The V8 Vantage looks classic and contemporary at once. The long hood, low roofline (just 49.4 inches at its tallest) and large, steeply sloped rear glass create a familiar profile, but the details are unique. Bulging rear fenders cover extra-wide rear wheels (the front wheels are 8.5 inches wide, the rear, 9.5 inches). This high-performance setup helps the V8 Vantage turn power into quicker acceleration and balances tire grip front and rear for high g-force turning. The standard 18-inch wheels are handsome, but the optional 19-inchers further enhance the V8 Vantage's dynamic look. All tires are Z-rated, the highest speed rating available for street use.

From its sneering, bull nose grille rearward, the V8 Vantage makes it absolutely clear as to what kind of car it is. The family resemblance to Aston Martin's current DB9 and Vanquish S is obvious, and AM aficionados will be able to trace this car's lineage back through the decades. The V8 Vantage has a more obvious handcrafted quality than some other high-performance sports cars, including the Porsche 911. It's apparent in the details: the complexity of the surface curves, the wire mesh screens behind the front wheel wells, or the way the hood stretches all the way to the top of the grille, without a filler piece in between. The body is a mix of steel, aluminum and resin composite. Each panel is cold bonded (glued) to the frame.

The V8 Vantage's classic front-mounted, longitudinally oriented engine was the only option for creating Aston Martin's familiar long-hood proportions and the center of inertia designers wanted, according to the engineers who worked on the car. Nonetheless, with all its cylinder bores behind the front axle, the V8 Vantage is by definition a mid-engine car. The gearbox (actually, a transaxle) is mounted in back, connected to the V8 by a carbon fiber drive shaft inside an aluminum torque tube. This creates near perfect weight distribution, with 51 percent of the mass over the rear wheels and 49 percent over the front.

The V8 Vantage is 172.5 inches long, or three inches shorter than a Porsche 911, a car more familiar to American consumers. Yet the Aston Martin's wheelbase is ten inches longer (102.4) and its track is three inches wider. The dimensions confirm what the eye suggests: The V8 Vantage's wheels are pushed further to the corners of the car, with minimal front and rear overhangs.

A rear hatchback allows easy access to storage behind the rear seats, and the boot area measures an impressive 10.6 cubic feet (compared to 4.76 cubic feet in the 911's front luggage compartment).

Some of the most interesting features lie under the V8 Vantage's body. Its frame is built aerospace style, with extruded aluminum box sections and precision castings at key points like suspension attachments. All the pieces are hot or cold bonded, with no conventional structural welds. Aston Martin's engineers claim that glue has better vibration-dampening properties than conventional welding. They also claim the V8 Vantage frame is more resistant to bending or flexing than anything in its class.

Interior Features

Forget for a moment the science of ergonomics or even objective analysis. The same handcrafted quality apparent outside the Aston Martin V8 Vantage applies inside, only more obviously. The cockpit impresses, not necessarily for its switch placement, but for the feeling it inspires. This car surrounds its driver and passenger with a sense of achievement, well-being, even wealth, and there's not a shred of trendy carbon fiber anywhere.

The upgrade full two-tone leather in our test car was marvelous. The headliner is alcantara; the balance of the soft panels, including the dash and doors, are thick, burnished, hand-stitched leather. The seat belt buckles are sheathed in leather, and the three climate control knobs are machined from solid aluminum. The decorative trim in this car, starting with details such as the polished aluminum ring around the shifter, no doubt costs more to produce than the full instrument panel in a typical compact car.

Not that the V8 Vantage is an ergonomic disaster. Indeed, in the scheme of the traditional British sports car, or even contemporary high-end sports cars, it's very good. The aluminum-backed gauges impress not only for their beauty, but for their legibility. The primary stereo controls could be a bit larger, but they are exactly where we like them, at the top of the center stack. Those expensive climate control knobs are big, and easy to find without distracting oneself from the task at hand. The same applies to switches underneath them controlling flashers, traction control and door locks. The biggest gripe falls on some too-small ancillary switches arrayed on either side of a gorgeous analog clock. In total, the dash is elegantly designed, exquisitely finished and straightforward in function.

The V8 Vantage's cockpit is intimate, certainly, but not cramped. There's enough room for the passenger to stretch legs and lower the seatback past 45 degrees. The seats are impressive: firm and supportive, with all the bolster needed anywhere but on a race track, and comfortable for the long haul. There's also a decent amount of space behind the seats, and it's easy for the driver to reach. A very large briefcase or good-sized shopping bags are no problem here. The V8 Vantage is about as practical as cars of this ilk get, and just sitting inside can make you feel like a millionaire.