The performance will be exciting, to say the least. The 4.0-litre, twin-turbo AMG V8 engine produces 510PS (503bhp) at 6,000rpm and 625Nm (462lb ft) of torque from 2,000-5,000rpm. 0-62mph will take 4.0 seconds, just 0.4 seconds more than the automatic Vantage, and the top speed will remain the same at 195mph. Removal of the eight-speed ZF ‘box has meant a 95kg weight reduction, too.
What else does the Vantage AMR offer? Aside from a stonking, shouty V8 soundtrack, the manual ‘box is linked up to a system called AMSHIFT which will mimic heel-and-toe downshifts and allow you to make up-shifts without lifting off the throttle. If you want to remain a heel-and-toe hero, however, you can turn the system off. You also get a specially tuned limited-slip differential, carbon ceramic brakes as standard and adaptive dampers.
Why are we only getting a manual Vantage now, when Aston Martin’s CEO Andy Palmer is a self-confessed manual fan and the old V8 Vantage was launched with a manual? Quite simply, the AMG lump up front was never designed to work with a manual ‘box. Truth be told it wasn’t designed to work with the standard Vantage’s eight-speed ZF, either, as the engine has been used in cars like the Mercedes AMG GT and paired with a seven-speed double-clutch automatic.