The Aston Martin Vantage Roadster Is For Those Who Love Speed (& Want You To Know About It)

  • The Aston Martin Vantage Roadster turns the marque’s most powerful front-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car into a convertible
  • The 4.0L V8 twin-turbo engine delivers 565 bhp and 590 ft-lb of torque, going from 0 to 100km/h in 3.6 seconds with a top speed of 325km/h
  • It features a Z-fold roof that fully opens or closes in 6.8 seconds and can be deployed at speeds of up to 50km/h
  • The Aston Martin Vantage Roadster is priced from $415,000AUD before ORC, deliveries begin in Q2, 2025

The latest sports car from Aston Martin taps into the visceral thrill of open-top driving. A welcome follow-up to last year’s updated driver-focused model, the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster retains the upgraded technical specs of the current-generation Vantage and renders them in a convertible format. Representing the stablemate of the Vantage Coupe introduced last year, the Vantage Roadster is driven by the same 4.0L V8 twin-turbo engine which delivers 565 bhp and 590 ft-lb of torque.

Efficiency in materials and technology mean that the Vantage Roadster weighs just 60kg more than the Vantage Coupe and therefore retains the same performance figures, doing the 0 to 100km/h dash in 3.6 seconds and boasting a top speed of 325km/h. 

The absence of a roof means the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster offers a deeper connection with the grunt of the 4.0L V8 twin-turbo. Notably, the model delivers the air of adventure and sense of freedom (the whole ‘feeling the wind in your hair’ thing that a coupé simply can’t match) of a convertible without the traditional limitations inherent in their design — namely, the weight gain due to the roof. Here, the British marque has opted for an atypical Z-fold soft-top roof, which is faster and lighter than the traditional K-fold configuration and does away with the need for a tonneau cover. The roof mechanism itself takes just 6.8 seconds to fully open or close, making it the automatic deployable roof mechanism on the market, and can be deployed at speeds of up to 50km/h.

Aston Martin says the Vantage Roadster was developed in synchrony with the Vantage Coupe, allowing the British marque’s engineering team implement features that negate the traditional compromises of a convertible in regards to performance, ride and handling, and excessive additional weight. Compared to the previous-generation Vantage Roadster, the newcomer boasts a power jump thanks to larger turbochargers, revised camshaft profiles, and an optimised compression ratio, resulting in its boastful 565 bhp output. Power is sent to the rear wheels by an eight-speed paddle shift transmission.

Sisters, not twins

The Vantage Roadster shares the same adaptive suspension, non-isolated steering column, and 21-inch alloys with Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tyres as the coupé, and inherits its advanced eight-stage traction control system.

From a design perspective, Aston Martin deftly translates the visual language of the coupé in roadster form. Here, the slanted windshield of the Vantage Roadster differentiates it from other convertibles on the market which lean more upright, with the dramatic angle joining the car’s high waistline (think taller body panels and smaller windows) and resulting in a more sleek, sporty, proportional appearance. 

The release of the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster is accompanied by three new paint colours, with Iridescent Sapphire, Satin Iridescent Sapphire, and Bronze Flare added to the palette. The soft-top roof is also customisable and can be specified in black, red, blue, or black and silver. For further personalisation, a selection of liveries can be painted on, with a choice of 21 complementary colours, while a selection of four wheel styles can be paired with a choice of seven colours of brake callipers. 

“This new Vantage Roadster is a sculptural masterpiece,” says Marek Reichman, chief creative officer at Aston Martin. “The resonant roar of its engine brings its simple yet refined surface design to life, creating a connection that’s impossible to ignore. Its form exudes beauty, its athletic stance conveys predatory intent, and its sound delivers a visceral, sensory experience.”

The Aston Martin Vantage Roadster is priced from $415,000AUD before ORC, with deliveries set to commence in Q2, 2025.


Words by T. Angel