Used Aston Martin V12 Vantage (2009 - 2018) review – manual V12 for less than a Cayman

The late-2000s were, in hindsight, a golden era for Aston Martin. It was still the underdog but its products were as dynamically compelling as they were beautiful. And its ideas were bold and brash. Take the V12 Vantage, for example. Nothing less than a hot rod, this hair-brained ‘will it fit’ exercise in tier one skunkworks mischief somehow made it past the bean counters and was a car few rivals had an answer to. Once a rival to the 997 GT2, now, a V12 Vantage can be had for less than the price of a new Porsche Cayman.

The Porsche 997 GT2 was more performant and aggressive but lacked the premium style, refinement and exotic multi-cylinder appeal of the Vantage. Ferrari meanwhile remained committed to having a flagship V12 GT in the 599 but leaving the undercooked, flaccid California to answer challengers from lower down in the marketplace. Mid-engined opposition came in the form of the excellent first-generation Audi R8 V10 but it was a different sort of car. That the V12V warranted comparison with everything from soft grand tourers to full-on supercars speaks to the breadth of its talent.

The Vantage RS Concept of 2007 previewed the V12 Vantage, perhaps uncharitably. Sadly the production car wouldn’t arrive with a 600bhp race-inspired V12, a kerb weight of under 1600kg or active aero. Less extreme but with more all-around appeal, the 510bhp, 1680kg production V12 Vantage was a compact, angry super sports car with multiple convincing personalities that could just about masquerade as a GT. It rode sturdily, certainly without the cushioning of a proper GT, but the barrel-chested leggy V12 could settle nicely. The engine was a straight carryover from the DBS, as were the brakes, while a lot of the driveline used similar principles and technology, if not identical parts.

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Design-wise, the ways the V12 Vantage differered from the V8 Vantage were in parts subtle and tasteful and in parts, garish. The chin spoiler, broadened skirts, kicked-up boot lid and engorged diffuser panel complete with only slightly larger twin exhausts spoke of veiled muscle. The four carbon vents in the bonnet meanwhile, shouted bloody murder, while the marital aid of a gear knob was just plain odd.

The biggest job was making the V12 fit, with the front of the Vantage’s extruded aluminium VH structure requiring re-engineering twice, first to fit the V12 and then, due to demand, for US safety homologation. Speaking of demand, what began with ‘consider[ing] low-volume production’ (the words of boss Ulrich Bez at the time) ended with a production run of 1199 cars, right in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Has another Aston resonated quite so convincingly with customers?

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Small wonder, then, that Aston wasted no time in preparing the V12 Vantage S, for introduction in 2013. The revised V12 pumped power to 565bhp, with more torque low down to boot. This was happily accompanied by revised suspension with adaptive damping in place of the old car’s passive set up to help the fast road manners and traction of the V12 Vantage S. Multi-stage ESP also helped to that end, while it also got quicker steering for improved responses.

The biggest change, however, was swapping the six-speed manual transmission – Transformer truncheon shifter and all – for Sportshift III, the newest iteration of Aston’s single-clutch automated manual transmission. Not a deal-breaker as these boxes had come on quite some way since the dark old days of the original Vanquish, but it was the car’s weakest link, especially when compared with the lightning-quick shifting PDK-equipped 991 Porsche 911 GT3 that, arrived around the same time. 

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After three long years, Aston reintroduced a manual, with a more conventional shifter and less conventional operation, thanks to the dog-leg arrangement for what was a converted version of the existing paddle seven-speeder. The interior was also updated, with a slick ‘waterfall’ with odd haptic controls inspired by that in the second-generation Vanquish. 

This wasn’t the ‘911 R moment’ Aston were likely hoping for, the notchy box garnering a lukewarm reception. We were lucky to get a manual ‘box back but it would have been better if the six-speed had just stayed on all the way through. Indeed, what makes that original run of V12 Vantages special is that they were all manual – a brave move by Aston given the demand (in spite of their flaws) for F1-style paddle boxes at the time.

The Vantage GT12 and V600 were spectacular specials that advanced the V12 Vantage idea still further, exploring the extremes of its potential beyond even what the Vantage RS first teased. With bespoke bodywork and a hair under 600bhp, the bewinged GT12 was a cartoonish GT3-inspired track weapon, while the V600 was more the art-deco coach build. While the V12 Vantage returned with the last twin-turbo car, it was a bit of a disappointment. In any case, the legacy of the original, as a manual, V12 super sports car, lives on in the manual-only, limited-run, Aston Martin Valour.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage: prices and buying guide

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The V12 Vantage was considered sturdily priced when it first arrived in 2009. At over £130,000, it was a well-specced BMW 3-series more expensive than the contemporary 911 GT3 of the day but matched the bombastic 997 GT2. In its nine years on sale, that price of entry rose by less than £10k, the gap closing between it and the 911 GT3 as the years wore on. 

Unlike GT3s and unlike any manual V12 Ferrari, though, V12 Vantages depreciated and are still available at exceedingly reasonable prices. For the £75k basic price of a Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0, you’re not just entering V12 Vantage land, you’ve got the pick of them – yes, even manual cars. Prices for both the early manuals and the paddle-shift V12 Vantage S, start from around £60k. 

The V12 Vantage is still an exotic motorcar however and that comes with associated costs and checkpoints. The V12 engines for instance, are known to burn oil, so look for a car with nothing less than perfect service history, with documented evidence – in fact, ideally get your car from a specialist. Look for oil leaks between the cam cover and engine block too. 

Big carbon brakes and big high performance tyres are an expensive replacement, so the ideal example will have life left in its stoppers and rubber. Likewise, the paddle-shift cars can be hard on their clutches, so be in the know about how much life they have left. If you get one, lift when you shift and don’t use ‘D’ too much if you can help it. The gearboxes themselves aren’t infallible either.

What we said

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Aston Martin V12 Vantage

‘Part of the V12’s acceleration flexibility comes from its relatively short gearing (third is only just good for 100mph), which also means I can legally enjoy the engine’s full vocal range through all of first and second. And if you buy a V12 then be sure to get someone to drive it past you occasionally while you stand at the side of the road, as the sound from the outside really is the stuff of dreams. The V12 Vantage is equipped with the huge carbon brakes from the DBS. The 398mm front discs lurk massively behind the shockingly spindly wheels and they are some of the best brakes I have ever tried, progressive and powerful right from the top of the pedal’s travel.

‘The steering has great weighting and there’s undoubtedly feedback once into a corner, but you need to guide rather than hurl the nose onto a trajectory. If it’s a long curve then you’ll find your hands making micro movements of the wheel, almost as if the big nose of the car is bobbing. It actually helps to trail-brake slightly, weighting the nose onto line. As soon as you’re into the corner you then steer using the throttle too, adjusting the balance so that the rear pushes round and through the corner, using that fantastic traction and instant hit of torque to slam you up the road. I’m sure it’s raised a wry smile at Gaydon that the V12 Vantage is, bizarrely, not without its similarities to a 911.

‘Crowbarring 50 per cent more cylinders into a small car is childishly appealing to any enthusiast, but there was always the danger that Aston’s engineers could have created a caricaturish monster. They haven’t. It’s got character yet it’s refined; it’s got instant pace yet a depth that makes you want to live with it. Debonair and unafraid, it feels like a truly British Aston Martin.’ – Henry Catchpole, July 2009.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S

‘I was a big fan of the original, but the S is much more nailed down in the corners and revs more freely whilst still retaining that big-hearted character of the earlier car. We obviously miss having three pedals and the added interaction that gave in the old V12 – I’d happily forfeit the 25kg weight saving the paddle-shift ’box provides to have it back.

‘There’s no doubt that the V12 Vantage S is the best car Aston currently makes. In spite of the gearbox, or ironically perhaps partly because of it, the S has quite an old-school analogue flavour, certainly more so than something like a Ferrari F12. And despite tech like adaptive dampers, a Sport mode and Servotronic steering, there’s an unfussy mechanical honesty that shines through in the way the short-wheelbase, front-engined (big-engined), rear-wheel-drive layout engages and encourages you to attack the road.’ – Henry Catchpole, evo 189, December 2013.

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Aston Martin V12 Vantage S manual

‘On an emotional level the manual brings an immediate and more intimate sense of connection with the car. On a practical level this new dog-leg seven-speeder takes some learning, and not just because 1st gear is in a funny position. Trickier is the tightness of the gate and a spring bias that means unless you’re deliberate with your upshift from 2nd to 3rd you can end up slotting 5th instead.

‘If you aren’t prepared to make the effort to get to know it then you should probably opt for the paddle-shift transmission in the first place, but the flip-side of that is if you’re going to make the effort you should be rewarded with a great gearshift. The new seven-speeder isn’t a great gearbox, but nor is it a deal breaker. Certainly by the time we had to hand it back to Aston, the added charm and connection offered by this manual V12 Vantage S had proved very seductive indeed.’ – Richard Meaden, May 2016

Aston Martin V12 Vantage specs