As most of us know, the fastest way of getting anywhere by road is by a van, painted white, powered by diesel. It will scatter all traffic ahead of it like straw to the wind, sweeping past in a blur, its driver seemingly confident that no radar system short of something very secret and very military will ever track it. While most mere mortals are still plodding homeward, its driver will be relaxed, feet up in front of the television, tugging at the ring-pull of a can of amber nectar.
But, if anything is going to stay way ahead of any known white van it is going to be the new V12 Aston Martin Vantage.
I rate it as the best of all modern Aston Martins and it could become one of the world's greatest sports cars. Hugely powerful, it makes absolutely no pretensions to having low CO2 emissions, a frugal thirst for fuel or being the bargain of the week. It is unashamedly a glorious, totally high-spirited thoroughbred – and the most accelerative road car ever produced by Aston Martin.
Its rivals, like the super-competent Audi R8 V10, the road-dominating Ferrari F430 and the quality-led Porsche 911 GT2, are each magnificent in their own right. But, the Aston has the plus of a classic powertrain layout: front engine, rear-wheel drive and almost precisely equal front/rear weight balance of 51/49.
Its sibling, the V8 Vantage with a mere 420bhp, is also a fine car and at a glance the two look similar. But the new £135,000, V12 is far, far more than just a V8 with carbon-fibre sinews and a louvred bonnet. It has been engineered to become an almost totally different machine.
Its 6.0-litre engine is shared with the DBS and produces the same power and torque: 510bhp and 420lb ft, sufficient in raw performance terms to propel it to 62mph in 4.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 190mph.
But, the DBS already does much the same thing, you might be thinking – and the slightly less powerful DB9 is also a 190mph car. So what's the point? The point is in the driving. The V12 Vantage is a total sports car: very sharp, very firmly suspended, with super-precise steering (controlled via an Alcantara-trimmed wheel), ceramic brakes as standard, superbly comfortable lightweight seats and the most wonderfully thunderous engine and exhaust sound you could possibly wish for.
Aston Martin boss Dr Ulrich Bez reckons a driver can appreciate what the V12 Vantage has on offer within a few metres of driving it. Such apparent hyperbole is typical of car makers, only this time it's right on the button.
Driving some sports cars is a bit of a lark. Not this one. This is not a toy for boys (or girls); it is a very serious, hugely powerful, demanding, satisfying, hard machine.
It covers the ground at a truly amazing rate, devouring distances – even on curving, swooping mountain roads – to the point where you wonder if the navigation system is hopelessly miscalculating. It isn't. You just get there very quickly.
On some hairpin bends, the mid-front engine effect becomes noticeable and there is a need to wind on a lot of lock but it's not a problem, and even adds to the great character of the car. A weight-saving programme makes the car only about 50kg heavier than the V8.
Accelerating away again – particularly if the car's "sport" button is pushed to give a very rapid throttle response and even more exhaust thunder – is all highly satisfying. On dry roads it feels utterly safe; wet would probably call for some circumspection.
Minuses are few: the gearlever is too far back and the shift quality of the six-speed manual gearbox is acceptable but not brilliant; the main instruments could be clearer; rear three-quarter visibility is limited. But, most importantly, the rear-view mirror seems to have a blind spot: I didn't see a single white van.
THE FACTS
Price/availability: £135,000. On sale now
Tested: Aston Martin V12 Vantage with six-speed manual
Power/torque: 510bhp @ 6,500rpm/420lb ft @ 5,750rpm
Top speed: 190mph
Acceleration: 0-62mph in 4.2sec
Fuel economy (Urban): 11.6mpg
CO2 emissions: 388g/km
VED band: M (£405)
Alternatives: Porsche 911 GT2, from £131,070; Audi R8 V10, from £99,580; Ferrari F430, from £135,685
Verdict: big-boned sports car that says, "Drive me!"
On the stereo: Take it to the Limit by The Eagles
Telegraph rating: Five stars out out of five
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