Praise The Manual Gods: The Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Now Has A Dog-Leg Stick Shifter

The bonkers Aston Martin V12 Vantage S has an achilles heel: the gearbox. Unlike the V12 Vantage that preceded it, there hasn’t been a manual gearbox option, which means that up until now you’ve been stuck with a clunky ‘robotised manual’ that feels rather last century. But, this has all been rectified.

As part of a refresh for the sports car, Aston has given buyers the option of a manual gearbox to sit alongside the auto. And not just any manual: it’s a seven-speeder, and has a ‘dog-leg’ first gear.

Having first gear down and to the left means second through to sixth are in a nice ‘double H’ pattern. It also has auto rev-matching and no-lift shift features, both of which can be used in any of the Vantage’s drive modes. The one downside? The shifter isn’t exactly a thing of beauty.

What is looking good though, is the future of the manual at AM towers, with CEO Andy Palmer stating:

“Broadening the scope of the V12 Vantage S with a manual transmission option is an indication of our desire to offer the keenest drivers a more analogue and immersive machine to enjoy. I’d like to take this opportunity to reiterate that the manual gearbox remains an integral part of our product plans and will do for many years to come.”

Also new is AMi III infotainment, which should hopefully be less frustrating than the old system, which was awful. And if you fancy a jazzier exterior and interior, there’s the Sport-Plus option pack, which includes a choice of five body colours, new ten-spoke alloy wheels and no-cost optional colour accents for the front grille, side skirts, wing mirrors and the bottom of the rear diffuser. On the inside you get either black or grey striped upholstery with contrast stitching.

You’re still looking at 563bhp from the 5.9-litre V12, and both the manual and auto will do 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds and top out at 205mph.

Want one? You’re looking at £138,000, and the manual gearbox is a no cost option in Europe. In the USA the manual car will be sold as a special edition ‘GTS’ model (above), of which only 100 will be made.

The first manual cars will be delivered in the third quarter of 2016.