New Aston Martin Vantage Roadster unveiled (with fastest folding roof)!

By: CAR magazine

The new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster has been revealed, boasting what the Gaydon-based firm claims is the automotive world’s fastest convertible roof.

The open-top two-seater 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 Vantage Roadster to sprint from standstill to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3,7 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”.

In addition, Aston 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.

First deliveries of the Vantage Roadster are scheduled to begin during the second quarter of 2020.

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