Roamers | Aston Martin V8 Vantage vs Snow

20 February 2023 Redazione News, Supercars Lounge

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos S. Lomax

I stopped hoping that the steering wheel would stay straight a few kilometers ago. So far some sporadic patches of snow were limited on the sidelines, but now the road is literally covered with a soft white blanket. The fact that it is settling down this precise moment makes it easy to go over it, but wearing huge 295 tires on the rear axle – that of traction of course – does not make obvious the task of advancing into the unknown. The presence of a second car a few meters in front of me with the photographer stowed in the luggage compartment taking some unexpected photos does not make the visibility even comparable to what I would have imagined once behind the wheel of the new Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

When Steve gives a thumbs-up closing the trunk and allowing me to leave more space between my Aston and the support car, that’s where I really feel the precarious conditions I’m driving in. The road is now completely covered with snow and while the flakes continue to fall down relentlessly we still head north, climbing significantly in altitude and without finding a lay-by area in which to attempt a reversal maneuver. At this point I realize that the only thing to do is deactivate traction control, set to Sport and stop navigating with the steering, letting a controlled slip enhance the moment. The snow splashed by the wheels slams on the fenders and fills the sides, revealing a cloud of dusty white taking shape in the rear-view mirror.

The V8 grumbles and increases in intensity as the tachometer needle points violently towards the red line when there is not the slightest trace of grip. You need space, especially through bends, where thanks to the presence of my colleagues a few hundred meters ahead, I can take advantage of a totally traffic-free road and take some risks with that rear you can’t say no to when it decides to widen. Counter-steering moments are precise and all in all simple, above all bearing in mind that the pendulum effect on a surface with zero grip implies that you have to battle with the wheel several times before rebalancing the front and trying as much as possible to keep it straight in those ruts hinted by the car ahead. They say it’s always better to drive fast a low-powered car, rather than go slow with a very powerful car, but today I feel perfectly comfortable tapping barely 100 horsepower out of the 510 at my disposal.

Finally, after more than 18 kilometers, mostly traveled pointing towards one side or the other of the road, we have a chance to stop. The grooves of the tires are now full of snow and the grip is even more precarious than before due to the presence of frozen patches. A little more healthy arrogance and I manage to pull over safely, with the elegant Aston dress proudly showing off dirt, grey snow, salt and who knows what else. Time to head back, as continuing is not a good idea. Time to go back waving my arms and pressing the gas with a delicacy usually foreign to the relationship we mean by talking about a car and a road of this kind. We’ll have time to treat the tires badly, now it’s time to play some more with the snow. Let’s start again!