The Aston Martin Vantage V12 is a BETTER supercar than a 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo

Hey guys, what's up? It's Joe Rady from Rady's Rides. We're back here at Jaguar Land Rover St. Pete and guess what? I have one heck of a stealthy supercar here. Let me introduce you to this special one. This is a 2023 Aston Martin Vantage V12. But before we get into just one of 333 Vantage V12s that was built, let's talk about what's going on here. So Aston Martin, very unique brand. Not only do they bring high-end luxury, but they also bring high-end performance. And I feel a lot of people forget about Aston Martin because they're so focused on Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, even Porsche. What's fascinating about the Vantage is that once upon a time, it was the top model in their lineup. Then they decided to switch things around and they made the Vantage their entryway into the Aston Martin family. Now, this particular Vantage is totally different than anything that you have seen from the modern era of the Vantage. The only made worldwide 333 examples of this vehicle. Now, of course, there's lots of different ways you could get your supercar goodness. But what I want to find out is, is this the best, especially when it comes to rarity for this Aston Martin Vantage V12? Why don't we go ahead? Let's dive into this one and see if we can find out. Right off the bat, I just love the stealthy finish that matte gray shows all the muscular lines. And I actually prefer the overall dimensions of the Vantage say to the bigger examples in the lineup, like the Vanquish or the DBS. Now, the front of the business, you're going to get that very small headlight style. It's almost like an oval shape, all LED, LED daytime running lamps, that nice flat metallic gray finish. This is a carbon fiber hood, carbon fiber front fascia. So we're talking about lots of weight savings that has been gone into this car because with the extra cylinders that adds weight. So Aston Martin had to figure out a way to get rid of weight and trust me, they know how to do that type of engineering. Because even if you look at IMSA GTP racing in the modern era, they have the Valkyrie with their V12. They've done a lot of different prototype racing. They've even won Le Mans overall, going all the way back to 1959. You'll notice how they really have this massive sculpted air curtain, the direct air down the front of the vehicle. And then you have an aircraft carrier style front splitter, all carbon fiber. I mean, I could see an F14 Tomcat launching off this front splitter. That's large it is. Now, as we come across that wide, low slung nose, you get that awesome shape to their grill. This grill design is unique to Aston Martin. You look at any of their models over the years, I don't care which one it is. Even if you watch Goldfinger and you see the DB that James Bond, Sean Connery is driving, it has that overall shape. Now there's a forward facing camera, nicely hidden up top. And then you can see the vertical and horizontal. So you have your horizontal bars, your vertical slots, gloss black and flat black, and then all carbon fiber goodness across the bottom. But like I said, this whole nose is carbon fiber, including the exposed dry weave carbon fiber on the splitter. But let me know what you think about the face of this stealthy supercar. Now, as we rise up, love the way they blacked out the iconic Aston Martin badge. And then this hood, it's like they took the arrow off of the vantages that race in the GTD classes in IMSA and brought it into this car. So you have this nice piece of kick up, but then Stephen's going to swing around and show you the massive ultra wide heat extractor to bring hot air out, the wire mesh finish, and a nice bulge. You got muscle, this thing has the bulge to go with the muscle. Carbon fiber hood, carbon fiber fenders, carbon fiber roof, carbon fiber rear deck lid, carbon fiber rear bumper. Do you see where I'm going here? Weight savings. Now as we come around the bend, we have forged aluminum wheels, nice v-spoke design, really digging the twinkie yellow ginormous Brembo calipers with the Aston Martin name, carbon ceramic brake rotors, two-piece rotors. It's going to help cut down on your unsprung weight, cut down on your rotating mass. Basically with these forged wheels and the carbon ceramic rotors, you're shedding about 70 pounds of unsprung weight. You have adaptive suspension to really fine-tune what the track or the road is giving you, and then these wheels in that nice satin black are wrapped with Pilot Sport 4S tires. Now if you're wondering, well Joe, what's the size of this wheel? 21 inch wheel in diameter up front. Tires up front are 275 on the width and a 35 series sidewall, and I love the way the hood also forms part of the fender. But let me know what you think about the incredible brake setup on this vehicle. Now coming down the side, Demon's going to swing around, show you that carbon fiber goodness in the fender. Look at the arrow, look at the way they have the air come through the back side of the fender vent, and a nice little V12 badge just for the hell of it. Just to let those that are confused, what are they hearing? No, that's not the AMG derived V8, which remember the standard Vantage has that AMG derived V8, which isn't a bad motor, but nobody's going to argue with an extra, not two cylinders, four cylinders. Carbon fiber roof sheds eight pounds of weight right off the top, and I love the way it's that dry weave carbon fiber side mirrors. Got to shed the weight, you got your 360 degree cameras, power folding side mirrors, flush door handles, and then Stephen's going to swing back around and show you that carbon fiber side sill extension. Look at the way it runs into that fender. Absolutely aerodynamic supremacy. Just like other Aston Martins, these don't have doors that just open up normally in a normal outward function. It is that swan opening door, so the door actually rises as you open it up further. That's going to make sure that you don't hit any curbs or any low-lying debris, so to speak, whether it be a curb, a sidewalk, a person, whatever. And then just real nice how it, look at that, oh nice solid sound. Love the way they did the rear quarter glass, just a little bit of gloss black trim along the top there. When we get to the rear, 21 inches in diameter again, you got the twinkie yellow Brembo calipers, carbon ceramic rotors, tires out back are going to be 315 on the width. 315. 30 series sidewall is an electronic limited slip diff, and this vehicle is rear wheel drive. This is not an all-wheel drive vehicle with a V12 and twin turbo. Now as we come around the back, one of my favorite parts of the Aston Martin, look at that rear fender. Oh my god, absolutely sexy. You got your carbon fiber decklid, nice little kick up. We don't have to have a big huge wing to give us downforce because everything has been tuned on top, but also wait until we go underneath a little bit. LED lighting, look how slim and trim everything is. The Aston Martin name in black, and then look at our functional venting on the back side, and a carbon fiber rear diffuser. Looks like it came right off a freaking IMSA race car. My big zonk are the DOT required bumperettes. Those have to be there for crash safety, but boy oh boy do they look ugly. What makes up for it? Center exhaust, nice and flush, oval opening, black tips. It's like they're almost not even there until you know that they're there, and then you're just like, god, jeez. But while we go ahead, let's pop the bonnet, like they say over in England, and check out the mighty engine of this van. All right guys, we got the bonnet open. You'll notice all of that raw carbon fiber. You can see the massive heat extractor and the wire metal mesh finish. You do have hood struts to hold the hood open, and then look at the heart of this beast. That is that twin turbo V12. Yes, it's a front mid-engine car, so engine is behind the front axle, but I don't know how they were able to do it because that is a lot of engine. They basically took bracing off the London Bridge. That's why the London Bridge is always falling. They took it off the bridge, stiffened up the front end. Love the way it's got the hand-built nameplate there, and then you can even see the wires for our adaptive suspension. But what do we have power-wise? I know everybody wants to know, how fast is this Aston Martin? Well, first of all, it's a 5.2 liter twin turbo V12, 690 horsepower, 553 pound-feet of torque. It is bolted to a ZF 8-speed automatic, 0 to 60 in about three seconds flat, top speed 200 miles per hour, and here's where they were able to shed some weight. Just in the wheels, like I said, wheels and suspension and brakes, you're looking at about 70 pounds of weight. The lighter stainless steel exhaust is not even titanium. It's stainless steel. They save 15.8 pounds of weight over your standard Vantage, and then the wheels, that rotating mass, is really going to help with turn-in and stability. The vehicle overall weighs 3,950 pounds. Yes, to some standards that may be on the heavier side, but we're talking about a V12. Think about the weight that was added by having that motor underneath the bonnet. It's always a give and take. It's always a compromise, but man, oh man, how many Vantages can you pop the hood and see a V12 like that? But while we go ahead, it's one thing to look at it. It's another thing to hear it. Let's fire up this Vantage and hear the roar. All right, guys. We are inside this 2023 Aston Martin Vantage V12. I know you're saying to yourself, well, Joe, I don't care. I'm going to cash in my 401k. I'm not going to retire ever. I know I'm going to probably die all the way into the final day that I work. That's when I'm going to die. But I might as well have something each day to look forward to when I come home to drive my Vantage V12 or hell, even look at it. So how much is it? Very good question. Now, remember, they made only about 100 of them for the U.S. market. Total worldwide, 333 examples. Back in 2023, original MSRP was well over $300,000. This one, the asking price is $258,000. But let's see if this is the supercar to cash your 401k in on. To the door panels. Love all that leather. Black leather, the bright twinkie yellow contrast stitching all over the door panel, the carbon fiber right near the armrest. And that's a big chunk of carbon fiber, top and bottom. Large door pocket, easily get five British scones in there. And then everything else just so classy. Going from the door panel to the dash, more leather. I got to thank all the British cows that sacrificed their lives for this leather. You got carbon fiber around the AC vents, carbon fiber on the center console, some leather bumperettes for your passenger's left knee. And then you have all your seat controls attached to the center console. Slide on in. Yes, you have the older 8-inch system. And yes, it's not a touchscreen. But are you really buying this car for the infotainment system? Because if you are, there's something wrong with you. I'm just going to say it point blank. Let me put it in reverse. Backup camera, very small, but the resolution is very clear. And you do have trajectory, which is nice. But you should be able to back this up like a big boy using your mirrors and turning your head. And then we're right back where we started. Working your way down, you have actual blower fan for your AC, dual climate control, heated seats, but no ventilated seats. That's a bit of a zonk. This should have ventilated seats, but you'll see why they don't. This is where you unlock and lock the doors. And then you have your older array of push buttons for your 8-speed transmission. And then also your engine start stop button, volume, little barrel control. You do have a mouse track pad, or you could use a direct drive control knob. Love all the carbon fiber. Here's your older Aston Martin key fob. I'll be honest with you, it's pretty big. Make sure you put in your pocket properly, or you're going to poke yourself right in the family jewels. And then you probably won't be able to have kids. But that's probably a good thing because getting one of these, you might want to limit the amount of kids that you have just because of the price. But the stitching, the leather, open this up, you have enough room in there. You've got a 12-volt, and there's enough room. Actually, there's two USB-As as well. So you got 12-volt and two USB-As. You could put about a pound of gold bullion in here, and you better get ready to cash in your gold because this thing is pricey, but it is very rare. And then the seats, oh my god, Alcantara, the stitching, carbon fiber. The whole frame of the seat is carbon fiber all the way down the bolstering. Love that raw carbon fiber. You even have a pull strap in the center to move the seat as well. But I just love the Alcantara, the leather. And I'm going to say it again, the carbon fiber. Wow. Look at that. Absolutely. Let me see if I can slide this here. Absolutely. Look how the whole thing just slides. And then Stephen's going to give you a little peek. That's where you can keep your Rolex watch boxes back there. So when you buy a Rolex, I don't know if you're familiar, you should be getting a box with it, and you should be getting paperwork that shows the provenance of it. If you're getting just a watch, be wary because it may not be a real Rolex. The chances you take in life. Is the juice worth the squeeze at the end of the day? And then of course, Alcantara just all over the whole headliner. Absolutely beautiful. Why don't you come over here to the business side of things? I got one hell of a steering wheel I want to introduce you to. Come on over. Hi guys, business time behind the wheel. You do have this beautiful black aluminum sill plate with the V12 Vantage badge and where it was hand built in England. Pedal box, large aluminum brake throttle, but a plastic dead pedal that should be aluminum. That's a zonk. Seats. Once you get in, you are snug as a bug, wrapped in a race car rug. Absolutely phenomenal. They're actually pretty comfy. It's just be careful when you're getting in because this carbon fiber hard bolster edge, it might hurt your family jewels. Just saying. And I might know from experience. Steering wheel, the leather, flat bottom, carbon fiber, the Aston Martin badge, flat black on all the switch gear, large carbon fiber paddles that are attached to the steering column. It is an electric tilting and telescoping wheel. And then look at that dash, tachometer in the center. All the other information. You could adjust your modes all by the press of a button and look at the way you go into track mode. And you could also adjust your suspension stiffness as well. But I just love how it's housed in that carbon fiber housing for all that instrumentation. Now I want to go on throttle. Trust me. But I do want to show you the cargo area first. There's something special back there that helps with performance, believe it or not. Let's go back there and then I'm ready to go on throttle in this bandage. All right, guys, another great thing about this supercar is you do get some usable space. I already popped the rear hatch. You lift it up. Not only is it carbon fiber, but look at the storage that we have here. You could actually use this as a grocery getter. Even look at how they stiffen up the rear of the vehicle. And then you have a nice parcel. They call this a parcel shelf where you could put your parcels. Maybe you went and bought yourself some new Nikes or something. You could put your boxes of Nikes back there. I don't know about you. I don't give a damn about Nikes right about now. What I care about is on throttle. So if you're ready, I think I think she's ready. Let's go on throttle and see how she drives. All right, guys, it's you. It's me. And it is this glorious V12 twin turbocharged powered Aston Martin Vantage. Right away, you just feel like you're in something special because you are. It's one of about a hundred. And these carbon fiber bucket seats are absolutely stupendous. And the way this thing shifts is just insane. You ready? First gear. I got in track mode. What a special feeling being behind the wheel of a vehicle has not only a V12, but a twin turbo V12. I love the way this interior wraps around you like an isotoner glove. And I could do without the stupid infotainment. I rather just have no infotainment system rather than this dated one. I'm never going to use it. I don't even care about the stereo in here. I think this thing should come with no stereo, because if you're not listening to the V12, there's something wrong with you. There really is. Just the way this thing shifts, it's so planted, whether you're upshifting or downshifting, those massive twinkie colored brake calipers with those ceramic rotors are just able to shed speed so effectively and so efficiently. And then, of course, that center outlet exhaust allows that V12 to just do its thing. Pops, the bangs. You ready? Hot throttle! Sounds like you're in a Formula One car. That's what it sounds like. And it just, it's such a pure, clean sound. I wish it was a little louder. I know that sounds crazy. I feel like they made the pops and the bangs super loud, and the overall roar could be a little louder. But it is a twin turbo, so you are losing some sound because of the turbochargers. But reaching those massive paddles, well within reach, and they fire off like a freaking Gatling gun. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Super quick. Super quick. This is a special, special supercar. It really is. I mean, advantage already with just a V8 is something special, but this with a V12, the fact that they were able to fit it blows my mind. The way it builds its thrust, the torque, and then, of course, that high-end screaming horsepower. Almost 700 horsepower. I like the way you feel like you're sitting on the rear axle. I can feel exactly how much grip I have. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Oh my God, this thing. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, incredible. Even like the visibility looks great. You're just, you're just in it, man, and I love it. I love how you sit in this Vantage. Insanity. Pure insanity that these vehicles are legal for street use. And I could just imagine some of the people that have more money than brains that buy these and wind up wrapping them around one of these trees. But we got to get back quick because I'm looking in my rear view. We got to get back to Jaguar, Land Rover, St. Pete, and wrap this one up. So I'll see you in a split second. I tell you, we are very blessed. We are very lucky, and we are very grateful to have the support of not only Miro, but everybody at Jaguar, Land Rover, St. Pete to get special access to very special supercars like this Vantage V12. Let me know what you think. At the end of the day, is this the best way to go? If you want a supercar, you want something unique, and you just want something special, let me know in that comment section. But if you're new to the channel, you're on your way out, hit that subscribe button. I promise you it's worthwhile. Come back for more. If you are a subscriber, thank you for being part of the Raise Your Eyes family. Gotta give it up to Steven Flood. He loves V8s, but he also loves V12s as well. So thank you, Steven, for your hard work. And just like always, I'll see you on the next ride.