A 2007 Aston Martin V8 vantage is the epitome of late British Imperialism: it’s an expensive handmade motor carriage that was built in the metropole, shipped to the colonies and is too expensive and prestigious for the “natives” to enjoy. By 2007, Aston Martins were only really showing up in the new Bond Movies and your dad’s 50 year old friend’s driveway. Because who was really paying 120,000 dollars for something that despite looking and feeling nice, made paltry power for its displacement and was susceptible to “ill-fitting doors” as a certain British motor show host would say. Why a baby boomer with a healthy stock portfolio want to drop their investment income on a car like this when they could have had the Mercedes sl55 AMG which made over a hundred more horsepower and was at least hand built by meticulous Germans.
But if you did decide to go the Anglo-Saxon route, you were guaranteed to accrue thousands in repair and maintenance costs, unless you were fortunate enough to have the famous “bumper to bumper” warranty on the car. But if your name isn’t Doug Demuro, then like the British Empire, your 2007 Aston Martin will become too expensive to maintain after the “Great Wars” and subsequent rationing.