Aston Martin V8 Vantage S Gets 7-Speed Dual-Clutch Transmission

[AutoGuide.com]

First came the Aston Martin Vanquish S in 2005, followed by the DBS in 2008, and now for 2011 we are blessed by the arrival of the V8 Vantage S. Could this already ultra sexy machine get even sexier? Yes it can.

While the visual changes to the Vantage S might be subtle, but they work beautifully. It gets a new nose job thanks to a new bumper which features a larger air intake, new wider side sills and a revised rear bumper plus those gorgeous new 19-inch "V" spoke alloy wheels.

But there is more to this new "S" than meets the eye. Under the skin it gets retuned springs and dampers, and new ratios for the power steering system. Sounds tempting already.

But wait there's more. You also get a newly massaged engine which now develops 430-hp and 361 lb ft of torque, a slight increase over the regular Vantage model. The biggest change is with a device that spends its life changing gears, the gearbox. The Vantage S is the first Aston product to benefit from the new 7-speed gearbox. It's called SportShift II, and it has shorter gear ratios plus the transmission shifts about 20% quicker than the previous system, so the car will be quicker than before, although Aston has not mentioned any performance data yet. More importantly for owners, it's certain to be much smoother than the current box.

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