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Like so many of life’s finer things, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage is best enjoyed in small sips and measured puffs. It is not something you do all day, not for sneaking in between meetings. No, this car was built for Sunday.
The shape is sleek, classic lines and rounded edges, not unlike the curved end of a Bolívar. Dip into the throttle for a drag off that gravelly, raspy eight, but shift before the urgency of 7,300 rpms hits, because it’s a relaxing kind of fast, not an alarming one. Calm. But so damn cool.
Pour yourself into the cabin, a warm drawing room, leather seats the color of Sazerac. The ashtray cover closes with a substantial metal click. As it should. The handbrake lever is on your left, because it’s British and illogical and a bit of an anachronism, but perfect all the same. The gas cap release is well hidden.
It’s a Why not? kind of car. Not purchased for monetary value, of which it has lost a lot. But a modern Aston is certainly an investment. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in late fall, when it’s still kissing 70 degrees on a sunny day, this thing is priceless. It’s all wafting and sipping and that occasional downshift-foot-to-the-floor-soothe-your-soul kind of moment that leaves you thirsty for more.
Then, the inevitable. Then it’s Monday, and the hangover is real. The Aston looks different in this light, not half as appealing. Back to life, back to the grind. Until next Sunday…
2007 Aston Martin Vantage
(Classic Car Club Manhattan Fleet)
POWERTRAIN: 4.3-liter V8, 379 hp, 302 lb-ft torque; six-speed manual; RWD
WEIGHT: 3,600 lbs
0-60 MPH: 4.9 sec.
TOP SPEED: 175 mph
