At the 2006 Paris Motor Show Aston Martin debuts a new automated manual transmission option for the V8 Vantage – Sportshift.
Sportshift adds electro-hydraulic control to the existing Vantage
6-speed manual gearbox to offer improved shift times and replaces the
conventional manual gear lever with push button controls on the centre
console to select ‘Auto Drive’, ‘Reverse’ or ‘Neutral’.
Manual gear changes are selected in Paddle Shift Mode – the new
ultra-quick system provides the driver with heightened precision via
fingertip control of gear changes using paddles, forged from
lightweight magnesium, located directly behind the steering wheel to
progress smoothly and swiftly through the ratios.
Aston Martin Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez
said: “Sportshift offers a truly engaging and rewarding driving
experience giving an even greater performance feel. It is the sporting
choice which we have developed to perfectly suit the inherent
characteristics of the Vantage.”
Sportshift offers gear changes up to three times faster than the manual
transmission already available, with the driving enthusiast able to
access precision gearshifts in less than 200 ms. To adapt to all driving conditions, an additional ‘Comfort’
mode offering a more relaxed gear change is also available, which is
selected via a single button on the centre console.
Honed at a range of testing locations including Nardo in Italy and the
Nϋrburgring in Germany, Sportshift is the result of 18 months of
intense development. “Driving enjoyment is paramount to the qualities
of the Vantage and crucial to this is a superb gear change action.
Sportshift offers accessible performance and even greater driver
engagement, increasing driver focus and allowing achievement of a
faster gear change without having to remove a hand from the wheel,”
says Chief Programme Engineer, Dave King.
