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The last gunfighter | 2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S First Drive

Here's a deliciously subversive thought for you: Stats are ruining enthusiast cars. We use them to rank the latest models, critique them, and deify them. Sometimes the numbers happen to align with a bunch of intangibles, and the car becomes transcendent – like the Ferrari 458 Speciale, a very special thing indeed. There are cars with great numbers and very little charisma; I've driven many of them. And then, there are the number-based narratives that mislead us. For example, the hoopla around the Mazda MX-5's horsepower, or the continuing lack of a Toyobaru with a turbo – frustrating crosstalk about purist platforms better understood on track than on paper. The 2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S is flawed, old, and weak – so say the insidious numbers. A mechanical watch doesn't keep time as well as a quartz one, the numbers say. A tube amplifier produces an inferior sound, the numbers say. The way to fight back is to stop this slavish devotion to the stats and go wind the thing out on good roads in imperfect conditions, which is to my mind the ultimate test of a grand tourer's competence. Southern California was rocked this winter by wild weather – much of the Angeles Crest Highway that dances along the spine of the San Gabriel Mountains was closed due to heavy snow. So much for Plan A. Some roadside rerouting led to some promising roads, so I pointed the Aston into the curves. The V12 roar is a profound part of this car's appeal. Uphill and building steam, the Vantage is a symphony's brass section playing the sounds of wolves on the hunt. Downshifts yowl and snarl like a pack crashing through the underbrush in search of prey. Under deceleration, it sounds like lupine static, unearthly and resonant; wound out it's a frenzied whir. Every stab of throttle brings an immediate response: sound and acceleration in equal measure. If you have even the barest appreciation of joy, you can't stay out of the throttle. This is soulful, warm, analog – but merely honest rather than consciously retro. There's nothing here trying to simulate an authentic experience – it is an authentic experience. It's all right there, under the long and delicate hood – twelve cylinders displacing 5.9 liters. And inside the cabin, a seven-speed manual gearshift lever that moves through a dogleg pattern. This watch requires winding; it's a tactile experience that the quickest, most sophisticated dual-clutch automated manual can't touch.

The Aston Martin Vulcan is bound for the Big Apple

Following its global debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Aston Martin has announced that the Vulcan, its 800-horsepower track monster, will make its US debut at next week's New York Auto Show. According to Aston Martin, the Vulcan will lead what is for the brand, a huge display of seven cars, including the Vanquish Carbon Black, Vantage GT Roadster, Rapide S and DB9. "We are enormously encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive reaction we have received from customers and sports car fans around the world in response to the Aston Martin Vulcan," Aston boss Andy Palmer said in the attached statement. "I'm delighted that after a debut in Geneva we are able to bring the car to our North American audience, underlining the importance of this market to our business and its role in delivering our Second Century business plan." Be sure to check back next week for our exhaustive coverage from NYC. Until then, scroll down for the official press release from Aston Martin, and check out our full coverage of the Vulcan's original debut in Geneva. NEW ASTON MARTIN VULCAN SET FOR NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT IN NEW YORK • North American reveal at NYIAS for limited edition, track-only, 7.0-litre V12 supercar • The Aston Martin Vulcan fronts new seven-car Aston Martin display in New York 26 March, 2015, Irvine CA – Aston Martin's most intense and exhilarating creation to date will make its first appearance in North America at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) next month. The Aston Martin Vulcan – a track only supercar producing some 800-plus bhp – joins the British luxury sports car maker's presence at NYIAS fresh from a global reveal at the Geneva International Motor Show earlier in March. Fronting a new seven-car display led by CEO Dr Andy Palmer, the Aston Martin Vulcan will be joined by examples from the current Aston Martin product range in North America including the new Vanquish Carbon, Rapide S, DB9, V12 Vantage S and the V8 Vantage GT Roadster. CEO, Dr Andy Palmer commented: "We are enormously encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive reaction we have received from customers and sports car fans around the world in response to the Aston Martin Vulcan.

Aston Martin deal with Red Bull means F1 tech for Vanquish

Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing made no secret that their AM-RB 001 hypercar (rendering above) would use Formula One tech, but the cutting-edge motorsports knowledge will also trickle down to more accessible Aston Martin vehicles. "Some of the technologies we are developing with Red Bull Technologies and Adrian [Newey] will undoubtedly flow through to the next Vanquish," Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told Drive. He thinks the model's price is high enough to allow the use of F1 tech. "I am particularly interested in structural carbon fiber and KERS type technology that you could easily see working in that car," said Palmer. The AM-RB 001 is due for 2018, and the new Vanquish would come afterward. Aston Martin and Red Bull hope their hypercar project sets benchmarks in the class. "The McLaren F1 is the perfect analogy of what we're trying to do - bring Formula One to the road in a genuine and authentic manner," Palmer told Drive. He claims that simulations already show the AM-RB 001 could lap Silverstone quicker than an F1 car. For context, the slowest qualifying time in the British Grand Prix last year was a 1:39.377 lap around the nearly 3.7 mile track. With projects like the hypercar, the next Vanquish, and the latest DB11, Aston Martin has a busy launch calendar over the next few years. A next-gen Vantage is in the company's plans, and there's the DBX crossover, too. The British sports car maker also wants to do two limited-edition models a year, like the Vantage GT12 and Vulcan in 2015. The vehicles for 2016 and 2017 are still mysteries, but 2018 would bring the electric Rapide and the AM-RB 001, according to Palmer. When combined with Mercedes powertrains and technology in future models, the company hopes to appeal to more customers. Related Video: