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Aston Martin has officially completed the GT-class superfecta with the announcement of its new Vantage GT2. Aston Martin Racing has unveiled the first sketch of the GT2-class racing car, which is based on the V8 Vantage. The Vantage GT2 has been designed to be campaigned on either normal race fuel or E85 in race series that allow the bio-based juice, such as ALMS. It joins the stable of AM racers that already includes the Le Mans-winning DBR9 GT1 car, the DBRS9 GT3 car, and the Vantage N24 GT4 racer. The menacing GT2 car will be fully unveiled next week in Birmingham at the Autosport International show. Stay tuned for more.
[Source: Aston Martin]
PRESS RELEASE:
Aston Martin Racing reveals Vantage GT2
Aston Martin Racing has revealed the first impressions of its new GT2 racing car.
Known as the Vantage GT2, the new car is based on the V8 engined Aston Martin Vantage road car. The new car will mean Aston Martin is the only manufacturer to offer cars in every GT racing category: GT1 – DBR9; GT2 – Vantage GT2; GT3 – DBRS9; GT4 – Vantage N24.
For the first time, Aston Martin Racing is designing this car to run on either standard race fuel or E85 bio-ethanol (where regulations allow). In 2007, Aston Martin Racing successfully converted a standard DBRS9 to run on E85.
Robin Brundle, Aston Martin Racing's new managing director, said: "The new Vantage GT2 completes our product portfolio for 2008 with competitive cars now available in every category. Thanks to our experience with the DBRS9, we have been able to develop a bio-ethanol fuelled version, which will be eligible to compete in an increasing number of series now accommodating this greener fuel, including the American Le Mans Series."
Aston Martin chairman, David Richards, will be announcing Aston Martin Racing's 2008 plans at the Autosport International show on Thursday 10 January at 10.45 am.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Andrew @ Jan 4th 2008 11:31AM
I'm waiting for Aston to make a car that I don't love.
ALEXDB9 @ Jan 4th 2008 11:33AM
Not going to happen.
Vince @ Jan 4th 2008 11:58AM
it's simply impossible
EJ25RUN @ Jan 4th 2008 12:09PM
Ever since the umbilical cord has been cut from Ford,
aston has been the reason that british motorsport is on its way back. GT2, GT3, GT4...I LOVE ASTON MARTIN!
ohh and then there is that v12 street car. *so happy*
maybe its time for a prototype to go in the 2010 LMP regulations?
John Johnson @ Jan 4th 2008 11:43AM
I'll take mine in BR Green.
Andrew @ Jan 4th 2008 12:36PM
Ditto on that, proper br green.
3seriesisking @ Jan 4th 2008 12:47PM
Agreed. What a beauty
Alex @ Jan 4th 2008 12:56PM
hell, i'll take it in doo-doo brown with neon purple accents. its still an Aston Martin.
Greg @ Jan 4th 2008 11:57AM
The green "lips" are a little funny but otherwise I love the front end.
Andrew @ Jan 4th 2008 12:35PM
You mean like these orange and yellow lips?
http://www.weblogsinc.com/common/images/9761213799154312.JPG?0.9966608237789586
They've been using this design style on their race cars for some time, and I for one love it. It really accents the car well, and it's cohesive (they use the color throughout other accents on the car).
evlmnky @ Jan 4th 2008 11:58AM
Everything that rolls out from Aston Martin is a thing of beauty....
graviton @ Jan 4th 2008 12:25PM
I didn't realize that the Mazda RX8 design team also does work for Aston Martin on the side. Seriously though this car doesn't look like an Aston to me. Its not big and bruiser-like.
Andrew @ Jan 4th 2008 12:40PM
Eh....what the hell are you talking about? It looks exactly like a widened DBR9.
http://www.7extrememotorsports.com/lemans/cars/aston-martin-dbr9-01.jpg
Andrew @ Jan 4th 2008 12:46PM
Here's the DBR9 from a few more angles, you know, for comparison:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufQxcsHlMnQ
graviton @ Jan 4th 2008 12:54PM
Sorry I'm referring to the consumer models no the racing models which I'm not familiar with.
Andrew @ Jan 4th 2008 1:10PM
But these sketches are of their new GT2 race car...
Andrew @ Jan 4th 2008 12:36PM
Ditto on that, proper br green.
Alpha @ Jan 4th 2008 8:33PM
Just like anything sexy and British it has a wonderfully curvy body and a horrible mouth :P
Mobius_1 @ Jan 4th 2008 9:15PM
This car will win the races on looks alone as fellow competitors in their Porsches and Ferraris stop dead on the track to stare
mk @ Jan 5th 2008 1:05AM
Fan-freakin-tastic. Again.
Big question... does it get the Vantage RS/DBR9's V12, or a race tuned V8?
I like Aston's more olive color racing green. (Jag uses a color called "Brooklands Green" IIRC, which is a darker, deeper pine-needle type color)
British Racing Green isn't just one color, but probably best known to be Brooklands Green, the rich dark Jaguar variant, which is very similar to Lotus's green, which was usually paired with a bright true yellow. Each british manufacturer seems to use a slight variation of green.
But black is very interesting, which I think they have shown another race car concept painted black... nice. Recently the N24 has brought yellow with aston green stripes, also.
The lips and window arch colors are a modern Aston variant on color identification, by aston's trademark grille shape, and their new unified coupe side profile trademark, with upswept quarter window (which is where the stripe stops on purpose)
Multiple aston martins in the field are each differentiated by their stripe color, over their base green unity, which makes a good amount of sense, over drastically different paint schemes for each. Of course that works for factory cars, a sponsorship arrangement would probably change that.
However, as a slightly different bow to British racing tradition, I would take my Aston Martin in Ecurie Ecosse / Scottish Flag blue pearl, with titanium white stripes, like the old Ecurie Ecosse privateer racing club cars.