Aston Martin has turned to its motorsport arm to send its outgoing Aston Martin Vantage model off in style. The Vantage AMR swansong model, named after Aston Martin Racing, is the motorsport arm’s first road car product. Just 300 examples of the race-inspired model will be built — 100 with a V12 engine and 200 with a V8.
The 4.7-litre V8 AMR produces the same 430bhp as the regular V8 Vantage. However, Aston Martin has applied a power upgrade to its naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12, increasing its peak output by 30bhp to 595bhp.
Both cars come with a sevenspeed automated sequential manual transmission with paddle shifters but either can be specified with manual transmission instead — six-speed for the V8 car and seven-speed for V12 model.
The car comes in coupé and roadster bodystyles and is offered in a choice of four standard colours, each with a contrasting graphic. Buyers can also opt for a colour pack that mimics the look of Aston Martin’s 2016 World Endurance Championship-winning Vantage GTE racer.
Other options include a carbonfibre front grille, side strakes, light in-fills and mirror caps, as well as carbonfibre seats.
2018 Aston Martin Vantage spotted testing
For the car’s wheels — fivespoke items on the V8 car and 10-spoke ones on the V12 — there’s a selection of three different finishes.
In addition, Aston Martin’s range of AMR accessories will allow buyers to personalise their car in even more detail. These include an AMR aerodynamic kit, which brings carbonfibre addenda such as a front splitter, dive planes and a fixed rear spoiler.
The car can also be specified with forged aluminium wheels that take their honeycomb design from the Vantage AMR Pro concept seen at the Geneva motor show last March.
Aston Martin is offering the V12 model with an optional titanium exhaust system that saves 14kg. This is claimed to help sharpen the engine’s responses as well as enhance the noise it makes.
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said of the Vantage AMR: “The Vantage has been an incredible success for Aston Martin, both in V8 and V12 forms. As our most agile and athletic road car, and our long-time representative in the world of GT racing, it is the perfect car with which to introduce AMR.”
The Vantage AMR will make its public debut during this weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours race, although the car is already on sale. The V8 is priced from £97,995 (£3000 more than the regular Vantage) and the V12 model from £148,995 (an increase of £10,995). The V8 Roadster starts from £107,500 and V12 Roadster £158,500. First deliveries will take place in the final quarter of 2017.
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Evergreen Aston adVantage
Not only that, the Aston Vantage GTE has beaten its newer styled contemporary rivals over years of WEC racing. For a more than a decade old sports car, that says alot.
Love the shot of the race
Best time for Aston?
New designs are too fussy. They're still good though, just not quite got the purity of a Callum design.
Symanski wrote:
Just you wait...
Very well said.