Driving the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster - Robb Report

For the original manual-only Aston Martin V12 Vantage , launched in 2010 (as a 2011 model), the British marque stuffed its largest engine into its smallest body. For the 2015 model year, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster draws more power from the naturally aspirated 6-liter engine—565 hp and 457 ft lbs of torque—and is available with a folding soft top. After all, this is a car that can be catapulted to 60 mph in 3. 9 seconds and reach a top speed of 201 mph. Unlike with some of its dual clutch–equipped counterparts (and Aston Martin models using a traditional transmission with a torque converter), aggressive driving in the V12 Vantage S Roadster can reveal unwieldy shifts strong enough to jerk the... A degree of technique is required to smooth the gear changes using the paddle shifters, but once engaged in a gear, the 12-cylinder engine delivers an impressive rush of power, with a seamless flow of thrust that can quickly escalate the speed to... With the car’s top down and its wind blocker in place, in-car conversations can easily be carried on at highway speeds. Aston’s typically jewellike instrumentation includes a novel, counterclockwise-rotating tachometer. Source: robbreport.com