Aston Martin Vantage V600 Aimed Towards Ultimate Driving Experience
Aston Martin seems to have created a machine that is just as much about big power as it is about the emotion of driving.
Fourteen V12s
This ultra-rare production run of only 14 units is a way of doing something with the brand to break away from the current direction of the auto industry. Aston Martin have created a pretty awesome driver's car. Of the number being created, it should be noted that half are built as convertibles--a fact that will increase the values over time significantly. Let’s look at some of the details about the engine, which is the real focal point of the not so new, new car.
Horses from the Old World
Back in the day, fast cars had big V12 engines that shook the ground, snapped your neck back, and made a loud beautiful noise. Thankfully, Aston Martin hasn’t forgotten the ways of the old world and created this car by tuning one of their proven engines to 600bhp—and then dropping it into a previous generation Vantage. But here's what makes this car even more special.
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Billet Dog Legs
The mechanical lure of a manual transmission has always been at the heart of all great Astons. From the DB5 to the DB9, these cross country cruisers have always had great gearboxes that involve the driver, yet don’t overwhelm the body on a long drive through the countryside. Heel-toe has always been easy due to the spacing of the pedals. This V600 has a billet shifter with a very unique dog-leg 7-speed manual transmission—meaning 1st gear is down and to the left, then 2nd to 7th run like a traditional H-pattern gearbox.
>>Join the conversation about the Aston Martin Vantage V600 right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!
What’s it Good For?
From a performance standpoint, the quarter-mile is likely to come up in the mid to high 10-second range with a top speed in excess of 200mph. These are numbers the Vantage S has easily achieved in 2017 with significantly less horsepower. That is a solid base to draw from as this car will share many core specifications with its sibling. The numbers are big on this car and the performance will be big as well, but the driver is going to have to know how to launch, shift, and apply the power in order to get the best from it. It’s an incredibly rare concept that many companies have all but abandoned in their Grand Touring supercars.
>>Join the conversation about the Aston Martin Vantage V600 right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!
Lovely Equations
The Aston Martin Vantage V600 is an example of a car that is purely driven by numbers but uses those numbers to create more than just a finished product. The experience is raw and visceral. It puts the driver right in the heart of a machine that blurs the line between a sports car and luxury car. The V600 is more than the sum of its parts and will be an Aston everyone loves. And, don’t forget about the glorious-sounding V12. Who else can say these days that they produce cars this way and offer manual transmissions?