Pickup was at Perth station before heading over to the West Coast. It’s been about 2 and a half years since I was regularly driving a manuel, so the heavy clutch with high bite point took a bit of time, and a motorway run to the West was probably for the best before I picked up the A77 heading Southbound. The road opened up nicely here, a lightly trafficked A-road with broad sweeping bends. Unfortunately average speed check cameras restricted any fun, but I got the impression that the car was in its element here: it felt pointy and turned in wonderfully, while the V8 really sings above 4000 rpm.
After a night at Knockinaam near Portpatrick, the B-roads across to Wigtown were a stark contrast. Although the Aston moves well across a fidgety road, the engine lacks punch low down and you really have to work to build revs and make progress. Combined with shuddering crashes over deep potholes and driving rain (a Galloway specialty), not the car’s finest hour.
The next couple of days brought growing familiarity and bond with the car. The driving position is fantastic and the seats comfortable enough to support it as a baby GT, while the handling is more sports car. The steering is precise and with the engine up at speed, it flows wonderfully. The snarl above 3500 rpm is a real treat and you even get a few pops out of the exhaust on downshifts to remind you of what you’re dealing with. The A712 and more Southerly end of the A702 after Thornhill had the car in its element a broad and quietly trafficked sinuous stretch of tarmac, the car flowing from corner to corner or cruising in 6th with the torque doing the work while waiting to pass a caravan.
All too soon it was over. Likes? Handling, noise, sheer presence and tractability of that V8. And man, it’s gorgeous to look at. Dislikes? Well, it’s a 18 year old hire car and there are quite a few rattles, a gearbox and clutch that have perhaps been treated with more sympathy and of course the slight nervousness of a deposit to lose. I hear what people say about the 4.3 being underpowered and there is certainly a lack of tractability at low revs but it felt quick "enough" with the cavets above.
Time to get saving…
Re: V8 Vantage hire experience
Posted: Wed May 01, 2024 4:32 pm
by Matty
I looked at them briefly...but suprise suprise, the bills can be outrageous. That guy who had a £15k bill on Pistonheads was enough for me. The 4.7 I believe is better if you can stretch.
I'd be tempted to sacrifice everything I own for the V12, mind.
Re: V8 Vantage hire experience
Posted: Wed May 01, 2024 4:41 pm
by Explosive Newt
Matty wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 4:32 pm
I looked at them briefly...but suprise suprise, the bills can be outrageous. That guy who had a £15k bill on Pistonheads was enough for me. The 4.7 I believe is better if you can stretch.
I'd be tempted to sacrifice everything I own for the V12, mind.
The 4.7 gets a better write up as having solved the low down torque issues - ditto the N400. The advice on the forms seems to be buy the one you can afford, for the reasons you elude to above (unless you are SJ of course).
Re: V8 Vantage hire experience
Posted: Wed May 01, 2024 4:43 pm
by V8Granite
From memory these are absolutely transformed with a lightweight flywheel.
Still one of the prettiest cars on the road.
Dave!
Re: V8 Vantage hire experience
Posted: Wed May 01, 2024 4:46 pm
by Explosive Newt
V8Granite wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 4:43 pm
From memory these are absolutely transformed with a lightweight flywheel.
Still not be of the prettiest cars on the road.
Dave!
Yeah, it seems like a common upgrade is a dual plate clutch with the lightened flywheel… just £3000 for you sir.
And I did not get tired of looking at it. It’s gorgeous from any angle. I wasn’t sure about it in black to start with (guess gunmetal grey is so ubiquitous on these) but it’s grown and grown.
The spacers and slightly lowered ride height make for subtle but really nice improvement to the overall look. Those seats as well
£40k gets you into a 4.7...fair bit more than the entry point to the 4.3 but I suspect if you can afford to run any Vantage, you should able to afford £40k to get the 4.7 (I'm not sure if that makes logical sense, but anyway).
This V12 has been for sale for ages. Nothing screams "I've been run on a budget" than 3 MOT's mentioning damaged tyre sidewalls and then replaced with Nexen tyres. https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/14955093
The spacers and slightly lowered ride height make for subtle but really nice improvement to the overall look. Those seats as well
Thanks for the link. The other interesting mod is changing the map to sharpen up the throttle pedal and remove the initial dead travel. Cheaper and more straightforward than doing the flywheel as he points out.
Also his comparisons with BMW and Porsche are interesting. Good to see someone who has gone into it all eyes open.
Re: V8 Vantage hire experience
Posted: Thu May 02, 2024 10:53 am
by scotta
Guy i knew from years ago used to race a Ginetta. He now modifies and race prep's AM V8 Vantages for racing at the nurburgring.
Explosive Newt wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 3:40 pm
...while the handling is more sports car.
That bit really caught my attention here, especially knowing you have Boxster experience, as I've always thought the Aston feels quite big & heavy compared to my 996. I'm far more confident throwing the Porsche around.
Not knocking the Aston though. For those that don't know, it uses a transaxle and has near perfect weight distribution - quoted as 49:51 front/rear. BMWs supposedly have great balance but they always feel quite nose heavy comparatively.
And out of interest - how many miles were on the car ? There's always plenty of high milers on the market so they're clearly good for it but depending how long it's been a hire car it have had an unusually harsh life.
The spacers and slightly lowered ride height make for subtle but really nice improvement to the overall look. Those seats as well
That's pretty much exactly what I did with our 944S2 (7mm front shims, 15mm rear spacers) - made a huge visual difference without upsetting steering feel or handling.
Explosive Newt wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 3:40 pm
...while the handling is more sports car.
That bit really caught my attention here, especially knowing you have Boxster experience, as I've always thought the Aston feels quite big & heavy compared to my 996. I'm far more confident throwing the Porsche around.
Not knocking the Aston though. For those that don't know, it uses a transaxle and has near perfect weight distribution - quoted as 49:51 front/rear. BMWs supposedly have great balance but they always feel quite nose heavy comparatively.
The primary controls are heavy and it isn't as nimble as the Boxster for sure, but I found it flowed brilliantly from corner to corner in a similar way. It shares that feeling of confidence to push into a series of corners. I suppose it is all relative. I was expecting (perhaps inappropriately) something softer and more like a GT (thinking XK8). And as I said, it struggles with a really tight and twisty road where the Boxster might have excelled.
Clearly I should drive more cars to make more educated comparisons
And out of interest - how many miles were on the car ? There's always plenty of high milers on the market so they're clearly good for it but depending how long it's been a hire car it have had an unusually harsh life.
54,000 or thereabouts I think. It had just returned from doing the NC500 so I think it's probably been getting thrashed for most of its recent history.
I just forced myself to sit through that for the sake of the car but dear god his voice is annoying. Constantly up & down like a pubescent teenager. And he's doing it on purpose, it occasionally slips and he talks normally for a couple of sentences, which is a blessed relief.
