Slideshow: Forum Member's Aston Martin Build
It is nice to see these luxurious machines taken to the next level with some upgrades in performance and styling. Enter Skywagon's 2007 V8 Vantage...
Appreciate the Originality
While it is a popular choice by some enthusiasts today, some prefer the stock original paint over a wild vinyl wrap. This example had a bright blue wrap on it. It looked good but doesn't really suit the class and style an Aston Martin presents. 6Speed member, skywagon took it upon himself to build his Aston into the perfect Vantage V8 for him.
Bare Naked
One of the first things the new owner from Phoenix did was to remove the wrap. He used this opportunity to take care of some maintenance and get rid of a few nagging issues to get the car running perfectly.
Facelift Prep
After the new owner enjoyed a couple of years of smooth driving, he decided it was time to get some aesthetic upgrades in place. This involved disassembling the car's body panels himself in his own garage and getting it sent off to a reputable shop in Arizona that has refinished many notable exotic cars. He also rented an XL size van to transport the new body panels from delivery to the body shop.
New and Improved
This enthusiast took the opportunity to clean up rock chips, correct the paint and upgrade the different parts of the Aston Martin's timeless body design in a very tasteful way. This included newer door sills, a different grill, all the polished parts on the exterior, essentially transforming the look of the V8 into a Vantage V12 design.
New Shoes
Who doesn't like a fresh pair of kicks? Some say that "Wheels make the car". Obviously, true enthusiasts know it takes more than that to make a cool looking car. But there is something so good about a nice set of wheels that really complement the car. With the color of this Aston Martin (tungsten silver), the wheel upgrade choice is spot-on. He went with 20" HRE P43SC's along with some titanium, security featured Tikore lug nuts to use with an adapter.
While You're in There
Sometimes, you may take on a modification that requires removal of other components. "While you're in there..." you may as well take care of something that is otherwise worn and in need of replacement. In this car's case, there was an old EVAP assembly that needed replacement and would otherwise activate a CEL light. This owner took the time to swap it out along with a newer fender liner as the location of this assembly was behind one of the rear wheels.
New Look and Feel
All in all, this car has come together quite nicely. It sits nicely and looks all that and then some. This was a great build for a car that already comes ready to play the part. The exterior upgrades were done very tastefully. It's also nice to read about taking care of the car's functionality and not simply addressing aesthetics. There are many other upgrades in play that were not all documented in terms of pictures but skywagon also addressed upgrading the brakes, rotors and calipers, as well as the springs for a complete suspension overhaul. The various carbon fiber accents continue to give each corner of this ride a very stealthy look. Future upgrades seem to be centered around audio and interior accent upgrades.