aston martin unveils vantage roadster with automatic roof that fully stows behind the seats

vantage roadster sports car by aston martin

Aston Martin introduces the Vantage Roadster, a sports car that fully stows its automatic roof behind the seats. The year of the car’s release coincides with the 20th anniversary of the 2005 introduction of the V8 Vantage. For the recent model, the design has been refreshed, especially the roof. It comes with a ‘Z-fold’ style instead of the traditional ‘K-fold’, so drivers can fold and unfold it in around 6.8 seconds. Aston Martin says that this is the ‘fastest fully automatic deployable roof mechanism on the market today.’

Drivers of the Vantage Roadster can deploy and hide the roof either while they’re seated in the car or remotely using the key, as long as it’s within a two-meter radius of the car. Aside from the roof, Aston Martin crafts the bootlid deck, or the flat surface of the rear compartment, to first gently slope downward before it meets the sudden-upward-curve design of the rear spoiler. The car also has a widened stance and an increased aperture of the signature grille to allow for more airflow and reduce the engine’s heating.

all images courtesy of Aston Martin

physical buttons on the dashboard for a tactile feel

Aston Martin’s Vantage Roadster comes in three paint colors, namely Iridescent Sapphire, Satin Iridescent Sapphire and Bronze Flare. The automatic roof can bear custom colors too: black, red, blue, or black and silver. There’s a selection of painted liveries available should the owners want, and the company says they can choose among 21 complementary colors. As for the 21-inch wheels, they can select between four styles. Aston Martin adds that the Vantage Roadster is developed in-house from scratch alongside their personalization division, Q by Aston Martin.

When users step inside, they find a multi-screen system with online connectivity. There’s a 10.25-inch touchscreen technology capable of multi-finger gesture control. What Aston Martin retains for the recent Vantage Roadster model is the physical buttons. The dashboard isn’t all digital since tactile switches are present for gear selection, drive selection, heating and ventilation, as well as control switches for the chassis, ESP and Exhaust, Active Safety System settings, and Park Distance Control. Users can also interact with and control the vehicle using their smartphones once they download the model’s dedicated app and connect their devices.

Aston Martin introduces the Vantage Roadster with an automatic roof that fully stows behind the seats

Sports car featuring a V8 twin-turbo engine

For the front windshield of the Vantage Roadster, Aston Martin gives it a slanted look at a steep angle instead of being more upright in other traditional vehicles. The waistline on the side of the car is high. This allows for smaller windows and taller body panels, making the vehicle look sleek and compact. The company pays attention to the size and profile of the vehicle so that they’re all proportionate enough to achieve a sports car look.

Specs-wise, the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster comes with a 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo engine. It can reach a total of 665PS and 800Nm of torque running through an eight-speed, paddle-shift transmission. The car then can go from zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 202 mph. When the engine revs, the driver and passenger can hear it from under the vehicle’s sloping bonnet and exhaust tailpipes. Even more so when they unfold the automatic roof to let the sounds in. Aston Martin is set to deliver the Vantage Roadster in the second quarter of 2025.

there’s a selection of painted liveries available should the owners want