ever did we imagine that
we would get a chance to
properly flog an Aston
Martin. For normal folks
like us, the brand just
seems so out of reach and
beyond what we normally
encounter every day in
the Philippines. Ferraris,
Lamborghinis, Maseratis and Porsches already have
presence here, and they command mad attention dur-
ing the odd fun run or track day. But when do you ever
encounter an Aston Martin out in the wild? Hardly. We
do know one fellow who has a red Vantage hidden away
in his private garage. That’s about it.
So, if you are talking about exclusivity and rarity,
Aston Martin is what automotive wet dreams are
made of. But now we can wake up—kind of. The Aston
Martin Manila showroom will be opening its doors
real soon, and Top Gear commemorates this occasion
by having the best seats in the house—a preview drive
behind the steering wheels of the Vanquish flagship
grand tourer and the four-door Rapide S.
Our chaperone, lovely Aston Martin Manila
marketing manager Karl Castillo, tells us that Taiwan
is one of the strongest markets of the luxury brand in
this part of the world, and that makes it the ideal desti-
nation for our cover shoot. Just a 20 -minute drive from
the Taipei city center is Five Finger Mountain, the
go-to route where owners of exotics enjoy their cars on
the weekends. We can tell why it is a popular place, and
we are lucky to be out here on a Wednesday.
The weather is perfect, and the smooth, cambered
asphalt is deserted save for a few cyclists who are
tough enough to brave the unrelenting climb and the
tight switchbacks. We feel right at home but have no
ASTON MARTIN MANIlA
time to think about the very fortunate circumstances
that landed us this once-in-a-lifetime gig.
Aston Martin Taipei sales agent Alex, who is our
cool-as-ice co-driver, seems to trust us. He answers
each of our questions about the Vanquish as we pootle
along at a snail’s pace. Then we just come out with it
and voice our main concerns: Can we go a little faster?
Can we brake harder to really get a feel for the carbon-
ceramic rotors? Can we take the V 12 to 8,000rpm? The
answer to all our questions: a resounding yes!
Forget being shy. We immediately put the hammer
down and feel the surge of the Vanquish’s 5.9-liter V 12
motor at full tilt. The sensation of speed is amazing,
and the car just rips up the asphalt. Zero to 100 kph
happens in under 4 sec, and yet everything is so smooth
and refined. It is nothing at all what I expected. The
quick-shifting transmission doesn’t lurch at all, even
at slow speeds. Amazing stuff, especially with these
supercar-performance figures. There’s 568 hp on tap
and 630 Nm of torque. Insane numbers, and yet the mad
dash to ridiculous speeds happens in a non-brutal man-
ner. The Vanquish is the definition of sophistication and
elegance. It’s so powerful yet so smooth.
Technically speaking, the Vanquish was built to be
the ultimate grand tourer. The smaller Vantage, which
we unfortunately won’t get to drive, is more of the
sports car. But then, we could have easily been fooled.
At first, the tight roads of Five Finger Mountain might
seem to not have enough room to let the V 12 loose, but
we are mistaken. The weight distribution of the Van-
quish is excellent, thanks to the eight-speed automatic
transaxle mounted at the rear.
And the sensation of nimbleness and lightness
is unmatched—thanks to the all-aluminum chassis
and the all-carbon-fiber skin. That’s right, every body
panel is sculpted out of carbon fiber. This is the kind of
cutting-edge technology you’re paying for.
N
This glass key costs as
much as a secondhand
car in the PhilippinesTaipei is a huge market
for supercars. It’s a very
fascinating destination
WWW.topgear.com.ph TOP GEAR PHIlIPPINES 65