The 2006 V8 Vantage was not an exceptionally rapid car, and it was costly for what it was. Aston Martin launched it in the USA with a six-figure sticker price. At the time, you could go over to Porsche and buy a Carrera S for $70,000, and it was the golden standard in the sports car segment, which pretty much remains true to this day.
Like its successor, the 2005 Vantage used an updated engine borrowed from a manufacturer. The 4.3-liter V8 was based on Jaguar’s AJ-V8 engine, which dates back to 1996. It has powered everything, from the Jaguar XK sports car to the original Range Rover Sport, albeit with a supercharger bolted on top.
Aston Martin took the 4.2-liter NA Jaguar V8 and bored it out to 4.3 liters. After it made some money from the first two model years, Aston introduced a more powerful 4.7-liter V8 that used an in-house cylinder block, crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, inlets, exhaust manifold, and dry-sump lubrication so the engine could be mounted as low and far back as possible.
