Aston Martin released official pictures and details of the new V12-powered Vantage roadster, the car that will be available as a limited edition in selected markets. The V12 Vantage Roadster is more than just a case of dropping the top on the coupe. This version of the Vantage has exclusive details that set it apart from the rest of the range and gives it a unique character.

The V12 Vantage Roadster mixes the power and performance of the V12 engine, with exquisite beauty of the open-top Vantage to create a wonderful sports car. We just wish Aston would remove or at least redesign those vents in the bonnet. They are very ugly. Still, this is possibly the most beautiful car in the world, with the hood up or down.

The V12 roadster comes with carbon fibre side strakes; a carbon fibre front splitter and rear diffuser; carbon fibre mirror caps and carbon fibre rear lamp infills. Those in addition to the unique wheel design and the redesigned boot lid will distinguish it from the V8 model.

 The V12’s diffuser houses a large, centre-mounted oil cooler and two large tail-pipe finishers. The rear of the car also sees a modified damper set-up, front and rear damper valve tuning and a new rear spring design. That and the new Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres ensure superior dynamism compared to the V8 Roadster.

The engine is the same old 6.0 liter V12 which is the result of welding to Ford Mondeo V6s together, and makes 517 hp and 570 Nm in this car. It takes the car from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and can achieve a top speed of 190 mph or 305 km/h. The gearbox is a mid-mounted six-speed manual.

This is a superb car, but we’d still go for the V8 Roadster because 1. it doesn’t have those ugly bonnet vents, 2. a drop-top Vantage is all about posing and cruising comfortably and you don’t really need mega power, and 3. the V8 is a helluva lot cheaper than the V12!

Standard equipment

• Glass switches
• Carbon fibre door pulls
• Leather trimmed steering wheel
• Memory seats and exterior mirrors (three positions)
• Sports seats with 10-way electric adjustment, including height, tilt and lumbar adjustment
• Dual Stage Driver and Passenger Front Airbags
• Side Airbags (Sports seats only)
• Heated rear screen
• Automatic temperature control
• Trip computer
• Cruise control
• Hard Disk Drive (HDD) satellite navigation system^*
• Bluetooth telephone preparation^*
• Powerfold exterior mirrors
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Rear parking sensors
• Automatic headlamps
• Auto-dimming interior rear view mirror
• Tyre pressure monitoring^*
• Alarm and immobiliser
• Remote-control central door locking
• Battery disconnect switch
• Tracking device (UK only)
• 160W Aston Martin Audio System
• MP3 player connectivity

Optional equipment

• Carbon Fibre Interior Pack (comprising carbon fibre facia and gearshift surround)
• Lightweight seats with six-way adjustment, including front and rear height adjust (does not include side airbags or passenger airbag cut-off switch)
• 700W Aston Martin Premium Audio System with Dolby^®Pro Logic II^®
• Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1000W Audio System
• Black Bang & Olufsen speaker grilles and acoustic lens towers
• Black finish grille
• Bright finish grille
• Black exhaust tailpipes
• Black bonnet and side strake meshes
• Personalised sill plaques
• Garage door opener (Europe only)
• Tracking device^**
• First aid kit
• Ashtray and cigar lighter
• Boot-mounted umbrella
• Front parking sensors
• Reversing camera
• Heated seats (Sports seats only)
• ISOFIX and fixed-height passenger seat (Sports seat only)
• Battery conditioner

*Not available in all markets