Aston Martin V8 Vantage Gets A Botox Injection

Ahead of its Geneva 2012 debut, Aston Martin have treated us with images of the new V8 Vantage Coupe and Roadster which have had engineering and styling tweaks for this year.

At first glance it looks exactly the same as the old Vantage, after all why change those drop dead gorgeous looks? But lean in a little closer and you'll notice some differences. For instance, the air intake is larger and is housed by a new front bumper and splitter. There's a new rear diffuser at the back and race inspired sills down the side. The hardcore Aston Martin fans will tell you that these new styling cues remind them of the old Vantage S and the limited edition N400.

Under the bonnet is the same 420bhp 4.7 V8 you obviously bought with the Vantage in 2008 which gets the car from 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds and up to a top speed of 180mph. The standard six speed manual gearbox hasn't been touched either but now you've got an optional Sportshift II automated manual gearbox available which comes with seven gears instead of six for better economy and cruising.

The biggest change is the experience behind the wheel. Aston say that the new Vantage comes with quicker steering thanks to a re-valved power steering pump which should give more feedback and agility. There are also a new set of 380mm cast iron ventilated front disks and six-piston calibers which should help stop the car quicker and give you more brake pedal feel plus wider tyres which should give better grip round the corners.

If you think these changes will make the V8 Vantage more expensive, think again. The entry level price has been slashed from £90,895 to £84,995 for the coupe. That makes it around £2,000 cheaper than the standard Audi R8 but it's still a lot more than the new Porsche 911 Carrera and the Jaguar XK. The Roadster's price is down as well from £98,995 to £93,995 and that too undercuts the equivalent Audi R8 Spyder. C'mon, since when have supercar list prices been reduced, this is the time to snap up one of these badboys!

The only change to the Vantage S is the new seven speed Sportshift II gearbox which comes as standard and prices for that start at a fiver under £100k. The V12 Vantage continues as is, but if you really want to splash out your cash then look out for the V12 Zagato on the Aston stand at Geneva this year. Only 150 people with a spare £400k each can get their hands on it, and I'm going to go out on a limb and disagree with other journalists who say that the car is over-engineered and fugly...I think it's one hot mama.