The V8 Vantage is now considered by many enthusiasts the pinnacle of Aston Martin’s recent super cars. Stunningly beautiful yet aerodynamically efficient, this vehicle is a master class in modern design. Its brand new 4.3 litre V8 engine makes the quintessential English supercar one of the most technically advanced two seater sports cars in the world. One of the finest attributes to this beautiful machine is the level of comfort and driving quality that is expected of Aston Martin remains true. The 400bhp engine offers terrific acceleration, such as 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 175mph, which is frighteningly fast. The modernisation from recent models is evident all over the V8 Vantage yet the stand out refinement and area of improvement has been widely recognized as the newly improved engine.

The heart of any vehicle is of course the engine and storing a V8 under the bonnet of a car that has shed a good few pounds on its predecessors means the performance and handling of the Aston Martin is raising the bar for supercars alike. The performance figures make adoring reading; the maximum torque on the car is an impressive 302 lb ft (410 Nm) at 5000 rpm, 75 per cent of which is delivered at just 1500 rpm – barely more than idle – making the V8 extremely tractable and great fun to drive. Push harder, and the V8 engine revs freely, delivering refined and exhilarating pace. The bore and stroke dimensions are optimised to ensure excellent balance between outright power and torque, while a sonance induction system improves tractability and performance. The exhaust system is highly effective with each bank of cylinders featuring a four-into-two-into-one manifold – an arrangement more commonly used on racing cars. All of these great attributes combined make one of the finest road cars found and built in Britain.

After arriving at the centre and the formalities of the paperwork, history of the car and general do's and don'ts are out of the way. You will be given the keys to your car and the road will open up in front of you as you get to grips with your supercar. On returning the car you must fill to the brim as you found it and try to wipe that enormous smile off your face.