History of the Aston Martin Vantage
The name Vantage was first used by Aston Martin in 1951 to help market an upgraded version of the DB2, one the of the most successful British tourers of the time, or indeed in the history of supercars. This DB2 featured an upgraded engine with larger carbs and a higher compression, upping the output from 105 php to 125 php. From the outside, the DB2 Vantage looked unchanged, but the subtle alterations brought in a new customer who wanted the performance with the flounce.
Given the success of the DB2, it wasn't long before Aston Martin repeated the Vantage upgrade, this time on the DB4, which came to market in 1960. This car again featured more carburettors giving the DB4 Vantage 266 bhp. This time however Aston Martin went a step further and introduced external tweaks, giving the Vantage faired-in headlights, a feature that would become synonymous with the Vantage models. The DB5 Vantage followed, which became internationally famous by the James Bond film franchise, which gave the driver even more power to play with.
In 1977, the emphasis of the Vantage switched from being an upgraded DB specification, to a model in its own right. The year saw the launch of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, often called "Britain’s first supercar”. This was a V8 Vantage based on existing engines, but with a much more significant set of developments, capable of over 170 mph. The Vantage was here to be pitched against the latest Ferrari models such as the 512 BB, the Lamborghini Countach LP400 and of course the ever popular Porsche 911. With the Vantage as a flagship model, Aston Martin felt they had the perfect grand tourer to tempt loyal UK customers away from European supercars. To complement the thumping V8 engine, the exterior was remodelled to be far more aggressive, giving it a look similar to a GT muscle car.
The 1990’s saw a downturn in the finances of Aston Martin as they struggled to survive an ever difficult supercar market, but they continued with the Vantage projects, launching the Vantage V550 in 1993. An ambitious car with 550 bhp (hence the name), it was truly a beast, but with a weight of over 2000kg, it lacked the finesse to make much of an impact and sales were disappointing.
However, realising the value in the Vantage name, Aston Martin relaunched the car in 2005, mainly thanks to the new Ford ownership. With new design input, the ethos of the Vantage was changed to a more driver focused, sleek, responsive car, this time taking the likes of the 911 on at their own game.
This was immediately heralded as future classic and utilising the VH platform, had all the tools needed to be a financial success. As this success grew, we were able to enjoy the 2009 V12 version, as well as the Vantage S, the GT12 and the V600, all delivering driver focused performance and now, choice. This gave Aston Martin 10 years of great sales with over 25,000 cars sold worldwide.
As the Vantage continues to grow, we now have a twin-turbo model, designed in collaboration with Mercedes-AMG, still however built on the VH platform. They now partner with many motorsport organisations and have even returned to F1. Purchasing the old Racing Point F1 team, who can trace their lineage back to the Jordan F1 team, Aston Martin now have a place at the pinnacle of racing once again.
Hire an Aston Martin supercar
Aston Martin F1 Team
Now very much part of the Aston Martin brand, the Vantage is now available to hire in the form of our outstanding Vantage Coupe. With a top speed of 195, a 0 to 60 time of just 3.5 seconds and 503 bhp, this really is one of the most exciting Aston Martin supercar hire cars you can get your hands on.
