Aston Martin V12 Vantage S review: the last of the truly raw manual-era Astons
4/5motorssouq Editorial Team
Buy it if you want the most extreme, least filtered driving experience Aston Martin built in this era, and specifically seek out a 7-speed manual example if you can find one — they are rarer than the Sportshift automated-manual and significantly more engaging. This is not a comfortable daily car in Bahrain's heat and traffic, and it was never meant to be.
Pros
- 6.0-litre V12 with 565 hp in the smallest, lightest Aston body of the era
- 2014-onward manual gearbox is one of the last true manual Aston Martins built
- Adaptive damping, limited-slip differential and quicker steering fix the original V12 Vantage's rough edges
- One of the most engaging, least electronically filtered driving experiences Aston has offered
Cons
- Firm suspension and loud exhaust make it tiring rather than relaxing in daily Manama traffic
- Manual gearbox examples are considerably rarer than the Sportshift automated-manual
- Front-heavy V12-in-a-small-car weight distribution demands real driver respect
- No local factory support; specialist servicing and imported parts are the only option
The regular V8 Vantage was already a good sports car; Aston Martin's engineers decided the correct response was to fit it with the 6.0-litre V12 originally developed for the DBS and Vanquish, adding a reported 100 kg over the nose in the process. The first V12 Vantage (2009) was a genuinely challenging car to drive quickly as a result — enormously fast but demanding real respect for that weight distribution.
The 2013 S update sharpened everything: 565 hp, up from 510, along with a new adaptive damping system, a limited-slip differential and a faster, more direct steering rack that made the extra weight far easier to manage. The result is, by common consensus among people who have driven both generations back to back, simply the better car.
Manual or Sportshift
Aston Martin offered the V12 Vantage S with either a 7-speed automated-manual Sportshift III gearbox — the default and far more common configuration — or, from 2014, a genuine 7-speed manual with a proper clutch pedal. The manual is by far the more engaging car and the one enthusiasts specifically hunt for; it is also considerably rarer on the used market, in the Gulf and everywhere else.
The Bahrain reality
This is an unapologetically hardcore car for daily Bahrain conditions: firm suspension, a loud exhaust even in its quietest setting, and a driving position and visibility that make Manama's dense traffic genuinely tiring rather than relaxing. It rewards a weekend drive on an open road far more than a commute. As with every V12-era Aston here, budget for specialist servicing, no local factory support, and parts that will come from outside the Gulf.