Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster CAR review

A new Aston Martin convertible?

Indeed, but don’t call it that, or even a Volante: this is the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster. Those five words will set you back £91,000, £8k more than the coupe. For this you get a stunning car that’ll do 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds before powering on to 175mph. However you’ll still pay more for options like xenon lights and 19-inch wheels. Read our 10-page first drive to see how the Roadster performs on the road.

So what’s new?

Well, the roof for a start. The lines of the coupe are slightly spoiled when it’s up, but overall it is very well executed. We especially like the leather-covered double bubbles on the rear deck, giving the car a speedster look. The electric soft-top roof will neatly fold away at the touch of a button in 23 seconds (at speeds of up to 30mph, no less), but the roof in its former cousin, the Jaguar XKR, is five seconds faster...