Aston Martin's Vantage

Merely glance at the sinewy bodyshaping and drool begins to form at the corners of your mouth. From the wide shoulders, hunkered-down stance, and aggressive-looking underbody tray to the graceful greenhouse arc and deft integration of the traditional Aston grille opening, this is one gorgeous machine. Under the skin, it gets even better. The list of mouthwatering technical features includes a 6.0-liter/450-horsepower V-12, F1 type paddle-shifted six-speed gearbox, electro-hydraulic active roll control for the suspension, massive 15-inch-diameter front disc brakes with six piston calipers, carbon-fiber and aluminum honeycomb composite construction, and fat, 19-inch-diameter steamroller tires. According to Aston's designers, the Vantage should be capable of 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds and a top speed of just over 200 mph.

It's precisely the sort of powerful, sexy, super-expensive GT coupe that makes being rich so worthwhile.

And it's exactly what the tiny British craftsworks company in Newport Pagnell needs.

A year ago, this luscious emerald-green Aston Martin Project Vantage was just a dream, and a sketchy one, at that. At the time, Chairman Bob Dover and cohorts wanted to build a showstopper of a concept vehicle to debut at the Detroit and Geneva auto shows-the two most important showcase venues in the car biz. Currently, Aston is a one-model car company in North America, with the DB7 accounting for 100 percent of sales-a whopping 250 cars per year. Aston's worldwide reach is only marginally broader, with a scant 700 cars (DB7s and twin turbocharged Virage Volantes) generating income to pay all the company's bills.

Well, that's only partially true. Thanks to the generosity (actually, deft marketing sense) of parent Ford Motor Company, the cottage car crafter has found a benevolent godfather. But it's a symbiotic relationship. Ford cracks open the greenback pipeline from time to time, helping Aston keep the doors open and develop new products (like this machine), but it knows not to mess with Aston's magical formula. The two companies trade technical knowledge, engineers, designers, and executives, but Aston Martin mostly is left alone to do what it does best: create heart-stopping-performing, drop-dead-gorgeous sport machines with a luxury bent.

That said, Bob Dover cautioned us that, for now, the Vantage "is still just a concept." However, he slyly adds, "this car would probably double Aston sales." Hmmmm. Designed by Scotsman Ian Callum (who also penned the DB7's classic shape), the Vantage's body shape was created in the amazing time frame of six weeks; the entire car, from concept to completion, took only six months. And it's proved a veritable mogul magnet everywhere it's been shown.

"Aston owners like the exterior, but feel the interior needs 'softening,'" Callum tells us. No wonder there, as it's chock full of artistically-interesting-but-not-very-liveable shapes and materials such as giant swords of brushed aluminum that bisect the instrument panel and form the center console, creating intense glare on the inside of the windshield in the process. Additionally, the racing harnesses and bright red starter pushbutton would probably not make it in the real world either.

But look past the show car gewgaws, and you'll discover what an incredible "real car" this could be. Unlike other Astons, it's only a two-seater, a purposeful high-speed luxury GT machine akin to Ferrari's V-12-powered 456GT, but with a bit of a different purpose. "People don't really cross-shop between a DB7 and a Ferrari 456GT," reveals Andy Watt, vice president and general manager, Aston Martin North America. "The 456GT is a four-seat car, and four-seat Ferraris never sell well. The Vantage is a two-seater, like the Volante, a handbuilt, muscular car with more power than you can use in 99.9 percent of situations-a perfect big 'V' car."