Towards the end of 2019, Aston Martin teased us with a convertible version of its latest Vantage. The car was only shown as an engineering prototype but was later spotted testing on the Nurburgring. Now, the 2021 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster has arrived in production guise and it is even more stunning than we expected.

Power comes from the same AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 503 horsepower and 505 lb-ft of twist. That grunt is channeled out to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, getting the Roadster up to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 190 mph. There's no manual available for the Roadster but just keep reading until the end for a nice surprise.

The 0-60 mph time isn't the only quick part of the new Vantage Roadster because Aston Martin says the fabric roof can be lowered in 6.7 seconds or raised in 6.8 seconds (the fastest fully operating cycle of any automatic automotive convertible system) at speeds of up to 31 mph. What's more, this top only adds 132 pounds compared to the Coupe thanks to a lighter Z-fold roof mechanism and chassis revisions. And while the Roadster inevitably has less storage space than the Coupe, the trunk still houses seven cubic feet, which is enough for a full-sized golf bag.

The Roadster shares a lot of its components with the Coupe including its Adaptive Damping, Dynamic Stability Control, Dynamic Torque Vectoring, and Electronic Rear Differential. But compared to the Coupe, the Roadster features a bespoke tune for the rear dampers, Adaptive Damping System software, and ESP calibration. Drivers can choose between Sport, Sport + and Track chassis modes, which have all been specially tuned for the Roadster.

Along with the addition of the Roadster model, the entire Vantage lineup will receive updates for the 2021 model year. To celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Vantage nameplate, buyers can now select the 'vane' grille (pictured below) on either the Coupe or Convertible models instead of the 'hunter' grille found on the current car. And manual lovers rejoice because a seven-speed manual will now be available on the standard Coupe, not just the limited-edition AMR version.

Pricing for the manual Coupe starts at $146,000 while the Roadster will cost $161,000. Roadster deliveries will begin Q3 of 2020.