Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Aston Martin has announced a new automated manual transmission option for the V8 Vantage - Sportshift

Auto Express Car Reviews

10th October 2006

The system adds electro-hydraulic control to the existing Vantage 6-speed manual gearbox to offer improved 'shift times and replaces the conventional manual gear lever with push button controls on the centre console to select ‘Auto Drive’, ‘Reverse’ or ‘Neutral’.

Manual gearchanges are selected in Paddle Shift Mode – the new ultra-quick system provides the driver with heightened precision via fingertip control of gear changes using paddles, forged from lightweight magnesium, located directly behind the steering wheel to progress smoothly and swiftly through the ratios.

Sportshift offers gear changes up to three times faster than the manual transmission already available, with the driving enthusiast able to access precision gearshifts in less than 200 ms. To adapt to all driving conditions, an additional ‘Comfort’ mode offering a more relaxed gear change is also available, which is selected via a single button on the centre console.

Prices for Vantage Sportshift will be confirmed at a later date, with deliveries to customers commencing in quarter two of 2007.