We’re big fans of the updated Aston Martin Vantage around here. It may have an AMG-sourced V8 instead of one developed in-house, but who cares? It’s absolutely gorgeous. The part where it makes 656 horsepower and can top 200 mph isn’t bad, either. For an entry-level car, the Vantage sure doesn’t feel very entry-level. And now it’s gotten even better with the introduction of a convertible version — the 2026 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster.
When you cut the roof off a car, one of the biggest questions is how much heavier it’s going to be, and there, Aston Martin’s engineers scored a big win. The Vantage Roadster is only 132 pounds heavier than the coupe, which is surely worth the tradeoff now that you can drop the top and feel the wind in your hair. It just makes driving better.
Aside from swapping the hardtop for a soft one, there aren’t many changes compared to the coupe. You still get the same 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 under the hood making 656 hp and 590 pound-feet of torque, power still gets sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic and the top speed is still 202 mph. That said, the 0-to-60 time is ever so slightly slower, coming in at 3.5 seconds instead of 3.4. Odds are, you probably won’t notice.
One thing you probably will notice, though, is just how quickly the top folds. You can stow it in a claimed 6.8 seconds, and it operates at speeds up to 31 mph. According to Aston Martin, that makes the Vantage Roadster’s top “the fastest fully automatic deployable roof mechanism on the market today.” That’s a neat party trick. The added weight of the convertible top and increased structural rigidity didn’t ruin the car’s weight distribution, either, coming in at 49:51.
You will, however, have to pack light if you want to take a road trip in your new Vantage Roadster. The convertible top eats into cargo space, dropping the room in the trunk from 12.2 cubic feet to 7.1. Then again, sacrifices do have to be made for style.
As far as pricing goes, Aston Martin has yet to officially announce anything, but considering the hardtop Vantage costs nearly $200,000, don’t expect the convertible version to be cheap. We shouldn’t have to wait long to find out the official price, though, since Aston says deliveries should begin in the second quarter of 2025.
