2013 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster Review

The 2013 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster, which the company says is designed to provide "full sensory overload," has debuted.
It starts at the U.S. equivalent of $233,000 in the United Kingdom.

LONDON — The 2013 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster, which the company says is designed to provide "full sensory overload," has debuted.

It starts at the U.S. equivalent of $233,000 in the United Kingdom. The car will definitely not be coming to the U.S. or Canada," wrote Matthew Clarke, Aston Martin's U.S. spokesman, in response to an Inside Line query.

Aston Martin's home office said that the convertible will be available in "selected markets." The Vantage Roadster's hardtop sibling is offered in nearly all markets where Aston Martins are sold.

The 2013 Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster is equipped with the 6.0-liter V12 engine that churns out 510 horsepower. The engine is linked to a six-speed manual transmission. The Roadster sprints from zero to 62 mph in 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 190 mph, said the company.

The Roadster version gets a redesigned trunk lid and lower front air intake and some chassis revisions, including a modified rear damper set-up and a new rear spring design. Other details include carbon fiber side strakes, a carbon fiber front splitter and rear diffuser, carbon fiber mirror caps and a new forged alloy wheel design.

Like its hardtop sibling, the V12 Vantage Roadster gets the Sport mode button, which enables the driver to select between two different powertrain modes. Sport mode includes a sharper throttle response, with the engine delivering more torque during the early stages of throttle pedal travel, said the company.

Inside Line says: One of the finer examples of drop-top driving for this summer season.