UNDERDOG TO TOP DOG

Aston Martin's Vantage has swapped its sword for a 650hp hammer

- Pawan Dhingara

The supercar circle might be getting bigger, but it’s also getting harder to make the cut. These days 500hp will see you falling short, ending up somewhere in boulevard-cruising GT land, or in uber-hot hatch clubs. Yet that’s exactly where the Aston Martin Vantage used to dwell, although its brand cachet and looks made sure not too many were aware of this ignominy.

For 2025 Aston Martin has decided to stuff the Vantage’s pants with a few extra pairs of AMG socks. In simple terms, beat the competition by offering the biggest horsepower package. What sort of competition? A fine selection of four-wheel’d rockets including the Mercedes AMG GT, Porsche 911 Turbo, and Lamborghini Huracan Evo. Now Aston Martin’s entry-level model has usurped its rivals in the power stakes.

It might share the same 4.0-liter V8 with AMG rivals like the outgoing C63 and the current AMG GT but the links are becoming softer. In the nose of the Vantage, this revised version finally does feel like a bespoke powerplant.