We covered the all mighty performance parts that VELOCITY AP supplied us with during our Phase 4 review but left you hanging right before unveiling our exhaust system upgrades. Exhaust on any exotic is almost as important as wheels, simply because no matter what power your exotic makes, the sound it makes is really what determines its head turning ability.
For our exhaust system, we looked at multiple options but ended up with the more docile one of the bunch, primarily because our car was already heavily modified and therefore we did not need the loudest or most powerful but rather the exhaust that worked best with our setup while retaining the sound of an amazing Aston Martin.
The Velocity AP Power Pack which featured all the engine performance we showcased last month in Phase 4 also included an exhaust system. The Velocity AP Sports Exhaust is the one that came with this pack, but two other options were offered to us by Velocity AP, their Race or their F1 Exhaust but neither was recommended as we were told that with the 200 Cell cats that are on our car, the noise would simply be unbearable. We opted to follow their expertise, and went straight to installing our Velocity AP Sport Exhaust.
Once we received the exhaust, it was obvious that quality was there. The welds are precise and done by hand, and the core seems much less restricted than the stock exhaust. The design is clearly different from stock and eliminates the valve system that kicks in at 4500 RPM, this makes for a constant growl moderate at less than 3000 RPM but very heavy at wide open throttle. The install wasn’t too bad either, it didn’t require any sort of rear bumper removal, but it did take about 5-6 hours to complete. The total cost for install was about $550.00.
Our immediate first impression was that the car sounded different. Louder of course but different, as the sound went from high pitch to low growl. Our Aston Martin simply sounded more muscular. The performance was where the car really shined more than previously. There was a significant increase in throttle response and torque. Horsepower increase was much more obvious in high RPM ranges and the sound intoxicating past 5K RPM. The system seems to flow in perfect harmony with the rest of our car’s modifications and seemed to have opened the ECU some more as well. All in all, we are very satisfied with our car’s performance and feel that the exhaust was the last missing component, but there was one small thing we would change if we were to do it all over again. We actually liked that butterfly valve system in the stock exhaust and so would have loved it even more if the exhaust was a bit more Ferrari like, and less muscular.
All in all Secret recommends the Vantage Power Pack from Velocity AP and believes that there is no competition out there especially when you factor in the price of the power pack at just $7500. Make sure to order yours but call them and let them know Secret Entourage sent you for the best possible pricing.
Join us next month as we showcase our Aston’s ultimate power as well as tell you why Piano Wood is the new Carbon Fiber for exotics.
Mileage Log: 13535 miles later and our Aston is still running strong. We drive the car almost daily and have yet to have any issues with car at all. We have had no warranty issues or wear and tear items go bad. The car did need additional oil and coolant which cost us a mere $26 to refill.
Wear on interior and exterior has been minimal despite driving the car often. The dash and seats don’t like the sun much and are slowly starting to show wear, the leather is simply too supple to take the amount of getting in/out we do.
Likes and dislikes: There isn’t much to dislike about this Aston Martin. It’s understated, sexy, elegant and gets the right kind of respect everywhere it goes. The lack of power the factory car comes with has been rectified on our car thanks to Velocity AP and the interior never fails to impress with the attention to details. The car is near picture perfect at every angle and doesn’t even have any cabin rattles which is very rare for an exotic car.
This has by far been the most trouble free exotic car experience to date and the Aston Martin experience has truly been James Bond like so far.
