Happy birthday, Vantage! 70 years of Aston Martin's most popular badge

► 70 years of Aston Martin Vantages
► One in three Astons wore the name
► From 1950’s DB2 Vantage to today’s V8

Aston Martin is celebrating seven decades of the Vantage nameplate in 2020, and has gathered together some of the key protaganists to mark the anniversary.

No wonder it’s a name synonymous with Aston: one in three of the brand’s cars ever produced has worn the Vantage badge, with more than 36,000 enjoyed by customers worldwide.

The first car to wear the name was the DB2 Vantage of 1950 (below), an uprated performance version with swollen SU HV6 carburettors added to the 2.6-litre Lagonda engine to push power from 105bhp to 125bhp. Just 250 saloons and drophead coupes were built at Aston’s factory in Feltham, Middlesex.

The scene was set and faster Vantage models were added to DB4, DB5 and DB6 lines, and on into the 1970s with the DBS and V8 models. But the biggest selling model was the 2005 production car that followed the AMV8 concept – siring the gorgeous-looking, last-generation, aluminium VH-platformed model.

Some 3000 a year were produced and it became the most popular Aston Martin of all time, with V8, V12 and Zagato-bodied spin-offs.

The 2005 Vantage (below) soldiered on for a dozen years, before today’s Vantage launched in 2017. It remains the most popular Aston Martin in the range today, at least until the DBX SUV arrives.

The best-selling Aston Martin Vantages: production numbers in full

That’s not a bad tally for a specialist brand like Aston Martin. Be sure to sound off about your favourite Vantage in the comments below.

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