What Happened to the Iconic Aston Martin Side Vent?

The new Vantage was finally revealed, stripped naked of that hallucinating wrap, and proudly presented for everyone to see: this is the car we will be making 20 different variations of over the next decade or so.
But if you are anything like me or LaQuanda from the featured image (scroll to top), you must have been wondering, WOT IS DAT mole on the side of it?! Where is the iconic side vent with a silver strip running through it? Well, let me explain.

You see, Aston likes to take their time when evolving the design. DB4 is a lot like DB5 which is the same as DB6. AMV8 and Merak Vantage went on for decades virtually unchanged, and ever since the last Vantage and DB9, things were, again, mostly the same. Well, not anymore!

The new Vantage marks the beginning of a new Era for Aston, one where everything is new, not just recycled from the other models. New nose, new ass, new taillights, and the new side vent. But wait! You can’t just change the vent; it’s a recognizable element of every Aston since the DB4!

Except, the vent shape is not a novelty at all. If you are young enough to know how to use the internet and read this article, then you probably don’t remember the post-war, racing DBR1. It was the most significant racing Aston Martin ever: the one that brought in that sweet first LeMans victory in 1959. And it had that oval side vent.

A similar shape appeared again on a very limited edition of the monstrous Vantage V600 in 1999. It was simply called Vantage V600 LeMans, and it commemorated a 40 years anniversary of that same victory with only 40 models ever produced. I see what they did there!

I also happen to think that the V600 is the best European muscle car ever! More of which you can learn about here

So don’t bend your neck over it, it’s just a retro thing that we will probably be seeing a lot more often in the future. And if after reading this you might feel like your Toyota Corolla needs some side vents to help the built up air pressure escape, then I’ve got a treat for you!
CHECK IT OUT!!!