Goodbye old friend hello new friend
Discussion
.. but thank fully no dramas... Full report to be posted later... [yes and pictures too.....] 
It was with some trepidation that I went in to the garage to disconnect Daisy ( I know , don't ask) from the battery charger for the last time. I remember thinking The next time I reconnect this it would be to my new (to me) V12 Vantage.
It would be rude not to reflect upon my V8 ownership before moving on to first impressions of the V12
My 2006 V8 [MY 07] became mine in October 2008. Tungsten with kestrel interior. Don't be too quick to judge,.. I think when combined with Tungsten its a fantastic combination that really adds to the sense of occasion... I would say see it in the flesh before you judge as I've seldom seen a photo that does it justice. (don't forget the bung Howard
)
Daisy had her fair share of teething troubles under my ownership which I'm sure many will be familiar with. Both door modules replaced, driving lights misaligned, thermostat issue, respray of door handles and bottom edge of doors, and the piste de resistance a new gearbox. Luckily all these items (and more) were covered by the remainder of the Aston 3 year warranty. In those early weeks and months I think the Aston of Wilmslow driver covered more miles than I did!!!
But once the niggles were sorted, what an amazing car the 4.3 turned out to be, I would recommend it to anyone.
My car history isn't particularly note worthy , 2 Porsche 928's and a 350Z being the highlights. Moving to Aston was a huge change.
One of the biggest things that I noticed , and it's often mentioned here, is the reaction of others. Aston's are treated almost like royalty, I've never seen such a positive response to a car.
My V8 ownership was amazing..... So where do you go next?? The Vantage is , to my eyes, the most beautiful car on the planet..... So the choice was actually very easy, it had to be the V12. This meant I would still own the most amazing looking car I've ever seen and I'd also fulfil a boyhood dream of owning a car with a V12 engine. A quest that started aged 13 after being taken for a ride in my uncles V12 E type.
Back to the new car ... It's been 3 weeks since I put down my deposit, this gave me time to organise the paint to be detailed. It was obvious that although the original owner had done me a great favour by not only ordering the exact spec I would have order myself and covering a large part of the initial depreciation, it was obvious he hadn't been so kind to the paint work.
So I decided ask Francis (aka Paddy328) to work his magic on it. So after a couple of days it was almost defect free. Francis provided a number of photos that showed the huge improvement being made.
After the detail came the protection film. I decide to have full bonnet, the whole front section, sills, mirrors and leading edge of the rear wings done. Some aren't big fans of plastic wraps but as we'll see later it s a decision that I 'll be glad I made.
The trip down to Broughtons Cheltenham was uneventful. Daisy performed flawlessly as usual.
We arrived at the show room and I parked her among the other for sale vehicles.
There outside the showroom was my V12.. Looking mean and purposeful and gleaming like a bright new button... Any pangs of regret were soon forgotten and all I wanted to do was jump in a drive away
Unfortunately the dealer (Howard) had other ideas... Paper work, and what amounted to a safety briefing. Apparently because of the combination of massive torque and dry bias tyres they have to point out that the car can be a bit of a handful, really!!!!! LoL . I also had to sign a form to say I had been properly briefed before they'd let me drive off..
So... impressions.... The first thing you notice is how easy it is to drive compared to the V8. The clutch and gear box are so easy to use... Where with the V8 its a little like moving girders with the gear lever, the V12 is light & positive as you flick through the gears.
As you press on its the awesome V12 that demands your attention, it's like driving a spitfire.... What a sound!!!
I was expecting the handling to be good, but not that good. Despite the harder spring rates the theV12 is very light on its feet. The only thing that seemed to unsettle it where the expansion joints on motorways.
The interior is wonderful. The light weight seats are firm supportive and comfortable too. Strangely I didn't use the B&O system at all on the way home and probably won't much in the future. But watching the dash mounted 'lenses' go up and down is very cool
Leaving the dealership, was accompanied by a salute from Howard as we made our way to the petrol station, a nice touch.. Lol
After lunch with my sons we made our way uneventfully through the road works on the M5, around Birmingham and on to the A41. The temperature was dropping fast and had made it down to 5 degrees.
I couldn't resist any longer. Coming off a fast roundabout, and on to a long clear straight, I left her in 3rd and pushed the throttle firmly forward. The acceleration was phenomenal, the back end twitched just a bit to remind me how much torque was on tap. I was also acutely aware I hadn't pushed the throttle to the carpet and sport button remained deactivated. I couldn't get the grin off my face all the way home. AWSOME!!! And there's more to come
As we approached Chester the temperature dropped further still, something the local council had obviously planned for. We were about a mile away from home.... I didn't see it coming .... The first I knew about the gritting lorry was as it peppered the front of the car with salt (no pun intended).
I couldn't believe it (in my best Victor accent) .... 5 mins earlier and I'd had been home. I couldn't bare to look... So I put her in the garage and would assess the damage in the morning.
Sunday morning came and went before I was able to wash the car. To my amazement there was no damage at all. The plastic film had done its job and protected my lovely paint work.
To own and drive a car like this is a real privilege, I feel extremely lucky to have such an amazing and iconic Vehicle.
New Daisy and I are going to take our time getting acquainted, and we've got a lot of things planned already. The North Wales meet in April will be our first event, followed by the factory tour in May and Le Mans in June. Possibly Spa for the Grand Prix.
This is my fiftieth year, and I think you'll agree It's shaping up to be a good one... I'm looking forward to some amazing trips and I hope to meet a lot of you along the way
Richard
Ps photos to follow. I can't upload them using an iPad
PPS a big thank you to Howard & Broughtons Cheltenham for allowing the detailing and protective film to be done on their premises!! Great customer service!
It would be rude not to reflect upon my V8 ownership before moving on to first impressions of the V12
My 2006 V8 [MY 07] became mine in October 2008. Tungsten with kestrel interior. Don't be too quick to judge,.. I think when combined with Tungsten its a fantastic combination that really adds to the sense of occasion... I would say see it in the flesh before you judge as I've seldom seen a photo that does it justice. (don't forget the bung Howard
)Daisy had her fair share of teething troubles under my ownership which I'm sure many will be familiar with. Both door modules replaced, driving lights misaligned, thermostat issue, respray of door handles and bottom edge of doors, and the piste de resistance a new gearbox. Luckily all these items (and more) were covered by the remainder of the Aston 3 year warranty. In those early weeks and months I think the Aston of Wilmslow driver covered more miles than I did!!!
But once the niggles were sorted, what an amazing car the 4.3 turned out to be, I would recommend it to anyone.
My car history isn't particularly note worthy , 2 Porsche 928's and a 350Z being the highlights. Moving to Aston was a huge change.
One of the biggest things that I noticed , and it's often mentioned here, is the reaction of others. Aston's are treated almost like royalty, I've never seen such a positive response to a car.
My V8 ownership was amazing..... So where do you go next?? The Vantage is , to my eyes, the most beautiful car on the planet..... So the choice was actually very easy, it had to be the V12. This meant I would still own the most amazing looking car I've ever seen and I'd also fulfil a boyhood dream of owning a car with a V12 engine. A quest that started aged 13 after being taken for a ride in my uncles V12 E type.
Back to the new car ... It's been 3 weeks since I put down my deposit, this gave me time to organise the paint to be detailed. It was obvious that although the original owner had done me a great favour by not only ordering the exact spec I would have order myself and covering a large part of the initial depreciation,
it was obvious he hadn't been so kind to the paint work. So I decided ask Francis (aka Paddy328) to work his magic on it. So after a couple of days it was almost defect free. Francis provided a number of photos that showed the huge improvement being made.
After the detail came the protection film. I decide to have full bonnet, the whole front section, sills, mirrors and leading edge of the rear wings done. Some aren't big fans of plastic wraps but as we'll see later it s a decision that I 'll be glad I made.
The trip down to Broughtons Cheltenham was uneventful. Daisy performed flawlessly as usual.
We arrived at the show room and I parked her among the other for sale vehicles.
There outside the showroom was my V12.. Looking mean and purposeful and gleaming like a bright new button... Any pangs of regret were soon forgotten and all I wanted to do was jump in a drive away
Unfortunately the dealer (Howard) had other ideas... Paper work, and what amounted to a safety briefing. Apparently because of the combination of massive torque and dry bias tyres they have to point out that the car can be a bit of a handful, really!!!!!
LoL . I also had to sign a form to say I had been properly briefed before they'd let me drive off..So... impressions.... The first thing you notice is how easy it is to drive compared to the V8. The clutch and gear box are so easy to use... Where with the V8 its a little like moving girders with the gear lever, the V12 is light & positive as you flick through the gears.
As you press on its the awesome V12 that demands your attention, it's like driving a spitfire.... What a sound!!!
I was expecting the handling to be good, but not that good. Despite the harder spring rates the theV12 is very light on its feet. The only thing that seemed to unsettle it where the expansion joints on motorways.
The interior is wonderful. The light weight seats are firm supportive and comfortable too. Strangely I didn't use the B&O system at all on the way home and probably won't much in the future. But watching the dash mounted 'lenses' go up and down is very cool
Leaving the dealership, was accompanied by a salute from Howard as we made our way to the petrol station, a nice touch.. Lol
After lunch with my sons we made our way uneventfully through the road works on the M5, around Birmingham and on to the A41. The temperature was dropping fast and had made it down to 5 degrees.
I couldn't resist any longer. Coming off a fast roundabout, and on to a long clear straight, I left her in 3rd and pushed the throttle firmly forward. The acceleration was phenomenal, the back end twitched just a bit to remind me how much torque was on tap. I was also acutely aware I hadn't pushed the throttle to the carpet and sport button remained deactivated. I couldn't get the grin off my face all the way home. AWSOME!!! And there's more to come
As we approached Chester the temperature dropped further still, something the local council had obviously planned for. We were about a mile away from home.... I didn't see it coming .... The first I knew about the gritting lorry was as it peppered the front of the car with salt (no pun intended).
I couldn't believe it (in my best Victor accent) .... 5 mins earlier and I'd had been home. I couldn't bare to look... So I put her in the garage and would assess the damage in the morning.
Sunday morning came and went before I was able to wash the car. To my amazement there was no damage at all. The plastic film had done its job and protected my lovely paint work.
To own and drive a car like this is a real privilege, I feel extremely lucky to have such an amazing and iconic Vehicle.
New Daisy and I are going to take our time getting acquainted, and we've got a lot of things planned already. The North Wales meet in April will be our first event, followed by the factory tour in May and Le Mans in June. Possibly Spa for the Grand Prix.
This is my fiftieth year, and I think you'll agree It's shaping up to be a good one...
I'm looking forward to some amazing trips and I hope to meet a lot of you along the way Richard
Ps photos to follow. I can't upload them using an iPad
PPS a big thank you to Howard & Broughtons Cheltenham for allowing the detailing and protective film to be done on their premises!! Great customer service!
Edited by CatalystV12V on Monday 20th February 22:55
Sounds awesome - I would have really liked the B+O for the same reason of watching the speakers go up and down but they are a rare extra.
I have also declined the dealership Autoglym treatment and trying to get my detailer (Gurcharn @ Elite) to do a full 2 day paint correction and seal treatment before I take delivery (future buyers take note).
I have also declined the dealership Autoglym treatment and trying to get my detailer (Gurcharn @ Elite) to do a full 2 day paint correction and seal treatment before I take delivery (future buyers take note
).Nice one mate. When people see the pics, they might all run and get the front bumper painted or leave their cars in the garage until spring! Lol.
As Richard has said, I spent a couple of days making her look her best and it's easily the most defect free car they had there, no swirls etc, only a couple of deeper marks that were reduced. The paint looks like liquid and fair play to Richard, he's bought all the gear I told him to buy and it's going to stay looking that way.
Fair play to him for being able to hold out another week to get the car prepped properly and protected. Oh and yes, the tweeters that come out of the dash are cool!
Francis
As Richard has said, I spent a couple of days making her look her best and it's easily the most defect free car they had there, no swirls etc, only a couple of deeper marks that were reduced. The paint looks like liquid and fair play to Richard, he's bought all the gear I told him to buy and it's going to stay looking that way.
Fair play to him for being able to hold out another week to get the car prepped properly and protected. Oh and yes, the tweeters that come out of the dash are cool!
Francis
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