We’re all going to be sorry when Aston Martin stops making these beauties and the latest manual V12 Vantage S is just the perfect swan song for this model.
Aston Martin saved the best for last, stuffing their huge 6.0-litre V12 engine into the compact body of the Vantage, complete with 565hp and then pair it with a manual gearbox but not just any manual gearbox.
The British company converted the Sportshift III seven-speed automated unit for proper manual use, throwing an extended H-pattern with a dog-leg first gear into the mix just for good measure.
The result is the not only one of the very few analog sports cars of our era but also the world’s only manual V12-powered car in production today. No one cares if the competition is actually quicker off the line thanks to their dual-clutch gearboxes or if some of them find their way faster around a track, not even Aston Martin does.
This is it then, the last hairy-chested sports car of our time with driving fun in mind. Motor Trend celebrates this special car in the latest episode of Ignition so head over there and get ready for some serious wanting.