Happy new year: it’s the 656bhp Aston Martin Vantage Roadster

This is the new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster, and in news that’ll surprise, it is the roadster version of the new Aston Martin Vantage. Which means it’s a 656bhp, 202mph two-seat British supercar that’ll crack through to 62mph in just 3.6s.

Though, that’s not really the metric you’ll be interested in for a car such as this. Of far greater importance is how quickly it’ll go from 0 to top-down-rain-drenched-splendour. Aston claims it’ll open or close its roof in just 6.8s, which is lightning quick. Perfect for the entirely unpredictable British climate.

This ‘z-fold’ roof – which Aston reckons is both lighter and faster than a traditional ‘k-fold’ roof and does without a tonneau cover – gets eight layers of insulation to ensure that roof up, it’s no louder inside than the Vantage Coupe.

Speaking of which, the obligatory reinforcement required to prevent it wobbling its way to the bottom of your shopping list has only added 60kg: Aston cites modifying the rear of the car and adding “weight-optimised” shear panels to stiffen it up relative to the Coupe. All in, the Vantage Roadster clocks in at 1,665kg (dry).

Both cars were apparently designed in tandem rather than Coupe-first-then-chop-the-roof-and-hope-for-the-best. Which means the Roadster shares pretty much everything (bar the roof and those strengthening panels) with its sibling.

The bombastic biturbo 4.0-litre V8 still makes more than enough power and torque (590lb ft), there’s the same electronic architecture keeping it pointing the right way (and maybe the wrong way if you like), the eight-speed ‘box is the same, the brakes are carbon ceramic and mighty, and it wears the same interior.

The rear Bilstein adaptive dampers get a bespoke tune, mind, ditto the gearbox mountings, and naturally there’s now a new rollover system. Aston reckons it’s still got “outrageous dynamic capabilities”. Can’t wait to find out.

We did find the Vantage Coupe to be “precise, exciting and special even when you’re just dawdling along”, and what better way to dawdle along than in one of these. It looks fairly spectacular, is available with a vast array of paint and trim options and can be crafted further still by the Q division.

This 656bhp, 202mph roadster version of the Vantage Coupe is scheduled to be delivered later this year.