Saturday, May 7, Aston Martin of Tysons Corner invited some of its loyal customers to test drive two of their newest sportscars - the Virage and V8 Vantage S. As expected, both vehicles are incredibly beautiful and well tailored. Aston Martins are built from start to finish by human hands in Gaydon, England and the level of detail shows in these new coupes and convertibles.
Aston Martin's Operations manager over the East Coast, Beth Paretta, invited me to visit the dealership, see the cars, and meet some of the key staff like sales manager Pieter Bastiaans. I covered the day from a personal perspective on my automotive blog, Be Car Chic. While there, I had the opportunity to drive the V8 Vantage S convertible. Despite the whacky traffic patterns in Tysons Corner (due to the DC Metro expansion project), the sportscar's sprightly demeanor shined through. With the top down and my hair tossing in the wind, the Vantage S certainly appealed to my emotional side. It was fun and fast.
Upon returning to the dealership, we popped the hood and I saw the 4.7 liter V8, which was perfectly balanced within the engine compartment. With 430 bhp and 361 lb ft of torque, I understood why it was so much fun to press the petal down and change gears via its "Sportshift II" seven-speed automated manual transmission (or what auto folk commonly refer to as paddle shifters). Many Aston Martins come stocked with a powerful V8, which are specially tuned to have more horsepower depending on the level of the vehicle model. I was glad to learn that the British automaker demands all of its vehicles be naturally aspirating.
The other star of the show was the all-new Virage - a coupe and convertible set that comes with a 5.9 liter V12 engine, 490 bhp and 420 lb ft of torque. All of this is probably a bit much for the average driver (and maybe even for me), but nice to look at if I could not get behind the wheel. Click here for a slideshow of all the photos from the event.
Overall, the day was filled with current customers (and yours truly) visiting the store for a little while and leaving with an ear-to-ear smile only a lap in a beautifully hand-crafted Aston Martin can put on your face.
In the market for an Aston Martin? Then, the visit the dealership in Tysons Corner at 8601 Westwood Center Drive, Vienna, Va. 22182. You may also visit their website to learn more.
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