Do you have a problem with the Aston Martin Vantage factory grid? Personally, I think it looks good, but apparently some Vantage owners are offended and have started to overhaul the front view of their stylish British sports cars with aftermarket alternatives.
If you happen to drive a Vantage, you can now sleep soundly, as the company has found a solution. Aston Martin announced last week that it is offering a replacement grille it calls Vane, which can be installed on existing cars at the company’s workshops. The Vane’s grill design is smoother and more traditional, with classic horizontal chrome strips and black vertical supports that contradict the cavernous, sharp mouth of the original Vantage Hunter design.
The result ends up being a cross between what Vantage originally launched and the DB11 grid. In February 2020, the automaker announced that Vane’s face would be the standard model for the Vantage Roadster, while the Coupe would continue with Hunter’s mouth inspired by Vulcan. I like the new look, although I think Aston was smart to leave it out of the Coupe and the AMR version focused on tracks, where it would be a little too soft. Aston is not listing a price for the conversion; if you have to ask, and everything.
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People will naturally compare the alternative look of the Vantage with the replacement aftermarket built by a company called Revenant. The Revenant approach – a design that uses a different bumper cover – is strange to me because it gives the car two stacked mouths of equal size. I’m not sure which to look at; I am also not sure if I should perceive the middle mouth as a nose. It confuses me and I don’t love it.
Ultimately, it is strange to see an automaker offering an alternative face for your car, even a high-end brand like Aston Martin that does so much tailor-made work for its customers. Usually, companies stick to their weapons until the end, facing growing criticism with encouraged outrage, driving a vicious spiral that gets worse with each sarcastic tweet. Aston Martin didn’t do that, though, and for that, I give props. Which grade do you prefer?