Vantage

Of the Aston Martins in the fleet, the Vantage is the one born for roads that twist. Two seats, rear-wheel drive, 665 hp: its natural element is not the boulevard at Porto Cervo but the provincial road climbing from Arzachena to San Pantaleo, where granite frames every bend and the asphalt changes rhythm with each kilometre. Up here the compactness of the chassis becomes a tangible advantage rather than a line in a brochure.

The stretch between Palau and Santa Teresa Gallura is its manifesto: open crests with the archipelago in view, loaded corners where the rear axle telegraphs every available gram of grip. If you want the right roads lined up before you arrive, we have collected the ten most beautiful driving roads in Sardinia in a dedicated guide.

The Vantage's 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 does not whisper — it snarls. The voice is rawer and more insolent than its grand touring sisters, with full-bodied crackles on the overrun that ricochet off the granite walls when you lift before a corner. The 0–100 km/h time of 3.5 seconds is the number; the sensation is of a rear axle that feels alive, managed by an electronic differential that lets you decide how hard the rear tyres should work.

The steering is the quickest in the Aston Martin range and you feel it: the nose finds the apex with an immediacy the grand tourers don't even attempt. In Sport+ the 8-speed automatic holds the engine in the heart of its torque band and turns every short straight into an opportunity. This is a car that demands real roads — and around here, there is no shortage of them.

The Roadster removes the roof and takes nothing else away: the fabric top folds in seconds, even while crawling through a village, and in come the scent of the Mediterranean scrub and the full voice of the exhaust. At dawn, on the empty coast road towards Capo Testa, it delivers an experience the coupé can only describe second-hand.

In the fleet you will find it alongside the other sports cars for rent in Sardinia and the open-top cars made for the warm season: the choice depends entirely on how you picture your week. Those who drive hard in the morning and dine on the coast in the evening usually end up wanting both characters — and the Roadster contains the two of them.