Go-Cars for the New Year
It’s time to take back all your holiday presents and get yourself a new car. Of course, the cars on these and the following pages might take a bit more than just a few gift returns. Whether you’ve off to another day of toil at work, or heading for a weekend getaway, any one of these cars would make you feel like you’ve already reached Nirvana.
The V8 Vantage is a hand-crafted sports car that offers electrifying performance and outstanding agility. The most affordable of all Aston Martins (at an MSRP of $110K), it fuses traditional Aston Martin style and everyday usability. The result is one of the world’s most desired sports cars. It has a powerful 4.3L 283 kW (380 bhp) engine, designed and built by Aston Martin for Aston Martin. Developed for flexibility as well as outright performance, the front mid-mounted V8 also delivers a potential maximum speed of 175 mph. A luxurious cabin belies the V8 Vantage’s race car soul, with a full grain leather interior, alcantara headlining, anthracite interior fittings, automatic temperature control, heated rear window, reversing sensors, trip computer, alarm and immobilizer, tire pressure monitoring, and a 160W Aston Martin Audio System with 6 CD autochanger.
The menacing head of the Viper SRT10 gives way to muscular lines, swept-back fenders, and deep-cut side scallops. There is a fully convertible clamshell-design top with glass rear window, tonneau cover, and convenient single-latch operation. You’ll catch your breath when you look at the sloping double-bubble roofline with clearance for racing helmets and unique rear fascia featuring wraparound tail lamps and decklid spoiler for increased downforce and high-speed stability. Viper SRT10’s aluminum-block 8.3L V10 engine delivers a staggering 510 hp and 535 lb-ft of torque. That means 0 to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds, an estimated top speed of 190 mph on the test track, and completion of the signature SRT 0-100-0 mph test in just over 12 seconds. If you’ve got enough cash on hand to cover the $87K base sticker price, then just buckle up and hold on.