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It\u2019s London weather outside. Driving rain. Puddles the size of Loch Ness. Naturally, the British-made\u00a0Aston Martin Vantage S<\/a>\u00a0is in its element.<\/p>\n On a pylon-choked autocross course in a Troy parking lot, I rapidly toggle the steering wheel-mounted shift paddles \u2014 first, second, third \u2014 launching 430 unruly horses into the gloom. The 3,500-pound, V8-powered sports coupe romps about like Andre Drummond on a nerf basketball court. The Vantage combines blustery power with cat-quick reflexes to obliterate the tight turns even as its Electronic Stability Control keeps the car\u2019s 11.2 inch-wide rear tires from hydroplaning into the shrubbery.<\/p>\n Moments later, the car\u2019s huge, 15-inch rotors bring it back to earth without drama. Soaked to the bone, the big stallion rests. Even in these torrential conditions, the Vantage is achingly gorgeous. You almost feel like putting the umbrella over the car instead of yourself. The 2014 Vantage may be the runt of the litter \u2014 yes, a $117,000 \u201centry-level\u201d Aston \u2014 but it\u2019s every bit as breathtaking as its DB9, Vanquish, and Rapide siblings.<\/p>\n Aston Martin makes the most beautiful cars on the road today. Period.<\/p>\n Seven deadly sins? They\u2019ve probably all been committed for an Aston. Emotion drives the Aston purchase, because goodness knows there are more capable rides out there.<\/p>\n The forthcoming, musclebound, 650 horsepower Corvette Z06 will kick sand on the Vantage for under $100 grand. Load a nimble Porsche 911 with $100 grand in goodies and it will stomp the Vantage from zero-60 while dancing a minuet on its hood (both the Detroit and Stuttgart products have gone through two full redesign cycles since the Vantage debuted in 2006).<\/p>\n \u201cWe won\u2019t always be the quickest,\u201d says Aston Martin of Troy Sales Manager Brian Bucholtz, \u201cbut the lines and the beauty and the soul are what make this car.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say this English knight in aluminum armor (and fiber-composite skin) doesn\u2019t swing a mean axe in battle. The Vantage is Aston\u2019s sportiest model \u2014 complimented by a massive company investment in road racing. The effort was rewarded with a LeMans 24-Hour GT-class victory this year as the\u00a0Vantage outlasted competitors<\/a>\u00a0from Ferrari and Porsche. On the street, the Vantage\u2019s light, stiff aluminum chassis cradles a mid-ships front engine that gives the car a near perfect 51-49 weight balance. The almost two-ton athlete moves around on a compliant, not-too-harsh suspension, but never feels unstable.<\/p>\n\u00a0A walk through Aston\u2019s Troy showroom is like walking through a Sports Illustrated supermodel shoot. Miss DB9, Miss Vanquish, Miss Rapide. Pardon me for staring. The Vantage is lust on wheels. The sentiment transcends gender. I ask a female News colleague the one car she would kill for. \u201cAn Aston Martin,\u201d she replies without hesitation.<\/div>\n