FH3 Blizzard Mountain: The Living (Broad) Daylight

Back to some more James Bond references to do on Forza Horizon 3's Blizzard Mountain, let's move on to the Bond car used during the Timothy Dalton years, known as the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.



In the James Bond movie, The Living Daylights, when Bond's about to get pull over by a police car, he fired up the wheel's laser to split the police car into half, thus initiating a cat-and-mouse chase between the car and the Soviet army pursuing them. Then, when one of the tires got shot down, Bond initiated the car's winter feature until the car met its fiery death via the self-destruct button while he and Kara shake off pursuers until they reached Austria using Kara's cello.



Again, this is not in a snowy part of Europe where Bond got pursued by the Soviets after splitting a police car into half with a laser, because I'm still in the Blizzard Mountain, and while the V8 Vantage I'm driving right now doesn't have the weapons like you get in the Bond car, fitting it with snow tires is as close as you can get to the Bond car's winter equipment, minus the sleds. Although Bond fans like are excited to take this Bond car for a spin round Blizzard Mountain to reminisce its Living Daylights moment, this isn't the time to feel jumpy because this is rear-wheel drive and even when you fit it with snow tires, you might be having some hard time survive the slippery conditions this extreme icy weather can throw at you. However, those who are looking a little challenge seems like they're getting their "challenge accepted" face on. So, dare to race it on extreme icy conditions? Challenge accepted.





While the Bond people remain very quiet right now, fans are starting to honor 55 years of Bond by reliving every James Bond movie in history, from Dr. No to SPECTRE, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, so much more to understand fifty-five years of James Bond films and here in Forza Horizon 3, those Bond cars featured in the game are so many reasons to honor the famed British spy that woos the ladies, foils the villains' plots, toying the gadgets Q Branch ever offered, and driving the fastest cars during his missions. Need I say more?

The other Aston Vantage

An Aston Martin made for grand touring

Following Ford Motor Company's acquisition of Aston Martin in 1987, Aston Martin unveiled the V8 Vantage at the 1992 Birmingham Motor Show and it is essentially a high performance version of the Virage.

The base model comes with the 5.3L V8 engine that produces 344HP of power while the Vantage added two superchargers at the 5.3L V8 so it generates over 550HP of power and 549.7 ft-lb of torque. It's mated in either a 6-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. Despite its 2-ton weight, it can go 0-100kph in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 300kph.

For stopping power, the V8 Vantage comes with the large-diameter AP brake discs; the 362mm diameter front rotors were among the largest ever in a road car.

The V600 model boosted the supercharged 5.3L V8 engine to 600HP of power.

Production of the Vantage V8 commenced in 1993 and continued up until 1999. In 2000, Aston Martin's "Works Service" unit built nine bespoke Vantage Volantes (convertibles), one of which was built to long wheelbase specifications.

The Vantage and the R33

Unlike any other past model Astons, the V8 Vantage from the 1990's is not exactly more of a show-off but with the fighting stance of a street fighter, this car's always on the offensive rather than the defensive side. The outside though, I find it very confusing that if these came from the Nissan Skyline R32 or the R33 perhaps. If you put them on the same place, you'll know that they're highly identical in design terms.

The supercar of the old-school

What surprised me is the sound of its supercharged 5.3L V8 engine. It sounds like a combination between Pavarotti and the roaring noise of the fictitious Assoluto Squaldon from Rage Racer. What I'm saying is that the engine sounds like Pavarotti while the supercharger whine sounds like Rage Racer's Squaldon. Let's not forget that when it was launched in that decade, this is Aston Martin's most powerful production model they've ever made.

As you may remember, in a classic Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the V8 Vantage but only the engineering prototype because Aston Martin can't lend him the finished production model for some unknown reasons. Unlike the finished product, the prototype that Jeremy tested has its rear lamps wrong (looks like it came from the Virage), the rims are wrong, and there are no rear seats but Jeremy doesn't really matter because he enjoys it. He called this V8 Vantage "it's a Rolls-Royce with attitude".

To see all this poetic violence the V8 Vantage does, I devised a little test...

It came from the Satan Pit

The devil's bottom

This is the Lamborghini Diablo SV, one of the most well-known sportscars of the 1990's, V12 engine at the middle, no traction control, no anti-lock brakes, and a Stig to handle the beast below...

This is what happens when you pit against a Diablo

...and he's facing against the V600 V8 Vantage, which is driven by a fat bloke in slacks. Stand by, ladies and gents, for a quarter-mile race at the Top Gear Track...

Diablo PWNed the V8 Vantage!

So, the V8 Vantage lost the drag race but now let's see how good they really are by putting them at the Top Gear Test Track for one full lap at the circuit. This should be interesting.

The Diablo SV done it in 1:23.023 while the V600 V8 Vantage did it in 1:26.319, meaning that the V600 lost the bout despite the V8 Vantage V600 has more power than the Diablo SV's. Sure, the V8 Vantage V600 may have lost the fight against the Diablo but in every intangible way, the V8 Vantage is a better alternative to the Diablo because unlike the Lambo, the Aston V8 Vantage V600 has room at the back and it has proper doors unlike the Lambo's scissor doors that others find it a bit of a show-off.

No matter what, the V8 Vantage has the pecks of the chippendale and the stance of the street fighter...

The Vantage evolution

The Bond Car during the Timothy Dalton years

The Bond car from The Living Daylights

Of course, this is the Bond Car as seen on The Living Daylights starring Timothy Dalton as James Bond himself. It's a 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Talk about being in your element! On that movie, Bond's V8 Vantage comes with gizmos developed specifically on this car such as tire spikes, jet engine at the back of the license plate, retractable outriggers, missles, lasers, bulletproof windows, fireproof exterior, and a feature that allows this car to self-destruct! Whoa! A car that can self-destruct! Amazing! I just wanna have that car but....what you're looking up here doesn't have those Bond gizmos on this car. What it is is just a normal classic Aston V8 Vantage on Forza 4.

Race before the avalanche

So, what is it then this classic Vantage? This car was dubbed as the first supercar made in Great Britain thanks to its top speed of 170mph. The titular V8 engine though, it was derived from the Lagonda but with added camshafts, compression ratio, big inlets, and huge carburettors on it. For starters, this 5.3L V8 engine generates about 394HP of power and it can do 0-60mph in 5.4 seconds. On the outside, it comes with a blanked bonnet vent and a separate rear spoiler. The Oscar India variant from 1978 comes with an integrated tea-tray spoiler and smoother bonnet bulge while the inside comes with the black leather-covered dash. Power of the engine was increased to 390HP of power. For the 1986 model year, engine power's upgraded to 405HP. Production began in 1977 and ended in 1989, with a total of 534 units built; 342 were the hardtop model while 192 were the Volante convertible. This was replaced by the Virage.

A classic grand tourer that is perfectly British

From the looks of it, it kinda reminds me of the first-generation Ford Mustang because, look at the outside. If you put both the classic Vantage and the classic Mustang side by side, it looks nearly identical but unlike the Mustang which is all about being redneck and being hotter than a Hickory Smoke Sausage, the classic 1977 Aston V8 Vantage will make you saying that it reminds them of the hunt. Sure, Brits love the skunk smell, the werewolves, well a bad case of diary-uh! (laughing) Anyway, with that metaphor's burning my head, this classic Vantage is all about being quintessentially British even though the outside kinda feels like an American muscle car.

Even though this car has some old-school features and the fact that this has no radio on it, I really don't care about what does this classic Aston got. Looking back at the roots of the Aston Vantage feels like I'm sitting for a history lesson, with a little bit boring on it. Because it looks like an American muscle car, it feels like an American muscle car and with that, I think the 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage possesses a dynamic driving feel so beginners might have a hard time regaining its grip. For a skilled driver, the classic Vantage looks more fun to gunning down the Alps, like a Bond flick.

It's quite a bonkers British sportscar this but I believe that's how V8 Vantages from different generations traced its roots to this. It maybe a Bond car minus the weapons and gizmos but I think I need to try harder to master the classic Vantage's dynamic driving feel because such mistake may cost me precious seconds or worse, I could get off-course. This car is not made for the timid but it's made for the coolest drivers in the Forza nation.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage S and V8 Vantage S Roadster

2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S

The custom variant of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, the V8 Vantage S, proves that this brand truly has a fighting stance in the world of sports cars. The custom version of the V8 Vantage, the V8 Vantage S, draws inspiration from its big brother, the V12 Vantage and its available in coupe and roadster. The body-colored bumpers, LED rear lamps, sporty rims, and every sporty detail made this grand tourer more ultimate than the original V8 Vantage. Those who are looking for some real thrills should consider the Aston Martin V8 Vantage S Coupe while for those who want some open air fun should consider the Aston Martin V8 Vantage S Roadster.

No matter which model you are up to, the V8 Vantage S is packed with the 4.7 litre V8 engine that delivers 430 bhp of power and 361 lb.ft of torque. The new V8 Vantage S can accumulate a maximum top speed of 189 miles per hour and grudgingly consumes 21.9 mpg EC combined. Both the V8 Vantage S and the V8 Vantage S Roadster are fully equipped with the 7-speed Sportshift semi-auto transmission that can be set to Manual Mode for manual shifting fun at the road ahead.

With safety is Aston Martin's priority, the V8 Vantage S is equipped with the safest features such as ABS brakes, electronic brake assist, Dynamic Stability Control, and traction control system. There are tons of driver aids include Cruise control, Hill hold assist, Rear parking sensor, and Servotronic speed sensitive power steering. Dual stage Driver/Passenger Airbags and Tire pressure monitoring system comes equipped on the V8 Vantage S. Don't forget when you're in there.

My Comment:


As a custom variant of the V8 Vantage, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage S is target for the hardcore car enthusiasts who are looking for some pleasures of a clean getaway. Those guys who put on their leather-scented man perfume, strapped on their business suit, and getting ready for their next getaway should be prepared for this ultimate grand touring V8 monster. This could be Aston Martin's star of the show.

Photo: Aston Martin