After Aston Martin lifted the wraps off the all-new Vantage towards the end of 2017, it was always going to be a matter of time before a new Roadster variant arrives. It took Aston Martin about a year and a half to turn the DB11 coupe into a Volante convertible, so the timing seems about right for the Vantage Roadster to be unveiled this year.

This has now been confirmed by CarAdvice, as Aston Martin's chief creative officer, Marek Reichman, revealed the drop-top supercar is "all done". There's still some final testing to be done, but the official reveal will take place "towards the end of this year," so we don't have too long to wait for the new Vantage to drop its top.

Unfortunately, however, a V12 version isn't on the cards, at least not initially. When asked about the possibility of a V12-powered Vantage Roadster, Reichman said that would be "too much," but admitted it "would be a good idea".

This means the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster will use the same twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine as its coupe sibling. The AMG-sourced V8 produces 503 horsepower and 505 lb-ft of torque in the coupe, enabling it to sprint to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds before topping out at 195 mph.

Due to its extra weight, expect the Roadster variant to be marginally slower off the line than the coupe. Power will be sent through an eight-speed automatic transmission, but a manual option could potentially be offered since Aston Martin told us last April that a manual Vantage is at least "12 months away."

As well as the Vantage Roadster, Aston Martin will also unveil the production version of its first-ever SUV, the DBX, in the final quarter of this year. Beyond these two models, Aston Martin is busy developing its new mid-engined supercar trio including the Valkyrie, AM-RB 003, and the Vanquish.