2023 Aston Martin Vantage F1 Version

From the April 2023 issue of Car and Driver.

Much like Formula 1 racing itself, the Vantage F1 Edition is a hilly telemetry chart of thrills and disappointments. One minute you’re captivated by the vocal range of the Mercedes-sourced twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, growling and spitting through slower traffic; the next you’re rudely brought back to earth by the unavoidable rasp of the front splitter as it skims another layer of carbon fiber off its bottom on even the mildest driveway incline.

The F1 Edition celebrates Aston Martin’s 2021 return to F1 racing and gets the visual tweaks expected of a motorsports tribute, with flashy stickers and a limited color palette based on the race car’s greens, whites, and grays. Aston ups the racy looks with spiky dive planes, a conveniently table-height rear wing, and the large front splitter, all riding on 21-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero PZ4 rubber. Our test car was mercifully sticker-deleted, and the Vantage wears the rest of the aero well, making an already distinctive design even more of a head-turner. You can’t take home an Aston open-wheel racer, but the F1-badged Vantage could be yours for $171,586 (or $189,386 as tested).

Changes under the skin include a bump in power from 503 horses to 528, a reinforced structure up front, retuned dampers, and an increased rear spring rate, plus a reprogrammed electronically controlled rear differential. All of this makes for a firmer overall mattress, but you’d have to be a true princess to notice the pea of extra power and handling. The F1 is louder at full throttle and feels more planted than the tail-happy standard Vantage, yet the test numbers are so close, they’re functionally the same. The F1 Edition hits 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, clears the quarter-mile in 11.7 seconds, and promises the same 195-mph top speed. Leather inserts and contrast stitching add flash to the cozy interior. If Aston would include such niceties as Apple CarPlay and a nose lift, the F1 could better woo Porsche 911 shoppers seeking a less common ride. It looks and sounds great, but weak tech leaves the F1 Edition a lap behind.

Senior Editor, Features

Like a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver’s license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews.