Click above for a high resolution gallery of the V8 Vantage
Not one to settle, Aston Martin is giving its V8 Vantage a host of upgrades for 2009 highlighted by a larger V8 engine with more power. Originally displacing 4.3 liters, the V8 has been bored and stroked to 4.7 liters for an 11% increase in power to 420 bhp and a 15% increase in torque to 347 lb-ft. Despite these changes, fuel economy has been improved by 13%. Both optional transmissions have been upgraded as well, with the 6-speed manual getting a modified clutch and flywheel, and the Sportshift automatic has been programmed to provide smoother shifts. The suspension has been slightly revised with slightly stiffer spring rates, improved steering geometry, and stiffer bushings in the front suspension to improve handling. The interior has been revamped with a new center console finished in graphite silver as well as an ECU that replaces the standard key. Thankfully the Vantage's beautiful lines have remained untouched, although new 19-inch wheels are available.
Full details on the 2009 upgrades to the V8 Vantage can be found in the press release after the jump.
Click image for a hi-res gallery of the Vantage GT2
The flexfuel-compatible Aston Martin Vantage GT2 that we first reported on back in January has finally been captured in the photo studio. Not surprisingly, it's a looker. After all, the Vantage is a car that activates the pheromones in many a gearhead. Making it Le Mans Series-worthy just piles on the awesome. The car makes its competition debut for James Watt Automotive on April 5 in the European Le Mans series at Barcelona, and it's also good to go for ALMS if any teams decide to take the plunge. Without further ado, have a look for yourself. We like the subtle Gulf colors -- who knew orange lipstick could be so pretty? If baby blue and orange doesn't do it for you, check out the menacing black car that participated in the Paul Ricard test session with the rest of the Aston racers. The phrase, "It's all good" applies here.
Good keeps getting better over at Aston Martin, who never seem to tire of making their sports cars faster and faster. The latest in the speed wars from their new headquarters in Gaydon is this adrenaline-dripping special-edition V12 Vantage RS.
Into what could very well prove to be the fastest, hottest Aston Martin yet, the newly independent British automaker has dropped the V12 reactor not from the recently demised Vanquish, nofrom the road-going DB9 or Bond-tastic DBS derivative, but from the DBRS9 race car. With somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 horsepower (!) pushing 3500 lbs, the V12 Vantage RS is anticipated to clock a 0-60 time in the 3's on its way to a 200-mph top speed. Performance target: Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. That's highly ambitious, considering that the Fiorano is widely acclaimed as one of the most competent supercars on the planet, but with that kind of juice in such a brilliant package as the Vantage's, it might not be so far-fetched.
At the time of writing, AutoWeek was the only source carrying the information, and we hope to have more details soon on the special Vantage which was unveiled earlier today on the occasion of the company's new design center. Although it was launched as a concept, sources suggest it could very well find its way into limited production and slot into the Aston Martin line-up above the current flagship DBS. We certainly hope so.
When will it be enough? "Never" could very well be the answer for David Richards, the head of racing freelancers Prodrive and chairman of Aston Martin. The two companies under his thumb have been collaborating on the campaigning of Aston Martin racing cars in a growing number of endurance sports car competition classes in recent years. The DBR9, DBRS9 and Vantage N24 have been ripping it up in the FIA GT1, GT3 and GT4 classes, but as you may have noticed, the Aston Martin racing program lacks a car to enter in the GT2 level. Prodrive and Aston are planning to plug that hole and strive for an eclipsing domination of sports car racing with a GT2 racer based on the V8 Vantage.
A mule is currently undergoing testing, having run laps around the MIRA test track in England, up the hill at Goodwood, and was set for more work this week at a Michelin tire test in Spain. That most recent test session, according to Prodrive's Aston racing program, will give them a better idea about the project's future.
The prospect of another Aston Martin hopped up on steroids and storming the track has got us watering at the mouth, so watch this space for more news.
Click the image above for more high-res, desktop-ready pics of the N400 Vantage.
Our lottery ticket fantasy garage just got a bit bigger. Aston Martin unveiled the N400 version of its V8 Vantage, a road-going tribute to its time around the 'Ring in 2006. Like every other Aston product, it will be built by hand in Gaydon, but this particular Vantage comes packing a modified 4.3-liter V8 producing 400 HP at 7,500 RPM, an addition 20 HP over the base model. Those extra ponies are freed up by the extensive use of lightened materials within the engine, including the crankshaft, conrods and pistons, along with a free flowing exhaust system and air filters.
We've got a host of pics below for your viewing enjoyment, and click here to view Aston's original press release.
Less than a month after the launch of the new DBS, images of a similarly-prepped V8 Vantage have surfaced ahead of a likely unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Changes to the car include new clear-lens taillights, beefier brake discs with uprated calipers and some aero upgrades including a rear diffuser. The car hasn't been officially announced by Aston Martin but early reports suggest it'll be called the Vantage V8 RS.
The car will basically be a tamer version of the road-legal but stripped-out N24 club-racer, so expect some power mods under the hood such as breathing and ECU upgrades to deliver improved response from the gas pedal. Though it's hard to tell from these spy shots, the interior should have plenty of carbon-fiber and aluminum elements adding to the race car feel.
Earlier reports suggested that Aston Martin is planning to present two new race-inspired cars at the Frankfurt show in addition to the new DBS, so with this new Vantage V8 model revealed we wonder what else it has up its sleeves.
Last year, Aston Martin employees shuttled in and out of Germany as they worked to put 30,000 miles on a Vantage in 30 days. Now comes word that Aston is placing the "Project 30,000" car in the hands of school teacher Richard Meredith and travel specialist Phil Colley, who will drive it from Tokyo to London using the Asian Highway.
The six-week journey is being run in collaboration with the UN and is intended to promote road safety in Asia while raising money for charity at the same time. The car now has over 100,000 miles on its odo and is liveried with a map of the Asian Highway route on its roof and sports the make Roads Safe logo and URL on its bodywork. The only modifications made for it in preparation for the trip are a slightly raised suspension, reinforced sump guard and full spare.
If you think that driving to any point on the European or Asian mainland from Tokyo sounds like pretty a neat trick, you're not alone. We looked at the Wikipedia entry on the highway, however, and it confirmed that the AH1 portion uses a ferry line running between Fukuoka, Japan and Pusan, South Korea. While driving through 15 countries sounds like it could be rough, doing it in an Aston seems much more palatable.
More details in the press release after the jump.
[Source: Aston Martin]
Gallery: Aston Martin Vantage - Asian Highway Endurance Run
Remember last year when Aston Martin completed the Nürburgring 24 Hours with pretty much a showroom stock V8 Vantage driven by the company's CEO, Ulrich Bez, and three other professional drivers? They finished 24th overall out of a field of 220 entrants, most of which were pure race cars. Well, Bez decided at that time to let customers in on the fun. He greenlighted a similar package for customer Vantages soon after and, true to his word, released the N24 spec V8 Vantage. The N24 is 550 lbs. lighter than the standard Vantage and packs an extra 30 hp, as well. We surmised that the V8 Vantage N24 would make an excellent track day car for club racers, as well as being a capable racer for various series. Well, the lucky souls who have taken AM up on the offer and plunked down the $152,350 entry fee were recently given a special treat.
On April 24, they were taken to the Nordschleife to see what the cars can do. Besides having a lot of fun, they were also made privy to a bit of motorsports news from Aston Martin. Aston Martin will enter two N24 cars at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, where they'll be joined by a customer N24 team and a specially developed DBRS9, run by Phoenix Racing and Aston Martin Austria. Bez will again be one of the drivers for AM and will be joined by Chris Porritt (Aston Martin Vehicle Dynamics Manager), Wolfgang Schuhbauer (Aston Martin Development Engineer) and Horst von Saurma (Editor of Sport Auto). One big change this year is that the N24 will feature Aston Martin's new Sportshift transmission. That should make lapping the Green Hell a little easier with some 60 gearshifts per lap.
Ahead of their official unveilings, Aston Martin North America gave sneak-peeks at two upcoming models during a special event for 300 clients and dealers. The two models were the V8 Vantage Roadster and the DBS, and fortunately there were a handful of press invited to the event as well. Neither model, to be fair, is an all-new car. The Roadster is essentially a V8 Vantage coupe with the roof chopped off, and the DBS is a DB9 with more aggressive body panels. And we've previously brought you images of both cars.
The V8 Roadster on display featured a special paintjob that Aston Martin says is like looking at a fire, as the hue changes with the angle and the lighting conditions. The DBS on display was in full 007 trim, as the new model makes its debut in a few weeks in the James Bond film Casino Royale. This one had a host of switches and buttons inside that the production version obviously won't have, especially the pistol cut-out in the glove-box.
Follow the link for Forbes' images from the event.
Independent (and deep-pocketed) rally racing teams have a new machine available to them thanks to the people at Aston Martin and Prodrive. The Aston Martin Rally GT is being touted as the world's most exclusive rally car, and why not? It's not as if rally-prepped Vantages are a common sight.
Developed by Aston Martin Racing, the partnership between the famed British marque and the motorsports gurus at Prodrive, the Rally GT is derived from the production V8 Vantage. It uses the road car's chassis and transmission as well as a retuned version of the Vantage's 4.3-liter V8. Prodrive adds a rollcage of its own design to the structure and replaces the shocks and springs with equipment more suited to the demands of rallying. Teams can also elect to have the stock gearbox replaced by one designed specifically for the Rally GT.
The Rally GT's development process included real racing, as you'd expect. It placed second in its class (17th overall) at the 2006 Lyon-Charbonnières Rally, with Subaru World Rally Team co-drivers Stéphane Sarrazin and Stéphane Prévot behind the wheel ( the pair are SWRT's asphalt specialists). Sarrazin is also one of the co-drivers of the #009 Aston Martin DBR9 familiar to anyone who follows Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series.
(Photos, press release, tech specs after the jump)
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