Wondering how much the new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster will cost you in South Africa? Well, we have local pricing for the Gaydon-based firm’s box-fresh open-top two-seater.
Yes, thanks to our friends over at duoporta, we know the new Vantage Roadster starts at R3 099 000. For the record, the coupé kicks off at R2 999 000 (and is now also offered locally in seven-speed manual guise, for the same price).
As a reminder, the Vantage Roadster employs the same Mercedes-AMG-sourced, twin-turbo 4,0-litre V8 engine as the coupé, delivering 375 kW and 685 N.m to the rear wheels via an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.
That’s enough, says Aston, for the soft-top model to sprint from standstill to 100 km/h in 3,8 seconds (two-tenths behind the coupé), before topping out at 306 km/h with the roof raised.
The company claims the open-top model is some 60 kg heavier than the coupé, having gained a folding Z-top and “chassis revisions throughout”. The newcomer also features a bespoke tune for the rear dampers, adaptive damping system software and ESP calibration.
So, what about that roof? Well, the fabric top features what Aston Martin describes as a “compact powered Z-fold mechanism that ensures rapid operation”. With a lowering time of 6,7 seconds and a raising time of 6,8 seconds (at speeds of up to 50 km/h), the firm says the Vantage Roadster’s roof has the “fastest full operating cycle of any automatic automotive convertible system”.
Aston furthermore says the addition of the folding mechanism has had “minimal impact” on the vehicle’s luggage capacity, with boot space coming in at 200 litres.
