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Re numbers, Aston intended making 480 cars (240 Coupe/240 Roadster). 480 = Number of seconds in 8 minutes. Most commentators believe that only 195 roadsters were shipped and 86 UK cars, of which 49 were sportsshift and 37 were manual. According to the (informal) N400 register, the colours were split 63% Berwerk Black, 28% Lightning Silver and 9% Karussell Orange. Best mods are equal length exhaust headers, 200 Cell Cats, lightweight flywheel and twinplate clutch.
I’ve owned my V8 Vantage for 15 years and it’s an incredibly reliable and low running cost vehicle. I still turn around to look at her every time I park.
I had an Aston V8 Vantage roadster for about three years - but had to sell it to help fund a property purchase that fell through (grrrr), anyway I absolutely loved that car. Black with black interior, manual transmission and premium audio. Like you say, in a convertible there is less temptation to really rag it, and with the hood down, it is a completely different driving experience to any closed car. I am not yet again in the position to buy and properly run another Aston, but if I ever can, I will. I wish you luck in your endeavours.
The Aston Vantage VH is my current dream car. 4.3 or 4.7. Drove one at a driving experience day alongside a Maclaren 570, Gallardo Balboni Spider, 458 and a Nissan GTR. The Vantage was easily the one I'd have taken home given the chance. Best car I have ever driven (nowhere near as fortunate as you, James).
Lovely Aston , I would definitely consider one of these for myself Orange one, ps I also noticed that around 14.30 minutes in video the audio reminded me of Spaghetti Western 😅 lovely
Just get it so I can live vicariously through you! It’s so difficult to find a manual V8V roadster in the US; they’re nearly all sportshift cars which just won’t do.
Great review of great car in a great colour too!! Right now there is for sale a v12 vantage s coupe with a manual in lighting silver with silver alloys and I'm spending a worrying amount of time looking at that listing every day. Trully a thing of beauty, arguably earlier vantages and v8s are better looking with smaller mirrors and a purer design but the detailwork on later high performance varriants is something else.
997 is a far better car in every respect, but the Aston badge is very intoxicating. Give it a try, you can always sell it and buy something else if it fails to meet your expectations.
@@jjefferyworboys8138 The 911 is too light in the front at higher speeds. Innterrior is not as good quality as AM. The engine in the AM is much better compared to regular 911. The build quality of the AM is much better, there is a lot of plastic under the chassis and inside the cars like in the 911. AM is built mostly of aluminum and composites. Anyway, it is enough to see an old 911 from the 1960s or 1970s and an Aston Martin, and you can see a lot of difference in the build quality of these cars....
I had one with the sports shift and iron ore interior in the same colour, Roadster as well. I only owned it for a year. I'd probably take a 4.3 vantage over all the rivals of the same era. The 4.3 engine is pretty much bullet proof and there are loads of tuning bits for them. VE have a brake upgrade for the original 4 piston calliper and you can fit the 4.7s steering rack. A twin plater clutch and lightweight flywheel will make the heel and toe better. at £30-35k, it's a cracking car. The one you've reviewed is on the right tyre too
Great purchase ! Challenge the Road channel finally received the custom coil overs for the Vantage they'd been waiting on. It'd be interesting to see you compare the ride of your Vantage to that set up.
I had a later version of this, the wind deflector is rubbish, the air gets around the edge of the door glass straight into your neck. Oh & the engine self destructed at 15k miles I used to say the best to be when a V8 vantage goes by is on the pavement, but I’ll alter that to saying the best place is watching James drive by on on a video. No risk to my pocket whatsoever.
Nice video James, thank you. You've reminded me that I must buy some new deck chairs for summer 🤣🤣🤣🤣sorry, cheap shot, I just couldn't resist. I actually love your shirts and your videos Thanks for what you do.
Quality content as we've come to expect from you,though my dream car would be a Lexus LC500,there is something about the presence/design of an Aston Martin that would put it very close.Whichever one you choose,good luck and enjoy making memories......
Hi James, since you mentioned the advantages of an opentop over coupe, perhaps I should mention that there's a DB9 Volante with manual in Green for sale on AutoTrader...
Depends on how much rigidity you give up. There’s “it’s softer over 8-10ths” rigidity loss and then there is “cowl shake over every pothole” loss of rigidity. The former is acceptable. The latter will ruin every drive.
@@mikeelliott886 true but if you're hooked on open air motoring the coupe is a hard sell even though it's prettier and drives better. If only I could afford a Portofino
Yes, I had a convertible XKR which I loved about 8 years ago. I am very luck to have just now bought a 458 and I've gone for the Italia rather than the Spider. I can see the benefits of the spider - most obviously more access to the noise, but the coupe is much prettier to my eyes and you also lose that visible glass engine bay. Spiders with reasonable mileage were generally a little out of budget, but I'm not sure I would have gone for one even if that were not the case personally!
@@mikeelliott886 I think on the case of the 458 I agree with you. I have an SLK and the glass roof is a good compromise on that. Years ago I had a 328gts and the targa was really nice even though the gtb was arguably better looking
You can never have too many Aston Martin videos! Me? The DB9 is my pick of the "relatively" affordable Astons, but the V8 Vantage is so, so pretty! It'd have to be a coupe though, on looks alone. Although that example is very VERY nice indeed! I have to disagree with you on the latest (Mk3?) Vantage. That front end is gorgeous and seems to flow better with the rear end which is pretty much identical to the Mk2......and the interior is MUCH nicer, back to the classy look of the original Vantage and DB9. Your current situation of "what Aston do I want next" is a nice problem to have :)
I’ve got a manual lightning N420 in the garage (1of2). It really is a very very good car. Get the geo done by someone who knows what they’re doing and they’re a really capable car. Nothing else I’d want sub 100k.
The issue is that the N400 while is fantastic they are not worth loads more than the normal 4.3 due to the price if 4.7’s. Some dealers hike the price up and you can see them asking 40k plus for low miles cars which is too much when you ca get the N420 for around 38k to 45kish. The going price seems to be 30k to 35k from what you see in the classifieds the last year or two. Manuals are a bit more than sportshifts but only a k or two but miles seem to make the biggest difference. Great car and hope you can do the deal.
Ferrari say they've built fewer limited production units than they've done to make the car feel more special, Aston say they've built more limited production units than they've done to make the company feel more professional
Not generally a fan of rag-tops, and in particular never really liked the look on this generation of AM's - but this does really seem like the perfect car for a summer weekend and a quite, winding country road.
Great vid and lovely car. Don't the 4.3L cars rev better than the 4.7L? With Bamford manifolds and in the colour it's a great buy - better than the Italian.
Would love to attend but since I am in the States and don't have the ability to travel on short notice... will you have a live stream simulcast perhaps for those of us who would like to watch online?
The silver is good on the Volante. It looks great on a Coupe, too, but may be a little too "James Bond". You can get away with it on a convertible I think.
This is a downgrade from the DB9 at least in my opinion, which I think is a much better proportioned and prettier car and offers V12 sounds. Of course that's just my opinion. Its still beautiful and appears engaging to drive, and no one would ever miss the useless back seats.
Starting to feel like some YT reviewers have lost being progressive with judgement already passed on a new British designed, built and yet un-driven petrolhead centric Vantage. The new Vantage looks incredible, will hopefully win orders from all around the world to keep British jobs & will obliterate this 400 along with its nasty interior, average construction - unless you enjoy maintenance as a hobby. I’m certain the engineers at Aston would happily talk through all the technical improvements they made.
Wow, can remember when your channel was a lot smaller and you were worried you might not get enough subs to do what you want, now you don't know what Aston to have, we're did it all go wrong,!
I think the number of units produced was symbolic of the Nurburgring times. 480 total is 8 minutes worth of seconds. The N400 must have just been in reference to the horsepower.
This is a much better looking car than the current Vantage. IMO none of the current Aston range is particularly good looking. It's like an attractive woman who has ruined her face with lip fillers and plastic surgery.
CarVertical: The History Checking Service
Use this link or code "JAYEMM" for a discount!
www.carvertical.com/gb/landing/v3?b=1e4c9523&a=JayEmm&voucher=jayemm&chan=jayemm
Re numbers, Aston intended making 480 cars (240 Coupe/240 Roadster). 480 = Number of seconds in 8 minutes. Most commentators believe that only 195 roadsters were shipped and 86 UK cars, of which 49 were sportsshift and 37 were manual. According to the (informal) N400 register, the colours were split 63% Berwerk Black, 28% Lightning Silver and 9% Karussell Orange. Best mods are equal length exhaust headers, 200 Cell Cats, lightweight flywheel and twinplate clutch.
You are correct
Good to know that horrific orange isn't out there in any kind of numbers. Orange is a colour that should be reserved for fruit.
@@Beer_Dad1975 Wrong.
@@r0b3rt_959 Guess you are a 9%er? 😀 Just teasing of course, each to their own.
Would love one in the orange!!! In fact I’d love any vantage in orange!!
Is it just me thats getting audio desync towards the end of the video 15:22 ? Cracking car. Great review as always J.
Not only at your end.
I see it too.
Me too
I’ve owned my V8 Vantage for 15 years and it’s an incredibly reliable and low running cost vehicle. I still turn around to look at her every time I park.
@@2006Vantage that’s all we want bro
The look on your face through the windowscreen when you opened the exhaust valve tells me it's already been bought 😂😂😂😂😂
I had an Aston V8 Vantage roadster for about three years - but had to sell it to help fund a property purchase that fell through (grrrr), anyway I absolutely loved that car. Black with black interior, manual transmission and premium audio. Like you say, in a convertible there is less temptation to really rag it, and with the hood down, it is a completely different driving experience to any closed car. I am not yet again in the position to buy and properly run another Aston, but if I ever can, I will. I wish you luck in your endeavours.
Thankyou
The Aston Vantage VH is my current dream car. 4.3 or 4.7. Drove one at a driving experience day alongside a Maclaren 570, Gallardo Balboni Spider, 458 and a Nissan GTR. The Vantage was easily the one I'd have taken home given the chance. Best car I have ever driven (nowhere near as fortunate as you, James).
I ran a 4.3 with the N400 upgrade for 3 years as a daily and 20k+ miles. Great car. No issues, great sound and feel good factor.
Lovely Aston , I would definitely consider one of these for myself Orange one, ps I also noticed that around 14.30 minutes in video the audio reminded me of Spaghetti Western 😅 lovely
Just get it so I can live vicariously through you! It’s so difficult to find a manual V8V roadster in the US; they’re nearly all sportshift cars which just won’t do.
Great review of great car in a great colour too!!
Right now there is for sale a v12 vantage s coupe with a manual in lighting silver with silver alloys and I'm spending a worrying amount of time looking at that listing every day. Trully a thing of beauty, arguably earlier vantages and v8s are better looking with smaller mirrors and a purer design but the detailwork on later high performance varriants is something else.
What an opportunity You know the owner, you know the history. That must be best of all worlds. Buy it.
The temptation is significant
@@JayEmmOnCars Do it!
I remember the V8 Vantage Purely from Jeremy Clarkson reviewing it on Top Gear and the bellowing racket it made - GLORIOUS.
He said it was "like Tom Jones being mauled by an Alsatian".
Genius 😂👌🏼
I’m just starting my hunt for my 1st Aston vantage, I’m selling my E46 M3 and want the 4.3 manual vantage and I can’t wait!!
Love these vids
A clutch job cost me around 4k sportshift
Isnt the 4.7 engine supposed to be better? Reliability wise. Have a good day
997 is a far better car in every respect, but the Aston badge is very intoxicating.
Give it a try, you can always sell it and buy something else if it fails to meet your expectations.
@@jjefferyworboys8138 The 911 is too light in the front at higher speeds. Innterrior is not as good quality as AM. The engine in the AM is much better compared to regular 911. The build quality of the AM is much better, there is a lot of plastic under the chassis and inside the cars like in the 911. AM is built mostly of aluminum and composites. Anyway, it is enough to see an old 911 from the 1960s or 1970s and an Aston Martin, and you can see a lot of difference in the build quality of these cars....
I had one with the sports shift and iron ore interior in the same colour, Roadster as well. I only owned it for a year. I'd probably take a 4.3 vantage over all the rivals of the same era. The 4.3 engine is pretty much bullet proof and there are loads of tuning bits for them. VE have a brake upgrade for the original 4 piston calliper and you can fit the 4.7s steering rack. A twin plater clutch and lightweight flywheel will make the heel and toe better. at £30-35k, it's a cracking car. The one you've reviewed is on the right tyre too
Great purchase ! Challenge the Road channel finally received the custom coil overs for the Vantage they'd been waiting on. It'd be interesting to see you compare the ride of your Vantage to that set up.
If you do end up buying this, fit the lightweight flywheel and dual plate clutch it really does help with the rev matching
Buy it James.
Nice to see my car in the opening section too.
I doubt I will part company with mine.
It’s still a thrill to drive.
I had a later version of this, the wind deflector is rubbish, the air gets around the edge of the door glass straight into your neck. Oh & the engine self destructed at 15k miles I used to say the best to be when a V8 vantage goes by is on the pavement, but I’ll alter that to saying the best place is watching James drive by on on a video. No risk to my pocket whatsoever.
It would be a terrific addition to YOUR fleet: GO FOR IT !!!!!
Nice video James, thank you. You've reminded me that I must buy some new deck chairs for summer 🤣🤣🤣🤣sorry, cheap shot, I just couldn't resist. I actually love your shirts and your videos Thanks for what you do.
Quality content as we've come to expect from you,though my dream car would be a Lexus LC500,there is something about the presence/design of an Aston Martin that would put it very close.Whichever one you choose,good luck and enjoy making memories......
Another nod to the LC500
Hi James, since you mentioned the advantages of an opentop over coupe, perhaps I should mention that there's a DB9 Volante with manual in Green for sale on AutoTrader...
I think convertibles are pretty much always the way to go. Ultimate performance isn't my thing these days but open air is.
Depends on how much rigidity you give up. There’s “it’s softer over 8-10ths” rigidity loss and then there is “cowl shake over every pothole” loss of rigidity. The former is acceptable. The latter will ruin every drive.
Sometimes the coupe looks nicer than the convertible too which is a factor - e.g. the Jaguar F Type
@@mikeelliott886 true but if you're hooked on open air motoring the coupe is a hard sell even though it's prettier and drives better. If only I could afford a Portofino
Yes, I had a convertible XKR which I loved about 8 years ago.
I am very luck to have just now bought a 458 and I've gone for the Italia rather than the Spider. I can see the benefits of the spider - most obviously more access to the noise, but the coupe is much prettier to my eyes and you also lose that visible glass engine bay. Spiders with reasonable mileage were generally a little out of budget, but I'm not sure I would have gone for one even if that were not the case personally!
@@mikeelliott886 I think on the case of the 458 I agree with you. I have an SLK and the glass roof is a good compromise on that. Years ago I had a 328gts and the targa was really nice even though the gtb was arguably better looking
You can never have too many Aston Martin videos! Me? The DB9 is my pick of the "relatively" affordable Astons, but the V8 Vantage is so, so pretty! It'd have to be a coupe though, on looks alone. Although that example is very VERY nice indeed! I have to disagree with you on the latest (Mk3?) Vantage. That front end is gorgeous and seems to flow better with the rear end which is pretty much identical to the Mk2......and the interior is MUCH nicer, back to the classy look of the original Vantage and DB9. Your current situation of "what Aston do I want next" is a nice problem to have :)
I 2nd that!
Was quite funny when James said " rev the thing out", the dials weren't moving 😅
Peak Aston Martin interior. Right down to the sculpted manual shifter.
I’ve got a manual lightning N420 in the garage (1of2). It really is a very very good car. Get the geo done by someone who knows what they’re doing and they’re a really capable car.
Nothing else I’d want sub 100k.
The issue is that the N400 while is fantastic they are not worth loads more than the normal 4.3 due to the price if 4.7’s. Some dealers hike the price up and you can see them asking 40k plus for low miles cars which is too much when you ca get the N420 for around 38k to 45kish. The going price seems to be 30k to 35k from what you see in the classifieds the last year or two. Manuals are a bit more than sportshifts but only a k or two but miles seem to make the biggest difference. Great car and hope you can do the deal.
Attainable dream car for me!
The little astons are so pretty.. well tbh they all are of that era.
I do love all of the Aston content, 🙏.
Good choice if you can get it 👍🏴
Good Luck with Negotiations!!!!
Ferrari say they've built fewer limited production units than they've done to make the car feel more special, Aston say they've built more limited production units than they've done to make the company feel more professional
Menacing sound! Do it DO IT. :) hehehe
Thanks for another great review!
TY🙏🙏
nice ride ! Oh and first post !!
It never ceases to amaze me how Aston Martin can make the same car 50 times, and how some people can actually tell them apart.
I find it easier with Astons than with McLarens, although I'm getting better with the latter now too!
I love how when a sexy sounding V8 is revved out in a TH-cam video, the subtitles seem to always say "[Applause]" :-)
Oh, now then: I reckon something as rare and characterful as this for around £35k is right up your street.
Can't wait to see more Aston footage
Always enjoy James comments.. another excellent review. Will we see it in his garage?
Watch this space
That sound ❤
Not generally a fan of rag-tops, and in particular never really liked the look on this generation of AM's - but this does really seem like the perfect car for a summer weekend and a quite, winding country road.
That new Vantage may as well just be an AMG GT.
Great vid and lovely car. Don't the 4.3L cars rev better than the 4.7L? With Bamford manifolds and in the colour it's a great buy - better than the Italian.
Funnily enough, I followed a silver N400 Roadster down the A21 on Saturday, but different number plate.
Have it!
I would buy it just for the awesome sound alone❤
Would love to attend but since I am in the States and don't have the ability to travel on short notice... will you have a live stream simulcast perhaps for those of us who would like to watch online?
I like the N430
Professor Farnsworth. Got it!
I don't know. The extreme beauty of the design seems a bit compromised by going droptop.
Yes, love in that rude boy nasty V8 💪, dream car🙏
On this week’s episode, James tries to talk himself into buying a Vantage N400…
I make a compelling argument too, damn....
I WANT THAT ASTON..!! 🤤
Is the Bamford Rose meet still on?
The silver is good on the Volante. It looks great on a Coupe, too, but may be a little too "James Bond". You can get away with it on a convertible I think.
I am not the first to immediately pick it up but 8x60=480. Nice video and car though.
James your a convertible kind of guy , There’s something about you when the roof is down your driving spirt rises 👻🙂
One of the (very) few sport GT cars where I'd actually prefer it in convertible form.
If I wasn't dreaming and
could actually afford it...
All good, but this era car has 625 quid a year road tax, and I hate giving money to the tax man
Thats nothing. Here in Switzerland you would pay double and I do :)
@@KingofInterns income tax is 20% and pay is 50% more. So like for like you probably pay less of a % of your income on road tax. And thank you.
The bots are on to this 😮
I really loved these in orange and their bespoke wheels.
Hell yeah
This is a downgrade from the DB9 at least in my opinion, which I think is a much better proportioned and prettier car and offers V12 sounds. Of course that's just my opinion. Its still beautiful and appears engaging to drive, and no one would ever miss the useless back seats.
Aw mate I love the VH platform cars. But
The new vantage has. Mean & aggressive written all over it
If only the interior was as nice as the exterior
NIce.
Starting to feel like some YT reviewers have lost being progressive with judgement already passed on a new British designed, built and yet un-driven petrolhead centric Vantage. The new Vantage looks incredible, will hopefully win orders from all around the world to keep British jobs & will obliterate this 400 along with its nasty interior, average construction - unless you enjoy maintenance as a hobby. I’m certain the engineers at Aston would happily talk through all the technical improvements they made.
How about spending it on a Weight Loss prog or Personality Classes?
No need for that, if you don't like the content there's plenty of other people making videos on TH-cam.
Get the new vantage or the DB12 mate.....
please get the v12 vantage instead
Silver? Not for me. That needs a leopard print wrap!
B... B... BUH... BWAH HAHAHA HAHAHA PERRRRRFECT 🤣
Yeah... and a 4 foot wing with streamers to match the leopard print😭🤣😆😁
What ever he wants, pay it, for that exhaust note alone.
A Nürburgring imprint, huh? Well we can be sure that James May won't be buying this car. 😆
Hey bro 😅 😅
Would pick a Maserati GranTourismo S over an V8 Vantage.
Or GranCabrio
Wow, can remember when your channel was a lot smaller and you were worried you might not get enough subs to do what you want, now you don't know what Aston to have, we're did it all go wrong,!
james! Does your partner still have and like her Porsche ?
Yes, and I think so
A man who drives a car with the roof down in winter, whilst wearing a short sleeved shirt, is keen. Or mad.
Uhm.....8 minutes worth of seconds isn't 400.
Should be 6m40s which is too fast for any sportscar
You are correct, got my fact order wrong - it's the reason for the number of cars (480)
I think the number of units produced was symbolic of the Nurburgring times. 480 total is 8 minutes worth of seconds. The N400 must have just been in reference to the horsepower.
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe That is correct, I got my numbers mixed up
400 stands for bhp
today' show sponsered by signal toothpaste ;-]
If you're considering a Ferrari 355 you're a certified masochist. 🤪
Why do Aston Martin cars sound so good? Don’t they use normal Ford V8 engines?
Loosely based on Jaguar V8s.
I'm guessing they just put as much attention to exhaust and intake piping as possible
@@AWMJoeyjoejoe Ok cheers. 👍
So heavy for such a small car. Is the chassis made from cheap pigiron
Nope, aluminium.
Eight minutes worth of seconds is 480 seconds, not 400.
I know, an error on my part - have cut that bit out
Haha whats with all the weirdo's 😂 bloody bots
This is a much better looking car than the current Vantage. IMO none of the current Aston range is particularly good looking. It's like an attractive woman who has ruined her face with lip fillers and plastic surgery.
I find this car horribly bland. Your last one was much prettier, though I'm sure this is better since it's newer. But I just love this channel.
No.
B u y i t ! ! !
Sterring is crap in town
So many porn bots!
All reported.
And TH-cam do absolutely nothing to remove them !.
Can someone lend me 60 thousand pounds?
0-60 in five seconds or six seconds. Who cares
The grille on the vantage is hideous. The proportions are all wrong and it looks like shit. The DB9 got it right!
Hideous!? It's one of the best looking cars ever made!