GENEVA – With no all-new models here in Geneva to debut, Britain’s boutique Aston Martin used the Swiss show to show off a trio of special editions: the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N430 and the Carbon White and Carbon Black editions of its larger DB9.
While the new DB9 models are (you guessed it!) festooned with carbon fibre bits of trim, the V8 Vantage N430 offers more thorough mechanical and performance upgrades. Outside, the Vantage N430 (available as a coupe or convertible) wears a paint scheme from Aston Martin’s Nürburgring 24-hour race cars (hence the “N” in the name). Under its long front hood, the Vantage’s 4.7-litre eight-cylinder gas engine gets a 10 horsepower bump to 430, now matching the topline Vantage S. But unlike the S, the N430 can be had with a manual gearbox, a six-speeder.
Lightweight carbon fibre and Kevlar sports seats and forged alloy wheels means the N430 is 20 kilograms lighter, too. Combined with its extra power, the Aston’s zero to 96 kilometres an hour time drops to 4.8 seconds from 5.0, and the N430’s top speed — at 305 km/h — is now faster than the automaker’s range-topping Vanquish supercar.
