There’s nothing quite like the guttural growl of a V8 at full song, especially in a modern Aston Martin. Even the British marque’s baby Vantage sportster gets the spine tingling when your right foot goes deep into it. Last year, Aston Martin made the hardtop even better with a bunch of appearance and cabin improvements, and of course updated 656 horsepower 4.0-liter V8. Well, the same treatment is now being bestowed onto the 2026 Vantage Roadster open-top. Just be ready to pay a hefty premium over the the 2023 version.
Aston Martin has announced that the 2026 Vantage Roadster is, like the 2025 Vantage Coupe before it, getting a 128 hp increase, pumping the AMG-sourced bi-turbo 4.0-liter V8 to 656 horses and 590 lb-ft of torque sent through an eight-speeder then to the ground via the rear wheels. Aston claims zero to 60 mph charge in 3.5 seconds, topping out at 202 mph, which is impressive for the baby in the lineup. The power increase comes thanks to larger turbos and different camshaft profiles.
The new Roadster also sees the use of a “Z-fold” roof, which is claimed to be faster than before—it can lower/raise in 6.8 seconds at up to 31 mph. The roof lining has eight levels of insulation that Aston says brings interior noise levels similar to the Coupe. Despite all of these additions, the roof mechanism is that it only adds 132 lbs over the Coupe. The Roadster and the Coupe were developed together after all, so Aston Martin ensured that chopping off the metal roof wouldn’t compromise structural stiffness much, especially once it increased lateral rigidity in the aluminum structure in rear of the car.
Nonetheless, the small weight increase necessitated the installation of revised gearbox mountings and Bilstein DTX adaptive dampers in the rear. The double-wishbone front and multilink axle rear suspension remain largely the same as the Coupe. Likewise, braking hardware consists of 16.1-inch carbon ceramics with six-pot calipers. These sit within 21-inch wheels that sport Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 tires.
Aston hasn’t announced the pricing of the Vantage Roadster just yet, which is expected to start deliveries in Q2. Based on how the Coupe’s price jumped almost $50K over the 2023 model, one should expect the same for the Roadster. Customers will get three new colors to choose from, however: Iridescent Sapphire, Satin Iridescent Sapphire, and Bronze Flare, and utilize Aston Martin’s Q customization service to personalize their vehicle even further.