PREDATOR'S DRIVE

Aston Martins latest incarnation is a racing aficionados dream.

Ask Andy Palmer what business Aston Martin is into and the company’s president and CEO will tell you: “Creating and selling dreams.” He is not kidding because the British marque has been fuelling fantasies of racing sports enthusiasts in many iconic movies such as Fast and Furious.

But it’s more of a James Bond luminary. The sports car was the choice of Sean Connery’s debonair spy in the 1964 classic Goldfinger and, since 1995, it has been synonymous with the suave Pierce Brosnan and alpha male Daniel Craig in the franchise’s films. They gave Aston Martin that dashing and macho aura, something every hot-blooded young man wants to own, if he had the moolah.

And why not?

With the latest Vantage, Palmer’s boys have given racing aïcionados a dream they can chase. To be sure, the car’s pedigree is unmistakably Aston Martin. For starters, the Vantage packs a lot of punch. Powered by the sports car maker’s potent new alloy, 4-litre twin-turbo, and V8 engine, it produces 503bhp at 6,000rpm and 685Nm from 2,000-5,000rpm.

That’s zero to 100kmh in 3.6 seconds, coupled with a top speed of 314kmh. This impressive power and torque are deployed to the rear wheels via a rear-mounted ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.