I have wanted a Vantage for many of the same reasons that most of you do. The most graceful lines in the industry. Iconic brand name. Beautiful interior. Good-but-not-great power. In short, a fantastic exotic, if not quite a supercar.

I wanted the athletic grace and sporty feel of the Vantage, but the power and torque, or power to weight ratio, of a Vantage V12. I also wanted a Roadster. I called the factory; getting a one-off V12V was not an option.

I decided to create the V8 Vantage that I wanted, based on a foundation of grace, but adding a quantum improvement in both power and aggressiveness. I wanted to focus on how the execution of the improvements should be seamlessly integrated, but nonetheless, game-changing. I wanted to keep the car true to the brand, but show the best approach of how to re-make the world's best sports car brand into the world's best sports car on the road.

Many of you will have figured out where this is going...I contacted Bamford Rose in the U.K. The company is run by an ex-Aston Martin engine design and development guru. The team also draws on other original design engineers for interior, steering, suspension and braking sub-systems.

Mike and I have been nailing down the final specs on the engine, suspension, brakes and transmission. The goal:

• V8 naturally aspirated with 8000 rpm redline.

• 520Nm; torque output

• 520BHP; power output

• 7-speed manual transmission
• Suspension and steering system that, while exceeds GT4 in capability, is refined for the road
• Braking performance to match the V12 ceramic brakes
• Improved gearing with a clutch that does not suffer premature failure (as does current production part)
• Extensive weight reduction program

A 4.3L donor car that I buy here will be shipped to Bamford Rose for a tear-down and rebuild. After that, Sarah Maynard, former design director of the re-vamped Vantage interior in '08, will gut the inside, replacing the interior with bespoke leather, colors, buttons, etc., along with a paint job of her self-designed pigments. Gone will be the existing navigation system, replaced by a SYNC-type command center for all electronic functions, including the steering levels and damper settings.

My purpose in telling you this is not to gloat. Many of us are frustrated that our cars don't perform to their capabilities; they can. There can be more to a modified Vantage than SS exhaust, sport cats and dubious ECU re-tune. The parts are there, and so is the expertise.

If you are interested, I'll keep you abreast of progress.

 

Wow amazing! Sound like a lot of cash $$$ is going on that car.

 

There is a big savings initially by starting with a donor car. I am looking for something that most people would not want to buy, as I don't care what the exterior/interior look like. All I need is a chassis, body and engine. Wheels are optional :-)

This project would not work for everyone, and I can understand that many might think that this is over the top. But if you add up the cost of the typical mods that we generally use to get the 40 or so HP bump, that money translates to a resonable chunk of what I will be doing. Is is cheap? No. I have no intention of reselling this car, so I look at this as my last one.

The heart wants what the heart wants.........

 

Fantastic! Can't wait to see the results. So what type of engine mods are going to happen? Are you going to replace the original 4.3?

 

This should be most interesting.... will stay subscribed to this thread. This will take some time to produce, when are you expecting the car in it's all new glory to be completed?

 

Ha, if I had a dollar for every time I've thought that!

 

Thanks! The engine mods are being kept under wraps. Some of the parts Mike has discussed here on other threads.

The engine mule is a 4.3L, yes.

 

But you are probably not 63...........:-)

Actually, now that I think about it, I have only had 4 cars in my life.

 

We are still working on the actual details of the components at this point. We know that the expertise is there to reach the goals that we set; now its a function of deciding which components to use.

I have started to look for a donor car, which may take a while. Sarah and I have not even started on what the interior will ultimately look like. I have given her a brief, but she is in the process of releasing her new line of bespoke products for the Aston brand. Until that happens, we can't move much faster on her end. Ultimately, Mike and Sarah will be working together on the command center, figuring out its functionality and appearance.

 

True. Any idea yet on the time frame for this project and when it will be completed?

 

I haven't got a clue......As I said, I am just now starting to slowly look for a donor, and they are pretty difficult to find without an accident or flood damage. Once the car is stripped, it should be fairly straightforward, but that is me talking, not Mike.
The intent is to go to Blighty, drive the car on a holiday with my wife, and give it back to Mike if there are things that we need to address, then ship it home.

 

Sounds like a great and ambitious project: I'm green (Chiltern) with envy...
Do you think there will be any chance that a supplier will go through the efforts needed to get their replacement cats certified by the CARB (California Air Resources Board). That has been a major stumbling block for me personally as I don't want to remove and replace cats every two years for the required smog inspections.

 

DonL-

That's a Mike question I will just drive the damn thing!

Since he is not a Board Sponsor, I don't know if he can answer that on the forum. If not, I will ask him and pass along his answer.

 

Game on! This is a fantastic endeavor. I too wanted a roadster and got the same response from AM. I love the idea that our brand is getting all of this attention. It can only mean great things for the future. I am especially interested in the interior options. I know that AM has excellent finish but there are so many used cars out there with boring interiors it would be nice to see some options that could liven up all of those silver over black cars out there. Please keep us posted and good luck.

 

Thanks, Jaymoney. I am really pleased to see the response to this, which leads me to believe that as good as these cars are stock, people want more.

Sarah Maynard is a phenomenal designer, and she told me that $$ restrictions precluded her ability to do up these cars in the way that she really would have liked. Her new website ( http://www.sarahmaynard.com/bespokeautomotive.htm) should be offering a revised menu the first of June. She has a number of pre-set plans to choose from, as well as a "sky is the limit" option. In addition, she offers machined from billet stalks, buttons, dials, gearshift and ****, etc. She and Mike work together when appropriate, and represent each others' products and services.

My interest was in the choice of colors and textures, and the way in which they are applied, that would give me a unique look. I am a sucker for the deep, rich colors and accents that the older Astons had, and I always liked the color contrast that they employed.