It was only a matter of time until the brand from Gaydon gave us the drop-top version of their Vantage and Aston Martin is using the reveal to also show off the new option of a seven-speed manual gearbox (now available for entire Vantage range).

It packs the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 found in the Coupe which means it produces 503 hp (375 kW) and 685 Nm of torque. All that power travels through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission to the rear wheels, giving the Vantage Roadster a 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) sprint time of 3.7 seconds (likely 3.9s to 100 km/h). Hold the loud pedal down and you will reach a top speed of 306 km/h (190 mph).

Thanks to a unique and lightweight “Z-Fold” roof mechanism, the Vantage Roadster gains just 60 kg over its fixed-roof variant and has the fastest roof operation of any automatically folding convertible on sale today. It takes just 6.7 seconds to put the roof flat, and 6.8 seconds to raise it back up again, all at speeds of up to 50 km/h.

The droptop gets additional bracing and borrows the same adaptive suspension, torque vectoring, and electronic rear differential as the coupe.

If you know your Aston Martin Vantage, you would have noticed the new optional “vane” front grille which pays homage to classic Astons as they celebrate 70 years since the Vantage nameplate debuted.

“Convertible sports cars are often seen as compromised when compared to their Coupe equivalents,” Matt Becker, Aston Martin Chief Engineer says. “But the Vantage Roadster remains absolutely dedicated true to its mission of delivering precise, agile and expressive handling dynamics combined with stonking straight-line performance. And of course, there’s the added dimension of driving a great-sounding sports car with the roof down.”