Aston Martin unveils new £175k 202mph Vantage Roadster with quickest ever working soft-top roof

Driving a sizzling new 202mph open-top cabriolet in the freezing depths of winter may sound ambitious – even with the heater full blast and the option to put the roof back up in a record 6.8 seconds.

But Aston Martin’s hot new two-door two-seater Vantage Roadster – unveiled today ahead of first deliveries in spring – is a powerful sports car with enough oomph to raise temperatures and melt the iciest of hearts.

The legendary British car firm says it has the fastest electric folding roof of any car on sale.

Its £175,000 price-tag represents a £10,000 mark-up over the hard-top coupe version launched last year with the same acceleration and performance figures.

Proclaimed as ‘a sculptural masterpiece’ offering ‘explosive performance’ and a ‘thoroughbred sports car profile’, the rear-wheel drive Roadster was designed and engineered in parallel to the coupe – rather than in sequence – which car bosses say is key to it retaining the dynamic performance, ride and handling of the hard-top.

Powered by a bespoke 665hp 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine linked to an eight-speed automatic gear-box with paddle-shift, the new Vantage Roadster accelerates from rest to 60mph in 3.5 seconds up to a top speed of 202mph. 

That’s an increase in power over the previous Vantage generation of 155hp, thanks to larger turbochargers and engineering tweaks. The large grille increases air flow the powerful engine by almost 30 per cent.

But averaging just 23mpg from the 78 litre fuel tank and with CO2 emissions at a hefty 279g/km, don’t expect to save the planet.

Aston Martin says of its cabriolet companion to the hard-top coupe: ‘It has been designed to offer all the style, sense of freedom and adventure for which convertibles are known, but without the limitations traditionally inherent in their design.’

‘With minimal weight increase and the fastest operating fully automatic roof on the market, Vantage Roadster is a convertible without compromise and a worthy new member of the Vantage family.’

The Vantage Roadster’s roof can be fully opened or closed at any speed up to 31mph. It can also be performed remotely via the key providing the driver is within a two-metre radius.

That roof mechanism comes in a weight-saving ‘Z-fold’ configuration which makes it faster and lighter to operate and dispenses with the need for a tonneau cover and helps lower the car’s centre of gravity. Overall the conversion to convertible adds just 60kg.

The company notes: ‘With thanks to the retractable roof, even more of the inimitable V8 thunder can be heard by occupants, emanating from under Vantage’s dramatically sloping bonnet and exhaust tail pipes.’

The fabric roof has eight levels of insulation to keep occupants snug and to offer comparable levels of sound-proofing to the coupe.

Too protect occupants in the event of a crash, the Roadster car also has an aluminium roll-over protection safety system.

Aston Martin said it was essential that Vantage ‘should retain its stunning lines whether the roof is in its raised or lowered position’.

The new car continues a tradition of open top Aston Martin Vantage models dating back 75 years to the launch in 1950 of the Vantage engine upgrade pack for the DB2 coupe and convertible drophead coupe, which raised power for the 2.6-litre engine from 105bhp to a heady 125bhp.

It also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the introduction in 2005 of the V8 Vantage – the first Gaydon-built ‘modern’ Aston Martin to use the name and the first Vantage to be a distinct model in its own right, rather than a derivative.

The first Roadster version arrived a year later in 2006.

The Vantage Roadster has a super-strong but lightweight aluminium structure with composite body panels and is finely balanced with 49:51 weight distribution.

The car rides on bespoke 21-inch wheels in a range of finishes shod with Michelin Sport S 5 AML tyres developed by the tyre-maker and tuned by Aston Martin, with a compound tailored to the specific requirements of the Vantage to ensure ‘superlative grip’ in the wet and an outstanding steering feeling.

Stopping power is provided by powerful carbon ceramic brakes (and brake calipers in a choice of seven colours) which ‘ensure Vantage Roadster can shed speed even more rapidly than it is gained.’

There are three new exterior paint colours – iridescent sapphire, satin iridescent sapphire and bronze flare.

The Roadster’s roof can be specified in black, red, blue or black and silver.

A selection of painted liveries can also be applied in a choice of 21 complementary colours.

Vantage customers can also explore ‘endless bespoke and customisation possibilities’ via the Q by Aston Martin personalisation service.

Inside, as well as standard leather sports seats and interior trim, owners have the choice of a wide range of options, including carbon fibre performance seats.

The Vantage Roadster features Aston Martin’s latest infotainment system developed in-house from scratch and featuring a hi-tech 10.25-inch touchscreen. But thankfully buttons are retained for the key mechanical operations including gear and drive selection, heating and ventilation.

There are also control switches for chassis, ESP electronic stability, exhaust settings, among others.

A new Aston Martin customer connectivity app supports iOS and Android devices.

The new Roaster is fitted as standard with the Aston Martin 390w 11 speaker audio system, with the option of an upgrade to a specially created bespoke system from Bowers & Wilkins.

With just a 200litre boot, you’ll need to pack efficiently if heading for the ski slopes.

Adrian Hallmark, Aston Martin chief executive, said: ‘Vantage Roadster delivers a world-class roof-down driving experience like no other.’

It offers dynamic capability, outstanding performance ‘with all the benefits of the Coupe and no compromise to refinement or performance’.