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T h e l o w - d o w n c o u r t e s y o f A s t o n M a r t i n H e r i t a g e T r u s t R e g i s t r a r T i m C o t t i ng h a m
delivering a relentless push in a very linear fashion. In this respect, the automatic transmission suits a V-car well; there’s no shortage of torque, and the cushioning in the driveline certainly helps the driver in the real world of traffic and stop-start journeys. You can’t resist flooring it on clear stretches, though. The blowers whine with rising revs and the nose lifts slightly, sighting down the resonating bonnet louvres as if you were aiming a P-47 Thunderbolt down the runway at Westhampnett. It’s an appeal that never quite wears off however many times you repeat it. Conversely, it’s a superb and tall-geared cruiser, able to despatch many hundreds of miles without the occupants noticing, pummelling road imperfections into insignificance. The Vantage today: Nick puts some skin on the bone “An anachronism in its day, the supercharged Vantage as envisioned by AML Chairman and CEO Victor Gauntlett (before the Ford Motor Company took control) was to be a new car, built in the spirit of the legendary Le Mans Blower Bentley of the 1930s – another seemingly anachronistic design. “Therein lies the fascination with this car. Unlike the small and lightweight Bugattis of the 1930s against which the Cricklewood company raced at Le Mans, Bentley’s 4.5-litre supercharged heavyweights, referred to by Ettore Bugatti as ‘the fastest lorries on earth’, are
now the Holy Grail of serious car collectors. “A supercharged Vantage is no lorry, but the similarities of the Vantage in comparison with its Ferrari or Porsche peers in period are obvious. The most powerful of the Marek V8-engined cars, these wonderful machines are also the most refined and have an abundance of that special hand-built quality, all from the craftsmen and engineers whose skills were honed over 40+ years at the now demolished Newport Pagnell factory. “Having covered thousands of miles in Vantages, in relaxed comfort and at high speeds, for me there is no contemporary to the supercharged V8 that combines the comfort, performance and satisfaction of these commanding cars. “Anachronistic cars of this type exist in tiny numbers: there was little use for them as an everyday means of transport. Manufacturers design and build cars to sell in reasonable volume, after all. The supercharged Vantage is unequivocally not a car in that mould. Fortunately, though, the cars were built and do still exist. Just maybe our lives are a little richer and the roads more interesting for that. “With limited availability and increasing appeal to the newer generation of classic car buyer, we believe interest in this model will continue to increase, and thus support the rising values we are seeing today. Last word goes to Jeremy Clarkson in this period Top Gear review.”
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