After launching the DB11 a couple of years ago, Aston Martin continued revamping its product lineup with the unveiling of the all-new Vantage last November, the second in a line of seven new models launching within seven years. Fast forward six months and Aston Martin's "most sporting model" has started production at the company's factory in Gaydon, UK, with customer deliveries scheduled to begin later this month. The sporty grand tourer will be hand-built alongside the DB11, Rapide S, and the forthcoming DBS Superleggera.

"Today marks an exciting moment for the entire company and an important day in the history of Aston Martin," said CEO Andy Palmer. "The outgoing Vantage was the single most successful model in Aston Martin's history and we believe its successor will surpass that. We will do this by retention of our important existing owners and through repositioning of the car, create new customers in new countries. The new Vantage ticks all the boxes for a luxury sports car and unashamedly aspires to be the best in its segment. With the imminent launch of the DBS Superleggera, we are on track to replace each of our existing two-door sports car models by the end of this year."

Sporting athletic looks resembling the DB10 that James Bond drove in Spectre, the all-new Aston Martin Vantage is powered by an AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 mated to an eight-speed automatic. With 503 hp on tap and 505 lb-ft of torque, the new Vantage can sprint to 62 mph in 3.6 seconds before topping out at 195 mph. Technically, the last-generation Vantage isn't dead yet though, as Aston Martin recently announced the limited-run V12 Vantage V600 based on the old model. A seven-speed manual transmission option is expected to be offered in the new Vantage, but not for at least another year.

A V12-powered version of the new Vantage is also being considered, but Aston Martin first needs to figure out how to overcome the balancing issues adding a heavier engine could cause.