Aston Martin V12 Vantage V600 Offers Analog Supercar Excellence
Aston Martin has built just 14 examples of V12 Vantage V600, and it’s the perfect send-off for the old Vantage.
The old Aston Martin Vantage is a fan favorite, here at 6SpeedOnline. The owners, and would-be owners in the forums love the look, sound and feel of the old Vantage. However, as Henry Catchpole of Carfection explains, that’s a bit of a problem, because it’s now the old Vantage. It almost feels wrong to call it that, but it’s true.
Certainly, the new 2019 Aston Martin Vantage is lovely, more technologically advanced, and, in every measurable way, better than it’s predecessor, but it’s very different. However, the shape is more polarizing, the available V12 engine is now twin-turbocharged, and sourced from Mercedes-AMG, and there’s no manual transmission.
So, to effectively send off the old Vantage, Aston Martin has built something very special. It’s called the V12 Vantage V600, and if you asked us to describe our ideal Aston, this would be it. It features the brand’s 5.9-liter, naturally-aspirated V12 engine, tuned to 592 horsepower, and paired exclusively to a 7-speed manual transmission. Bespoke, widened bodywork, including a very interesting, Jame Bond film-inspired vented hood is also present. Just 14 in all are being built, seven coupes and seven convertibles.
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Catchpole describes the V600 as a “last hurrah,” and that it’s “coke bottle shape” is one of the best he’s ever seen. He further elaborates on the intricacies of the bodywork, like the hexagonal front grille (seen at the 1:42 mark) as being like a work of art, and he’s not wrong. The detail work is no less intricate inside. Catchpole points out towards several interior knobs, which, upon closer inspection, are actually made from wound up carbon fibers. The interior is so elaborate, in fact, that Catchpole notes that in his pouring over every minute detail, he found that even the air vents are leather-wrapped.
Of course, this is a driver’s car, and it’s meant to be driven, so Catchpole wheels the V12 Vantage V600 with verve, and reverence. He praises the analog driving experience, overall. While the dogleg 7-speed manual transmission isn’t without fault, it’s not important, because it’s engaging and the only way to truly experience the V600. Sure, there is a touch of corner-entry understeer, thanks to the heavier V12 weighing down the nose, but Catchpole becomes truly hyperbolic in describing the satisfying sensation beyond that. The hydraulic power-assisted steering is a delight, the engine is symphonic and the whole experience is personable and affable beyond belief.
Catchpole wraps things up proclaiming the V600 as a fitting tribute for the old Vantage. Its “distinctly talkative” steering, and the “richness of the experience” is something few modern cars can replicate. Now, how do we get behind the wheel?
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