INSPIRED BY RACING: THE ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE GT3 SPECIAL EDITION

Lightweight and extreme Vantage special edition limited to 100 cars
Motorsport-derived chassis, aerodynamics and handling
Bridges the gap between road and race track driving

18 February 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin is today revealing the first details of its most potent and uncompromising Vantage to date: the track-inspired Vantage GT3 special edition.

With production strictly limited to just 100 examples, the new model combines all of Aston Martin’s learning from its years of sports car competition around the globe to produce its most performance focused road-going Vantage.

Equipped with a new iteration of the brand’s 6.0-litre V12 engine which is capable of generating up to 600 PS¹, the car weighs in at 100kg less than a standard V12 Vantage S.

Comprehensively re-engineered, as well as significantly restyled, the GT3-inspired special edition is lower and wider than any of its siblings in the Vantage family. A broader track – front and rear – brings even more composed cornering thanks to a reduction in lateral load transfer, while the use of Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres provides even more assured handling.

Thoroughly equipped with cutting edge motorsport-inspired features, from the extensive use of carbon fibre inside and out to the track-focused aerodynamics pack – which includes a prominent rear wing and pronounced front splitter – the race-derived new Vantage brings more focused and uncompromising capability and styling to a road-going Aston Martin.

The aerodynamics package in particular has a profound effect, producing significant downforce to provide even greater levels of grip and stability at higher speeds.

Inspired by Aston Martin Racing’s successful campaigns, this new GT3-derived Vantage has been designed and engineered exclusively at Aston Martin’s Gaydon Headquarters in Warwickshire, England, to be the most overt expression of everything that defines Vantage: an inspirational sports model offering supreme driveability on the road, and uncompromising dynamic performance on track.

New flared carbon fibre front wings, carbon fibre bonnet, a lithium ion race-derived battery, carbon-fibre door casings, optional carbon fibre roof, optional weight-saving polycarbonate rear window and rear quarter windows are just a few of the measures which illustrate the engineers’ determination to eliminate mass wherever possible. That determination has paid off, too, as the new car weighs in at only 1,565 kg².

Under the skin lie a number of bespoke engineering upgrades, aside from the new 600 PS¹ V12 engine. Magnesium inlet manifolds with revised geometry, a lightweight magnesium torque tube and a full titanium exhaust system with centre outlets are just a few of the features that underline the rigorous re-engineering of this exclusive new Vantage.

The car’s interior is comprehensively reworked, too, with a full carbon fibre centre stack and touch-sensitive control array; race-derived carbon fibre sports seats; Alcantara trim and the option of numerous bespoke features courtesy of the brand’s popular personalisation service: Q by Aston Martin.

Announcing the arrival of the Vantage GT3 special edition, Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: “Motorsport is in our blood at Aston Martin. The Vantage is the car we campaign in top level sports car racing around the world and so it seems only fitting that we offer an exclusive, limited edition Vantage that expertly fuses our motorsport know-how with our road car prowess.”

He added: “The Vantage GT3 special edition is an uncompromising example of our design and engineering expertise and I’m sure the 100 owners who secure one of these cars will savour every second behind the wheel; whether on the road or on the track.”

The Vantage GT3 special edition will make its public debut on 3 March at the 85^th Geneva International Motor Show (Hall 5, Stand 5253), with first customer deliveries beginning in the third quarter of 2015.

– Ends –

¹ Predicted power output
² Predicted kerb weight

Note: This car will not be available in North America and China

Attachment 1: Vantage GT3 Technical Specification

Body

Two-seat, two-door coupe body style
Extruded bonded aluminium VH body structure aluminium, magnesium alloy, composite and steel body
Extruded aluminium door side-impact beams
Carbon fibre wide body with flared sills and wheel arches
Carbon fibre front and rear bumpers
Carbon fibre composite bonnet and louvre
Aerodynamics Pack – Carbon fibre extended front splitter and rear wing
Carbon fibre rear diffuser
Centre-mounted ceramic coated & black textured tailpipes
Halogen projector headlamps (main beam)
High intensity discharge headlamps (dipped beam)
Black headlamp bezels
LED rear lamps
Clear rear lamps with black border

Engine

All-alloy, quad overhead camshaft, 48-valve, 5935 cc V12
Front mid-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive
Magnesium inlet manifolds with revised geometry
Lightweight titanium exhaust system
Compression ratio – 11.0:1
Max power – 600 PS @ 7000rpm (predicted)¹
Max torque – 625Nm @ 5500rpm (predicted)
Acceleration – 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds (predicted) / 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds (predicted)
Maximum speed: 297km/h (185 mph) (predicted)
Lithium Ion battery

Transmission

Rear mid-mounted, Sportshift III seven-speed automated manual transmission with electronic shift-by-wire control system
Magnesium torque tube with carbon fibre propeller shaft
Limited-slip differential
Final-drive ratio – 3.7:1

Steering

Rack and pinion, power-assisted steering
Column tilt and reach adjustment

Wheels & Tyres

19” 7-spoke forged alloy satin black wheels
Front: 9.5J x 19” Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres 265 FR
Rear: 11.5J x 19” Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres 325 RR
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
Tyre repair kit

Suspension

Track focused suspension geometry with uprated springs and revised dampers
Front: Independent double wishbones incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube dampers
Rear: Independent double wishbones with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry, dual-rate coil springs and monotube dampers
Revised three-stage Adaptive Damping System (ADS) with Normal, Sport and Track modes

Brakes

Front: Ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 398 mm diameter with six-piston monobloc Brembo GT3 bespoke calipers
Rear: Ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 360 mm diameter with four-piston monobloc Brembo GT3 bespoke calipers
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with ‘Track’ mode
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with ‘Track’ mode
Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)
Traction Control (TC)
MK25e Brake Control Module

Standard Exterior Specification

GT3 ‘race-inspired’ paint liveries
Black, silver, grey or yellow brake calipers
Lightweight black mesh grille
Gloss black window surround
Front and rear GT3 badging
Black enamel infill wings badge
Electric heated power folding mirrors
Heated rear screen
Beam blade front wiper system
Rain sensing wipers

Standard Interior Specification

Alcantara and leather ‘race-inspired’ trim colour schemes
Lightweight carbon fibre seat with manual seat adjust
Carbon fibre centre console
Exposed carbon fibre door casing
Obsidian Black Alcantara steering wheel
GT3 headrest embroidery
Coarse stitching
AML Fast Track headlining Alcantara palette
AML Fast Track carpet palette
Carbon fibre special edition sill plaque
Black magnesium paddleshifts with leather accent inserts
Black pedals
Glass corporate switches
Graphite speaker grilles
Driver and passenger airbags
Perimetric alarm system
Immobiliser
Aston Martin Tracking by Cobra – (market specific)
Auto-dim rear view mirror
Electric windows
Rain sensing wipers

In-car Entertainment and Convenience

160 W Aston Martin audio system
DAB / DMB Radio
USB connector with Waveform Audio Format (WAF), Windows Media Player (WMA) and MPEG (MP3) audio file compatibility
Infotainment System
Bluetooth connectivity
Satellite navigation

Exterior options