Baby Aston arrives Down Under

THE Ford-owned British sportscar-maker gave its first ridgy-didge Porsche 911 rival an Asia-Pacific debut this month with the Australian premiere of the compact V8 Vantage.

The striking two-seater coupe, which debuted globally at the Geneva motor show in March, gave Aston Martin its first appearance at Darling Harbour in more than a decade.

Priced from $236,000, the V8 Vantage will be the least expensive Aston Martin ever offered. Significantly undercutting the V12-powered Vanquish and DB9 models, the V8 Vantage is expected to open up a totally new market for the exclusive UK brand.

Powered by an all-new, front-mounted 288kW 4.3-litre quad-cam V8, the Vantage also features a glued and riveted aluminium backbone chassis clothed in an aluminium, steel and composite plastic body.

A rear transaxle gives the V8 Vantage, which features organic electro-luminescent (OEL) instruments, a 49/51 front/rear weight distribution.