Aston Martin V12 Vantage S
Next in the LUX car review series, we review take the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S for a test drive through the scenic Cotswolds countryside
It is becoming received wisdom in automotive circles that high performance cars have never been better than they are now ? or less emotionally involving. Powerful computer systems do everything from controlling your cornering pitch to measuring exactly how much you?re allowed to push the throttle on a bumpy road. The accusation is that fast cars are now extremely rapid quasi-spectator experiences, akin to piloting a fly-by-wire plane.
From the moment you drive a few metres down the road, you suspect the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S is going to be an antidote to such electronically enhanced machinery. The car?s two-seater cabin, snugly fitting around you, is enrobed in leather and cool aluminium-look finishes, and feels just a little tight ? just like sports cars of yore. Read next: Fine wine expert Adam Brett-Smith’s fears, joys and surprising investment advice
Press the start button and the scream from the engine and exhaust makes the 12-cylinder engine sound like a hot rod that has been to Eton and Oxford: brutal, but somehow sophisticated as well. By the time you take your first corner, you are holding on to the wheel in a way you just wouldn?t with any over-engineered machine which is more about numbers than emotions: this is a car you really drive. So much so that we were nervous about taking our fir...