to meet the bonnet. Or rather, where the bonnet was, which will now be at the back end of where your car once stood. Discombobulated? Exactly.
You can’t hope to enjoy “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” on the stereo when you’re wondering how to solve the more pressing problem of how to keep the car on the road. And believe me, there’s a The Sound of Music fan in all of us in scenery as wonderful as the daisy-strewn pastures, clear lakes and towering crags of Austria just west of Salzburg. It’s ridiculously beautiful.
