ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE S: THE PEAK OF SPORTS CAR PERFORMANCE
Read Time:7 Minute, 54 Second
Aston Martin is proud to announce the arrival of the new Vantage S – the most performance focused Vantage in Aston Martin’s sports car range. With the already thrilling, driver-focused Vantage firmly established as the class leading front-engine sports car, Vantage S builds on its position with increased power and even greater dynamic prowess. Together with distinctive exterior and interior enhancements, Vantage S establishes a new benchmark for Aston Martin’s acclaimed front-engine sports car range.
Subsequent to the recently launched DBX S, Vantage S is the next step in the revival of Aston Martin’s long tradition of applying the ‘S’ suffix to special, high-performance derivatives of core models. A convention that began with Vanquish S which made its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in 2004, followed by the exceptional V8 and V12 Vantage S models launched in 2011 and 2013 respectively.
Aston Martin CEO, Adrian Hallmark, said, “For many decades the illustrious Vantage nameplate has stood for the very best in performance, excitement and driving thrills. Those qualities were very much at the forefront when the new Vantage was launched to global acclaim last year. Exceeding those qualities was the challenge and motivation behind the new Vantage S. The result is a new benchmark in the front-engined ultra-luxury sports car sector; a car to excite Aston Martin’s passionate and discerning customers, and a vivid demonstration of the talent, scope and drive which exists within the marque today.”
Central to the Vantage S is an upgraded version of the formidable Aston Martin 4.0-litre V8 Twin-Turbo engine. Extending Aston Martin’s performance advantage in the front-engine luxury sports car sector, the Vantage S now boasts 680PS at 6000rpm, with peak torque of 800Nm delivered between 3000 and 6000rpm for immediate in-gear response.
Further enhancing driver engagement and performance feel, Aston Martin engineers have continued to refine and calibrate the throttle pedal weight and response aligned with ‘S’ characteristics. By offering a resistance matched to a drive-by-wire throttle map bespoke to ‘S’, and tuned for each of the Drive Modes, Vantage S delivers an even greater sense of connection with all controls working in harmony.
Calibration changes have also been made to the powertrain, with optimisation of the Launch Control system resulting in a 0.1 second improvement in 0-60mph time, which is now just 3.3 seconds (0-62mph 3.4 seconds) and 0-124mph (200km/h) in 10.1 seconds. Top speed remains unchanged at a blistering 202mph.
Vantage S also benefits from an extensive suite of detail changes to the new Vantage suspension hardware, powertrain mounts and control software to bring greater agility along with improvements in feel, driver engagement and composure.
While Aston Martin’s chassis engineers were determined to extract more agility and front-end grip from the Vantage platform, they were also focused on ensuring those advances didn’t come at the expense of compliance and refinement.
Hardware tuning and software calibration changes to the Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers have brought increased front-end feel and response, while rear spring aid stiffness has been reduced to balance compression and rebound for improved low speed ride quality. A 10% reduction in transmission mount stiffness brings in additional refinement by controlling the powertrain movement to the body and chassis, allowing the vehicle to breathe in harmony with the road.
Further gains in directness and steering connection have been achieved by directly mounting the rear subframe to the body instead of rubber bushes. Finally, to maximise the compound benefits of these hardware and software changes, the suspension’s camber, toe and caster settings have been finessed to sharpen response, improve front-end grip under high lateral loadings and precisely dial-in the overall dynamic balance. The result is a car which has a thrilling appetite for corners backed up by steadfast stability.
Visually, Vantage S has the looks to match its performance prowess thanks to distinctive features that combine immaculate design form with true performance-enhancing function.
At the front, the new Vantage S is identified by new centrally mounted bonnet blades. Finished in gloss black or 2×2 Twill Carbon Fibre, not only do these vents provide a more assertive design character but they optimise the extraction of hot air from the ‘hot-V’ configured V8 engine.
Model designation is restricted to discreet yet striking ‘S’ signature badging on the front fenders. Each one hand-made, the brass forged ‘S’ is a true piece of automotive jewellery; the ‘S ‘infilled in red glass enamel with the badge surround chrome plated in either bright or dark chrome to match the colour of the Aston Martin wings specified by the customer.
Ensuring Vantage S is as instantly recognisable from the rear as the front, a full width decklid spoiler is the most explicit indicator of the marques sharpened performance focus. Not only for visual design assertiveness, the new rear spoiler increases rear downforce by 44kg at Vmax, contributing significantly to the overall 111kg of downforce at Vmax. The new spoiler has been used to tune the aerodynamics of the Vantage S, adding stability while ensuring the overall balance of downforce is biased towards the front-end to generate exceptional turn-in response and sustain a high level of cornering grip. Further updates to the underbody make up the additional 67kg of downforce at Vmax, including the addition of a new front airdam and front venturi vanes.
Vantage S is also available to specify with a bespoke 21″ Y-spoke wheel in satin black with a red wheel graphic, continuing to tie in the red detailing synonymous with the ‘S’ marque, elegantly paired with a contrasting bronze painted brake calliper.
Vantage S continues with bespoke ‘S’ cues inside the car, with a unique Alcantara® and leather ‘Accelerate’ interior as standard with satin 2×2 twill carbon fibre trim inlays. Maximising its sporting appearance and offering a modest weight saving over Vantage, this interior perfectly captures the essence of ‘S’.
Just as the exterior badging embodies handmade craftsmanship, the interior of Vantage S is proudly adorned with colour matched, embroidered ‘S’ logos to the upper shoulder panel of the seats. With almost 2,500 individual stitches and over 16 metres of thread, each ‘S’ leaves no doubt to the commitment of total luxury and performance in every Aston Martin S model.
Complementing the ‘S’ suffix, the iconic Aston Martin wings are also embroidered onto the headrests. An industry-first technique using both embossing and debossing is also an option available to customers, applying extreme pressure (1.5 tonnes) and heat to sculpt the wings into the leather with impeccable precision, creating a subtle but beautiful detail. In addition, the ‘S’ moniker appears on both the treadplates and engine bay final inspection plaque.
Vantage S also offers customers a unique interior option package to further highlight its kudos as the most sporting of all Vantage models; a choice of red or silver anodised finish to the knurled metal drive mode rotary, creating a bold centrepiece to the cabin. The rotary is colour matched to the seatbelt, contrast welt, contrast stitch and headrest embroidery to create a flow of cohesive highlights throughout.
For customers wishing to immerse themselves in even more luxury, Inspire Sport interior is available with either full semi-aniline leather or semi-aniline leather and Alcantara®, in both monotone and duotone options. These all-new interiors feature diminishing chevron quilting, surrounded by placed perforations, giving an unmistakeable impression of speed.
Marking its global dynamic debut, Vantage S will be seen charging up the famous hill climb at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend. Held at the Goodwood estate every July, The Festival of Speed is a highlight of the British summer season, drawing motorsport enthusiasts from around the globe.
Vantage S is available to order now, alongside Vantage, in both Coupe and Roadster, with first deliveries expected in Q4 2025.
Vantage S continues a fine tradition of Aston Martin using the ‘S’ suffix to denote a special high-performance version of an existing model, and is the second ‘S’ derivate to be announced so far this year, following DBX S.
The first was Vanquish S, which made its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in 2004 and was initially sold alongside Vanquish. It was followed in 2011 by the V8 Vantage S featuring more power, more sporting suspension settings and, notably, the Sportshift II automated manual gearbox as standard – followed by the V12 Vantage S in 2013. Most recently, 2015 saw the introduction of Rapide S with a considerably updated and more powerful engine, replacing the Rapide in its entirety – with Vanquish S following closely in 2016. Not forgetting the DBS models which performed the role of Aston Martin flagship across three distinct generations starting in 1967, 2007 and 2018 respectively.
It is also no coincidence that Aston Martin’s first internationally successful post-war racing car was called the DB3S built in 1953. The first Aston Martin to win a round of the World Sports Car Championship and a car that finished runner up at Le Mans no fewer than three times in the 1950s, it too was a lighter, more powerful and visually uprated version of the car from which it was derived; in this case the DB3.
