Source Motor1.com
Aston Martin Vantage Roadster Confirmed For 2019 Reveal
The droptop is a go, but a V12 is uncertain.
More than a year since introducing the sleek Vantage coupe, Aston Martin has just announced its droptop counterpart will be unveiled in the following months. In an interview with Australian magazine Car Advice during a media event held in Victoria, the company’s chief creative officer confirmed the roadster is “all done.” There’s still some testing that needs to be taken care of, but Marek Reichman announced an official reveal is scheduled to take place towards the end of 2019.
That’s the good news. The bad news is a V12 version is probably not on the agenda, at least not for the time being. When asked about the prospects of a Vantage with four more cylinders, Reichman said that would be “too much,” although he admitted he’s keen on the idea of a V12 variant. No word about the much-awaited manual gearbox either, so it means buyers are stuck for now with the eight-speed automatic transmission.
With no V12 in sight, it means the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster will use the same twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine as the coupe. An engine of Mercedes-AMG origins, it pushes out a healthy 503 horsepower and 505 pound-feet (685 Newton-meters) of torque. Due to what will be a slightly higher weight compared to its fixed roof sibling, the roadster will probably be a tad slower in the sprint to 60 mph (96 kph). However, McLaren has demonstrated with recent reveals that a convertible doesn’t necessarily have to be slower than its coupe counterpart. In regards to top speed, it should be in the same ballpark as the standard Vantage, so look for somewhere in the region of 195 mph (314 kph) – probably a few mph less.
As a refresher, Aston Martin has a busy agenda up ahead as it’s putting the finishing touches on the DBX, which will go down in history as the company’s very first SUV. Beyond the high-riding model and the Vantage roadster, there’s the mid-engined family encompassing the Valkyrie, AM-RB 003, and the Vanquish.
Source: Car Advice
