Aston Martin V12 Vantage goes topless

Aston Martin announced that the carmaker bid adieu to its iconic V12 with the last-of-its-kind V12 Vantage. Now, the V12 Vantage roadster has been unveiled because all we need in life is listening to a sonorous V12 with air in our hair, right?

Mechanically things haven’t changed as the roadster inherits the coupe’s twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V12 which produces 690 horsepower and propels the roadster to a top speed of 200mph. 0-60mph takes just 3.5 seconds.

So what has changed in the roadster? Well, Aston is remaining coy about that but we do know that the rear wing has been deleted, though buyers can have it if they want. The Roadster also gets bespoke adaptive dampers.

Rest of the stuff is identical to the hardtop as the Roadster’s front body panels and side sills from carbon fibre with the rear deck lid and fascia built using composite materials. The V12 Vantage Roadster sits on 21-inch wheels.

"We have worked extremely hard to ensure the V12 Vantage Roadster possesses the same potency and dynamism that characterises the V12 Vantage Coupe while surpassing it in terms of raw sensory excitement that you only achieve with roof-down driving," said Aston Martin Chief Technical Officer Orberto Fedeli. "With more power and torque than any Vantage Roadster before it, a wide-track chassis with precisely tuned suspension calibration, and up to ten times the downforce of the series production Vantage Roadster, this is a breath-taking machine created for our most enthusiastic customers."

Only 249 will be made and, surprise, they’re all sold out.