Every boy envies James Bond. That guy has the coolest gizmos and the hottest wheels.
Those who have spent more than four decades on this planet will recall the toy Bond car that used to pop machine gun-barrels out of the parking-light slots, raise a bullet-proof barrier near the boot and, best of all, flip the bad guy out of the car through the sun roof.
Then boys become men. And they still envy 007. Now they realise he has the coolest gizmos, hottest wheels AND sizzling babes.
So, when I stepped up to the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, there was a certain swagger in my walk. Okay, I was not wearing a Savile Row tux or packing a Walther PPK or waltzing with Halle Berry, but I was getting into a car that was as linked to Bond as dry martinis.
The magic started as I opened the door. It peeled away from the body in a slightly upward angled motion. Slotting the glass, stainless steel and polycarbonate key fob into the new zinc alloy centre console, the car's V8 - bored out to displace 4,735cc compared to the 4.3 litres in the previous model - rumbled into life.
A jab on the D button on the centre console and it was time to hunt down the bad guys - a job made incredibly easy by the revised Sportshift autobox. Not only does it shift faster than Lewis Hamilton can work a clutch and stick, it also controls the delivery of torque from the engine. For instance, it takes cues from the steering wheel and stays in the same gear when the car is in a corner.
But Bond doesn't cruise in D, does he? So I started flicking my way through the six-speed gearbox with the steering-mounted paddles, only to be amazed by the car's incredible torque band.
Left in second, it prowled the incredibly narrow, twisty roads of Montmirail without complaint. The car's V8 burble and handsome profile drew glances from passers-by. But a couple of quick flicks of the paddles as soon as we were on some open roads and it let out a guttural roar and leapt into three-digit speeds effortlessly.
When Bond needs to take a break from flicking paddles (how else is he going to fire those machine guns?), all he has to do is jab the D button again and the autobox will resume its duties.
However, it is the manual version that really shows off the V8's versatility. While it is exhilarating to work your way through the six-speed box, you can also leave it in fourth and admire the scenery. Displaying auto-like panache, the car will crawl at 40kmh or hurtle at 160kmh in the same gear.
Given the tight elbow room for your gear-shifting arm, thanks to a high plastic console between the front seats, this is not a bad thing.
All the while, the car's suspension - with revised upper damper mountings and Bilstein dampers - plays the perfect supporting role. The ride is firm enough to harness the engine's higher output but doesn't leave you shaken like 007's favourite drink.
Finally, after half a day of soaking in the admiring glances that this beautifully sculpted car draws and revelling in the adrenalin-pumping blips that accompany each downshift by the Sportshift, it was time to stop playing Bond.
I still haven't got any fancy gizmo or met a sizzling babe. But hey, one out of three ain't bad.
ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE
Price: $549,000 (coupe), $591,000 (roadster), both without COE
Engine: 4,735cc 32-valve V8
Transmission: Six-speed automatic with paddle shift
Power: 420bhp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 470Nm at 5,750rpm
0-100kmh: 4.8 seconds
Top speed: 290kmh
Fuel consumption:
13.2 litres/100km (city-highway)
Agent: Aston Martin Lagonda (SEA)
This article was first published in The Straits Times on 05 July, 2008.
