Skip to main content

Aston Martin’s next V8 Vantage will bring James Bond style to showrooms

Aston Martin has released the first official images of the new V8 Vantage, and we’re getting a little bit of deja vu — in a good way.

The coupe depicted in the shots is a pre-production model wrapped with camouflage and clad with huge Pirelli stickers, in case you were absolutely dying to know what kind of tires it rides on. Looking beyond the stickers and through the hornet-like wrap, we can tell the next-generation Vantage borrows more than a handful of styling cues from the stunning DB10 that starred in the 2015 James Bond movie Spectre.

Recommended Videos

Compared to the current Fisker-designed model, which has been on the market for the past 12 years, the DB10-inspired car gets swept-back headlights mounted low on the front fascia, a wide grille, and extra-thin tail lamps. More design details will be revealed when the Vantage starts its strip tease. Under the curvaceous sheet metal lies a shortened version of the DB11‘s aluminum platform, according to Motor Authority.

As a small car manufacturer, Aston Martin doesn’t have the gargantuan research and development budget of rivals like Porsche. That’s why it decided to borrow a V8 engine from Mercedes-AMG instead of developing one from scratch. The unit in question is a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter unit found in dozens of Germany’s finest sports cars, including the C63, and the E63. In this application, it makes 503 horsepower and 513 pound-feet of torque. Aston tells us the engine has been tweaked in-house by its engineers, yet the power figures are identical to the ones released by Mercedes.

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage will make its debut before the end of the year. Nothing is official at this point, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see it break cover in a few weeks during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which has become the venue of choice for high-end companies who want to bypass the traditional auto show circuit. Aston might choose to only show the car behind closed doors to a hand-picked group of customers, however, and wait until the Frankfurt Auto Show in September to reveal it to the public. Either way, we’ll bring you live images of it and full details as soon as it’s unveiled.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Cheaper EVs ahead? GM and LG say new battery cells are the key
2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV front quarter view.

General Motors and LG Energy Solution have announced a new phase in their ongoing partnership: developing a new battery cell chemistry that could significantly lower the cost of electric vehicles. The joint effort centers on lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) battery cells, a variation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) that’s gaining popularity for being more affordable and less reliant on expensive materials like nickel and cobalt.

This is a big deal because battery costs are still the single largest expense in producing EVs. According to GM and industry experts, LMFP cells could help bring the cost of electric vehicles close to — or even on par with — gas-powered cars. The goal? Making EVs accessible to a broader range of drivers without sacrificing range or performance.

Read more
Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis following collisions with road barriers
Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous-car technology has made great advances over the years to the point where it’s now allowed to offer paid robotaxi rides in select locations in the U.S.

But the development of the technology is ongoing, and the robotaxi rides continue to gather valuable data for Waymo engineers to pore over as they further refine the driverless system to make it as reliable and efficient as possible. Which is why glitches will sometimes occur.

Read more
Apple CarPlay Ultra looks stunning in Aston Martin supercar debut
Apple CarPlay Ultra

Apple CarPlay Ultra is the next generation of the Cupertino, California-based firm's smartphone projection system for your car, and it's available in new vehicles in the US and Canada.

When we say "new cars", your options are very much limited to one brand... Aston Martin. So you'll need deep pockets if you want to experience CarPlay Ultra for yourself.

Read more