Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Motorsports, Sports/GTs, Aston Martin
Frankfurt 2007: Waiting for our inheritance, Part 1 - Aston Martin Vantage N400
Click the image above for more high-res, desktop-ready pics of the N400 Vantage.
Our lottery ticket fantasy garage just got a bit bigger. Aston Martin unveiled the N400 version of its V8 Vantage, a road-going tribute to its time around the 'Ring in 2006. Like every other Aston product, it will be built by hand in Gaydon, but this particular Vantage comes packing a modified 4.3-liter V8 producing 400 HP at 7,500 RPM, an addition 20 HP over the base model. Those extra ponies are freed up by the extensive use of lightened materials within the engine, including the crankshaft, conrods and pistons, along with a free flowing exhaust system and air filters.We've got a host of pics below for your viewing enjoyment, and click here to view Aston's original press release.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Toy Yoda 5:06PM (9/11/2007)
I guess I never appreciated how much color can have an affect on attractiveness. In this particular orange, this AM doesn't look as attractive.
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2004m3driver 5:18PM (9/11/2007)
to each their own, this looks gorgeous in orange imo. Silver and white would be too bland for this car. Oh well I wish I could comfortably afford a car like this.
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mk 5:18PM (9/11/2007)
Fantastic car, not the greatest color.
McLaren F1 LM had a nicer orange. This looks like pumpkin-guts orange, and not complimentary, certainly not to the silver rear lights. The wheels aren't the most gracious, either. The Prodrive-enhanced car had nicer wheels by far.
Otherwise... FAN TASTIC.
tuned up dry-sump engine, 6-speed stick only. GREAT.
Pair this with the Prodrive front spoiler, suspension upgrade, wheels, and a nice rich ecurie ecosse flag-blue paint job, with titanium white detail trim... or even brooklands green... Heritage brought up to date, and done right...
Fan-tastic. Front engine V8 fixed roof sportscar nirvana, or as close as modern cars have come to it.
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SPG 6:00PM (9/11/2007)
I just don't like the wheels on this car.
Much like the wheels I see on many new performance cars like the BMW M6.
I can't even be sure why I don't like them, they are not ugly, they are not too big or small for the design either.
And for me, wheels go a long way on a cars design.
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Robert 6:03PM (9/11/2007)
Hmmm its nice but its not James Bond drives it nice ill have a DBS over this.
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mk 12:55AM (9/12/2007)
As with the twin turbo V10 Audi R8 story....
More may be better, and the DBS is probably going to be an amazing vehicle...
But there is just something nicely balanced about a modest weight hard-top sports car with two seats, a sporting V8 engine, and pure handling.
Aston Vantage N400, Audi R8, Ferrari F430/Scuderia, Alfa 8C Competizione... Two front-engine, two mid-engine, all fantastic, and all just seem very well balanced, and not over-done. Sure, all of them are quite extravagant, but not gratuitous by having "more for the sake of more"
Not that I would say no if someone gave me a V12 sports car for the heck of it... :D
Chris 7:36AM (9/12/2007)
Well, it's a start. Lets hope for a N400R. The R being the one that adds a roll cage, one piece light weight seats, removes sound insulation and swaps out glass for poly all in an effort to lower weight! Now that would be a bad a$$ AM.
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DCragTop 10:09AM (9/12/2007)
Thanks for the morning wood AutoBlog! I'll be back in 5mins...go on with out me.
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