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Top Gear
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Battle of the Super Cabrios: Aston Martin Vantage Roadster vs Ferrari Roma Spider
Big Reads Got £200k spare and fancy yourself a new summer toy? Aston Vantage takes on Ferrari Roma in the battle of the drop-tops Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading The Yorkshire Dales. The sun's out. The roads twist and flow. The Ribblehead viaduct was just back there, now we're getting stone barns and gambolling lambs. Spring is in the air, roofs are down, warm air buffets the cockpits and all seems right with the world. If you were pottering along here in an MX-5 you'd be pretty certain life didn't get much better. And you'd be right. An MX-5 would blend in better, tread more lightly, be more lamb-like than either the Vantage Roadster or Roma Spider. You could save yourself a fortune, and that would be a very Yorkshire thing to do. They don't really go in for a Prancing Horse up here. Earlier, driving through Hawes, I was feeling a little exposed. Rightly, since the word I caught on the breeze from a pedestrian was 'topspot'. Or something like that. The Aston, subtler in Californian Sage (unless they knew it was called that) was greeted much more warmly. It's clearly a more Yorkshire car. Advertisement - Page continues below But these are the cream of the £200k roadster crop. They're more glamorous than a 911 Cabriolet, more honed than a Continental GTC and less tryhard than something mid-engined. The drop-top Vantage is brand new. A follow up to last year's superb coupe, it carries over all the thunderous goodness of that twin turbo V8, trading a little chassis stiffness and hatchback versatility for a soft-top that drops in only 6.8secs. Photography: Alex Tapley You might like The Ferrari requires twice as long – 13.5secs – to disassemble itself, but allows that to happen at up to 37, rather than 31mph. The Roma Spider has been around for a few years now, partnering a coupe version that we've previously found a little overcaffeinated. It replaces the folding hard-top Portofino and appears to take a step backwards by using a soft-top. Swings and roundabouts. It's a little darker inside, with a slightly smaller back window, but it stows away tightly enough to leave a 255 litre boot. Which is entirely inaccessible unless you're on your knees. But at least it tucks the roof away beneath a lid. The Vantage just plonks it back, leaving all sorts of unsightly gaps and holes around the edges. And raised it looks like a turret, where the Ferrari's roof is sleek and integrated. Advertisement - Page continues below What a corking looking pair they are, though. I mean seriously, do cars get more emotive than this? The Ferrari has an edge of controversy. From some angles it's sublime, from others the front arch is too tall, the rear deck too high. You can see why they had to do that, trying to package in rear seats, but why bother? They're fantastically compromised. Skip 7 photos in the image carousel and continue reading As with the hard-top Vantage, the Roadster is a strict two seater. The coupe has a big boot that's open through into the cabin, here the cockpit is tighter, more enclosed. But also more welcoming than the Ferrari's. The Roma's high sides and upright console push back towards you, as if you've got T-Rex arms and everything is jostling for attention. Attention it doesn't deserve given the state of the steering wheel's haptic controls. How much longer have we got to put up with this, Ferrari? How can a firm that came up with something as brilliantly simple and logical (and widely copied) as the manettino think this is acceptable? Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. Yes, there's a central touchscreen and that's fine (unless you're viewing in direct sunlight), yet the Aston is easier to operate on the move and, where the Ferrari's cockpit is constantly reminding you of how sporty it is, the Aston asks less of you. Want to just kick back and burble about? It's there for you. The Ferrari pesters you. Its seats are firmer, the steering sharper, the engine note is higher, the responses quicker. Don't get us wrong, it will pootle, but it's a slightly busier, more highly strung car. This all stems back to the engine, a flat plane crank V8 that sounds more nasally than the Aston's cross plane motor. Otherwise both have similar genetics: twin turbos, capacity of about four litres, over 600bhp and oodles of torque. We used to celebrate this Ferrari motor for its astonishing lag free response. Time's moved on. Yes, the Ferrari cleverly manages torque, so each gear gets more than the one before, but the Aston doesn't bother with such intricate niceties, it just opens the floodgates. Aston has realised a powerful truth recently. Too much is very amusing. And 590lb ft at 2,750rpm is way too much. Hilariously too much. You just leave it in fourth and dip into the torque when the mood takes you. Which is often because the rumbling V8 sounds so good and the rear squats and wriggles so enticingly. There's no doubt the Ferrari is more sophisticated and more thoroughly engineered. The torque management is exceptional, the twin clutch gearbox is crisp and precise, its throttle is more accurate, the traction control more subtle – the whole way along the powertrain, from combusting fuel at one end to smearing rubber on road at the other, the Ferrari is intellectually superior. But Aston make good noise, go fast, beat chest, ug, ug, ug. It's a more primal experience. You'd be forgiven for now imagining the Vantage Roadster is a car with looks to die for and appalling manners. That's not quite it. Look past the elegance of those lines and spot the more brutish proportions – the short wheelbase, the wide stance. It sits on the road like a boxer. And moves like one too. Loves a hook into corners, a jab out the other side, a punch up the straights. The Ferrari is more martial arts. Think balance and harmony, a sense of precision and flow. I haven't come across many roads that buck and weave, toss and turn as much as the road over Whipperdale Bank. In many ways this is the perfect testing ground for a convertible, because the chassis is in a constant state of flex. Aston has reinforced the Vantage's aluminium chassis with extra shear panels, changes to the way it connects with the body, recalibrated rear dampers and retuned gearbox mounts. Although Ferrari is a little coy about exactly what's been done, it does admit the whole sill is new, the pillars and windscreen surround strengthened. All told it comes in at 84kg heavier than the coupe, the Aston's up 60kg. Skip 8 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Across this moorland road the Aston loses its composure first. It wants to get its teeth into a road, but can't cling on to itself as well as the coupe when it does. It doesn't do anything alarming, but its movements become a little vague and your confidence ebbs a bit. Ramping up the modes helps. In Sport Plus the ride doesn't deteriorate much, but body control is significantly tauter, the slack and delay curtailed. The Ferrari is more together, the chassis resisting flex better, the steering retaining its precision. If you want to drive hard on tricky roads, have the Ferrari. In less trying conditions the Aston is, narrowly, the top choice. Neither is a super silent cruiser with the roof up – background hum and buzz penetrates both the Roma's five layer lid and the Vantage's eight (presumably thinner) layers. But on top of that the Aston's ride is always a little busier, has more unwanted movement in it – it's only when the dampers are pressurised in corners that the Vantage genuinely settles. Its manners, however, are generally calmer. The Ferrari is constantly reminding you it's a Ferrari, the Aston is better at switching off and just cruising. If you want to rumble satisfyingly across the Dales, it's there for you. The Ferrari doesn't settle down and allow distance to slip by as easily, but this is a notably calmer car to drive than the Roma coupe – Ferrari says it was intentional for the Spider to be a mite softer. And it does have a very neat trick. Roof down I thought that the Aston had easily the less turbulent cockpit, as I assumed the Roma's flip up tray that forms the rear seat backrest and springs up through 90° to create a flat deck would do nothing. Emphatically wrong. It actually turns out that this might be the best bit of work that Ferrari's aerodynamicists have ever done. The Ferrari feels the better built, more thoroughly engineered car. But then so it should for a list price some £35,000 above the Aston's. And that's before options, where this car is bejeweled to the tune of £113,000. Like the multilayer Rosso Portofino paint? Us too, but not for £23,976. The pop up spoiler on the back deck looks daft as it is without paying £3,919 to have it in carbon fibre. The costs are bananas: £3,214 for a front radar, £3,695 for the (admittedly excellent) Magneride dampers, £4,142 for the tinny 'premium' hi-fi. The Ferrari is the hardcore driver's choice, but is that what you want from a super roadster? All told this Aston is £241,000, although we do think the £10k carbon ceramics should be standard and the £15k for this Q Provenance paint looks suspiciously like Aston is learning bad habits. But overall it seems to offer significantly better value. On residuals, nearly new Roma Spiders with a few hundred miles are listing at around £220k – they're losing whatever options value they're carrying almost immediately. Year old Vantage coupes (the roadster is too new to feature) are also being listed at around their pre-options new price. On balance the Aston is probably doing a bit better, but either way you are going to be losing tens of thousands of pounds in the first year. That Vantage coupe we rate as a 9/10 car – we love it. The hard-top Roma is a 7/10. The soft-top Ferrari is a better car than its coupe cousin, while Aston's latest roadster isn't quite as complete and well rounded as the coupe version. Which all makes this test a close run thing. We're giving victory – as we did late last year when the Vanquish beat the 12Cilindri – to the Aston Martin, and for similar reasons. The Ferrari is the hardcore driver's choice, but is that what you want from a super roadster? More likely you just want a good time, and the Aston delivers that better. We could point to value or cabin ergonomics as reasons for the win, but as much as anything it comes down to charisma and that thumping, thunderous engine.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Dining across the divide: ‘A 31-month sentence for the Tory councillor's wife seems a bit harsh'
Occupation Electrician Voting record Labour for many years. He didn't vote for Brexit, but voted Conservative in 2019 to 'just get it done and let all the crap happen'. He has voted Green because of climate change, and most recently for Reform Amuse bouche His hobby is paragliding. A few hours before meeting Oliver he was flying over the Yorkshire Dales Occupation English-language examiner and Labour councillor Voting record Labour Amuse bouche He was hit by lightning when he was a toddler, indoors, standing by a metal sink. Unsurprisingly, he doesn't remember it Andrew It was nerve-racking, like a blind date. You don't want to appear to be the arsehole, but you do want to get your point across. I had two veggie bao buns to start, and a tomato linguine. We shared a fruity bottle of white wine, and had coffee afterwards. Oliver I arrived feeling curious. I had a bread and olives platter and a poke salad, and we had a potato rosti on the side. A carb overload! Andrew Our disagreement on immigration concerned the small boats. We agreed that one of the drivers of immigration is the need for low-paid workers to do jobs that people don't want to do. You can pay £2,000 a week for dementia care, and yet the person looking after the patient is paid the minimum wage. It's easier for corporations to lobby for higher levels of immigration than pay a fair wage. Oliver People can feel undercut if unscrupulous employers basically use people as cheap labour. Andrew wasn't blaming individuals. He could see why people would do it. But, equally, I can absolutely see why somebody who's working in a lower-paid job or who's got a particular trade can feel undercut. Andrew My point was: why don't people use the legal routes? I didn't realise that, even when someone does apply through a legal asylum process, it can take five years to get settled in the new country. Some of the situations people are in mean they're going to be dead in about a year. So I don't blame them for coming over that way. I'd do the same. Oliver Immigration and refugee protection systems, nationally and internationally, are struggling to keep up with criminal gangs, which have identified a clear demand and make vast amounts of money. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Andrew I have concerns about the treatment of women and gay people in Muslim-majority countries – it's completely out of kilter with how we do it. Before meeting Oliver, I assumed that if you're found out to be gay in Saudi, you die. Oliver I think Andrew would want to see more Muslim figures publicly stating their support for LGBTQ+ rights. As a gay man who has worked for five years in Saudi Arabia and for three years in Kurdistan, Iraq, I feel that it's more nuanced. It depends on the particular community – there's no such thing as one Muslim ideology, just as there's no such thing as one Christian ideology. Oliver We talked about Lucy Connolly, the Tory councillor's wife who was jailed for calling for asylum seekers' hotels to be set on fire after the Southport killings. What she wrote was horrific, and caused real terror to people inside hotels, who had already had pretty traumatic experiences. There should be consequences for things that people post online, if it incites harm or hatred against people. Andrew A sentence of 31 months seems a bit harsh. I'm not saying she's innocent; she deleted her tweet after four hours and it had a quarter of a million views. But they've not left themselves any wiggle room. Kneecap allegedly said 'Kill your local MP' during a show, and MPs have been killed in the past – they didn't face charges, but should they then have been given 31 months? Andrew The biggest thing I'll take away is that the legal route to claim asylum doesn't work. I hadn't appreciated how long it takes and how difficult it is. Oliver It's really important to have respectful conversations with people with different perspectives – and to listen to the emotion and the experience behind their opinions, not simply jump to a conclusion about what kind of person holds it. Additional reporting: Kitty Drake Andrew and Oliver ate at The Lock Kitchen, Bar and Terrace in Leeds Want to meet someone from across the divide? Find out how to take part
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
RAY MASSEY: New Aston Martin would leave Bond shaken and stirred!
The suntan I earned should tell you everything. Spent mainly in glorious sunshine with the roof down, my day behind the wheel of Aston Martin's new open-top Vanquish Volante was both exhilarating and exciting. Hailed by Aston Martin as the jewel in its crown, the two-door, two-seater drop-top sportscar is supposedly 'the fastest, most powerful open-top series production Aston Martin to date', and 'the world's fastest, most powerful front-engined convertible' on sale today. But does it live up to the billing? To find out, I drove it through some of Britain's most beautiful scenery – the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire moors. This is Herriot Country, after the vet James Herriot of All Creatures Great And Small fame. Fitting, really: the new Volante is one big beast that deserves respect. Push that accelerator hard, and the power – fed from the vast engine to the rear wheels via an eight-speed gearbox – is truly awesome. Propelled by an 835hp, twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 engine, the new Volante accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.4 seconds, up to a top speed of 214 mph. That's just 0.1 seconds slower than its hard-top coupé sibling, developed alongside the cabriolet and launched last autumn. The standard GT grand tourer cruising mode offers effortlessly long-legged performance, but I quickly graduated to the more responsive Sport mode as my default setting – rationing the dynamic Sport+ mode for those moments of really letting rip. But while the rip-roaring blast gives an instant thrill, it also tires you out. Despite its power, the Volante entices you to sit back and take in your surroundings – especially on the winding roads of this region. First convertible deliveries will start in the autumn, with prices from £361,000 – a £27,000 uplift on the hard-top. The car I drove cost nearer £400,000 due to extras including dark Chimera Blue metallic paint, and orange brake calipers and livery. Inside were comfortable 16-way adjustable Sports Plus seats and a heated steering wheel. If new James Bond director Denis Villeneuve is looking for a sexy Aston Martin supercar for 007's next big-screen outing, he could certainly do worse. A convertible without compromise Aston Martin said designing and engineering both the hard-top Vanquish coupe and open top Volante variant simultaneously allowed them to create a convertible car without compromise while maintaining the design - whether the hood is raised or stored – and retaining maximum rigidity with minimum weight gain. The car's Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and suspension helped give me extra confidence, grip and stability negotiating tighter corners. A newly developed stainless steel exhaust system with quad tailpipes allows occupants to experience the full V12 howl – though my car was fitted with the optional 10.5kg lighter titanium exhaust system, which uses a smaller muffler to give an even louder and distinctive roar. Putting up the acoustically enhanced fabric roof creates a snug cabin that feels little if at all different from the metal-top Vanquish coupe thanks to comparable levels of thermal insulation. Retracted to a height of just 260mm the roof can be stowed under the tonneau behind the seats without interrupting the car's flowing lines. Aston Martin's next generation infotainment system - with a Bowers & Wilkins 15-speaker surround sound system - combines a digital 10.25-inch driver display and the integrated 10.25-inch touchscreen system with single and multi-finger gesture control. A machine-knurled rotary dial surrounding the illuminated Stop/Start button made it easy to select my desired drive mode. Push button switches for Chassis, ESP, Exhaust and Park Distance Control meant I could operate the most used controls without taking my eyes off the road. Putting up the acoustically enhanced fabric roof creates a snug cabin that feels little if at all different from the metal-top Vanquish coupe thanks to comparable levels of thermal insulation Retracted to a height of just 260mm the roof can be stowed under the tonneau behind the seats without interrupting the car's flowing lines Aston Martin engineers worked with tyre partner Pirelli to develop a new Pirelli P ZERO Summer and Winter tyre designed specifically for Vanquish Coupe and Volante. A carbon ceramic brake system weighing 27kg less than conventional iron discs is fitted as standard to provide 'suitable stopping ability.' Smaller and sleeker frameless door mirrors aid the aerodynamic profile. Electronically deployable flush-fit door handles retain the smooth lines of its side profile. VERDICT Given the choice of the metal-roofed Vanquish coupe or the open-top fabric roofed Volante, I'd go for the latter as it offers a more fun and flexible option whether we're in a heatwave or enduring a deluge – and recently we've enjoyed or endured both. WILL IF FIT IN MY GARAGE? Price: from around £361,000 (a £27,000 uplift on the hard-top coupe) My car as driven: around £400,000 Style: 2-seater convertible Doors: 2 On sale: Now First deliveries: Autumn Convertible roof: Opens in 14-seconds, closes in 16-seconds at speeds up to 31mph Length: 4,850mm Width: 2,120mm (including mirrors) Width: 2,044mm (mirrors folded) Height: 1,296mm Wheelbase: 2,885mm Weight: 1,880kg Engine: 5.2 litre Twin Turbo V12 Power: 835horse-power Gears: 8-speed ZF automatic, with manual paddles. 0 to 60mph: 3.3 seconds 0 to 62mph: 3.4 seconds Top speed: 214mph MPG: TBC (expect circa 17 to 20mph) Boot space: Roof closed: 219 litres Roof stowed: 187 litres Extras on my car: Exterior:Chimera Blue metallic paint Gloss black grille Tinted carbon exterior tweaks Titanium exhaust Satin black 21-inch star-spoke wheels Orange brake calipers and livery Interior: Sports Plus seats with adjustable 16-ways with heating and ventilation Obsidian Black carpet Satin dark chrome highlights Heated steering wheel
Metro
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Emmerdale fans ‘work out' who newcomer Kev is looking for
Emmerdale fans are feeling intrigued following the news of a new character. Yesterday, it was revealed that Chris Coghill will play mysterious newcomer Kev in the ITV soap. The actor, best known to soap fans as evil paedophile Tony King in BBC One's EastEnders, will become a permanent fixture in the Yorkshire Dales from September. Though Emmerdale bosses are remaining tight-lipped as to the full scope of Kev's intentions, they have let slip that he arrives searching for one villager in particular…but who? And why? On the new addition to the village, Emmerdale boss Laura Shaw said: 'We are delighted that someone of Chris' calibre has joined our cast. 'Kev has a strong connection to one of our characters and it's safe to say his arrival is going to be a massive surprise that will have major repercussions for some of our villagers.' With knowledge that Kev is linked to one resident of the village, audience members have wasted no time in theorising who that person will be. Taking to social media platform X, fans have shared multiple character names. Top of the list is Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley). With the audience yet to discover just what he went through while in prison, some are wondering if Kev will share a connection with him. 'I bet it's something to do with Robert's time in prison', this fan wondered. Elsewhere, some believe Kev might end up being Lewis Barton's (Bradley Riches) biological father, while others have remembered that Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) and Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) will be part of a huge storyline in the Autumn, and are curious Kev might be involved with that. 'Is he Mack's upcoming running story?', a user of X shared. More Trending 'Is he a former cellmate just out prison like Robert looking for him to cause him problems? Or someone John has known or has had issue with in past looking to kill the killer or a side kick to Ray? Do not hurt #Robron or #Mackron.' Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! There's also John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), who still hasn't been caught out. Could this newcomer be the one to do that? On joining the long-running serial drama, former Shameless star Chris said: 'I am really happy to be joining the cast of Emmerdale. View More » 'Kev is definitely going to shake things up a bit and I'm looking forward to getting cracking!'. MORE: All Emmerdale spoilers for next week as arrest is made MORE: Major John twist in ITVX Emmerdale release as unexpected legend 'set to uncover' the killer truth MORE: Charity overwhelmed in Emmerdale surrogacy story as she makes big revelations to Mack
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Protected status given to 5000-year-old Yorkshire Dales monument
A 5,000-year-old prehistoric monument in the Yorkshire Dales National Park has been granted protected status to help prevent any future Dudderhouse Hill long cairn has been designated a Scheduled Monument, meaning it is legally protected against unauthorised back to the Neolithic age - approximately 3400 to 2400 BC - long cairns are considered to have been some of the first structures constructed by communities of Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said scheduling the "remarkable Neolithic long cairn" would ensure this "rare and fragile piece of our prehistoric heritage receives the protection it deserves". Currently, the Dudderhouse Hill long cairn survives as a partly turf-covered oval mound of stones, about 23m (75ft) long, 12m (39m) wide and 1m (3ft) high."It doesn't look particularly impressive and that's one of the problems," Paul Jeffery, Historic England's national listings manager, said. "Nearby, about 70m (230ft) away, there's a cairn where people have added stones over time."Unfortunately, because they don't realise that this is such an important site, some people walking past pick up stones from what they think is just this pile and then add them to the other cairn and obviously that causes harm." However, Mr Jeffrey added the monument was far from just a pile of stones. "When you stand next to it, look out at the views and you realise that it's the remains of burial chambers that's lasted so long, then it's much more impressive," he listings manager explained the monument had been built at a time where hunter gatherers were settling down and becoming early farmers. "This is really one of the first monuments built by a community in the country and some of the first in Europe," he said."This would have been a big monument that people would have recognised and said 'somebody lives there and somebody values this place'." As a Scheduled Monument, the Dudderhouse Hill long cairn will now receive the highest level of heritage protection available in Wilson said: "What makes this discovery particularly significant is that it belongs to a small group of recently identified long cairns in the Yorkshire Dales, an area where these monuments were once thought to be absent."The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority would now be able to put up signage explaining the site's importance. The protected status could also attract grant funding to ensure the monument's maintenance for another 5,000 years. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
