No One Asks for a Manual McLaren. —-> Correct, but that’s because the whole point of that car is to be the fastest.

Being the fastest has never been the point of Aston Martins (though that may change). They weren’t even really that fast when they were new (compared to the very fastest from the competition). While the Porsche GT3 cars, the Vipers, the Ferraris, the McLarens etc are chasing numbers, Aston was chasing a different type of driver engagement.

Its funny how Porsche now separates their sports cars into two camps, PDK cars for ultimate lap times and 6 speed cars for ultimate driver involvement. The Touring cars are a strange hybrid of both ideologies.

At this point cars like the V12V are almost vintage in their appeal. Everything about them feels like they are at least a generation or two behind. For the type of driver who wants the latest, the fastest, the most bragging rights, that’s a huge drawback. But for the type of automotive enthusiasts who seek out older cars, the rules are different. For those drivers and you only need 1200 worldwide, there might be real appeal in cars with big naturally aspirated engines, 6 speeds and analog gauges etc.

Not to mention as the price of 6 speed F cars rises, they likely lift the value of the brands too.

No One Asks for a Manual McLaren. —-> Correct, but that’s because the whole point of that car is to be the fastest.

Being the fastest has never been the point of Aston Martins (though that may change). They weren’t even really that fast when they were new (compared to the very fastest from the competition). While the Porsche GT3 cars, the Vipers, the Ferraris, the McLarens etc are chasing numbers, Aston was chasing a different type of driver engagement.

Its interesting how Porsche now separates their sports cars into two camps, PDK cars for ultimate lap times and 6 speed cars for ultimate driver involvement. The Touring cars are a strange hybrid of both ideologies.

At this point cars like the V12V are almost vintage in their appeal. Everything about them feels like they are at least a generation or two behind. I think they are going to feel very old in the next few years as cars make the next leap. For the type of driver who wants the latest, the fastest, the most bragging rights, that’s a huge drawback.

But those people aren’t really ever going to buy one of the V12 cars. They will likely appeal to the enthusiasts who seek out older cars, and for them the rules are different. For those drivers and you only need 1200 worldwide, there might be real appeal in cars with big naturally aspirated engines, 6 speeds and analog gauges etc.

We could find the old NA V12 cars with their slow 6 speeds, could become the air cooled 911’s of the Aston future. Or they could just be old cars no one likes. What the Vantage has going fo them is universal love for how they look, and that carries a lot in the future used market.

Not to mention as the price of 6 speed F cars rises, they likely lift the value of the brands too, as they price out many buyers and they seek alternatives.

Then again they might lose all appeal once electric is the dominant mode.

One of the issues with most of the newer generation cars is the huge torque bands, not the transmissions. Even with manual transmissions, there is just no crescendo, so you find you are stuck in 2nd and 3rd gear most of the time. The truth is you barely shift even though you have a fantastic shifter (I had this issue with the latest generation Porsche Spyder).

On the other hand I had a turbo 4 in my Alfa 4C that needed constant shifting (paddle) to keep it on boost. It was very old school in many ways as the engine had some turbo lag. People complained, but it honestly made you DRIVE the thing. You had to shift, and at the right time.

My memory of my V12V was that it was a fun car to shift and that motor reved up so fast to the unmarked redline.