Aussies snap up Aston’s fastest V12 Vantage

UP TO three Australian Aston Martin enthusiasts are among just 100 customers around the world to secure their own limited-edition Vantage GT3 – Aston’s most powerful road-going Vantage.

To be launched at the Geneva motor show on March 3 alongside the Vulcan mystery car teased two days ago (see separate story), the entire run of track-ready GT3s have apparently been pre-sold to VIP customers.

The British marque’s Australasian regional manager Kevin Wall told GoAuto that two or three of the special editions would make it Down Under.

He said all had been sold to customers that he described as “good friends of Aston”.

So far, the price in undisclosed, but it is expected to be a premium on the Aston Martin Vantage S – the base for the GT3 – that sells for $418,525, plus on-road costs.

Packing about 441kW from its revamped 6.0-litre V12, the race-inspired GT3 should have 19kW more power than the 422kW Vantage S.

Engine changes include magnesium inlet manifolds with revised geometry, a lightweight magnesium torque tube and a full titanium exhaust system.

The stripped out GT3 is 150kW lighter, at 1565kg, meaning the potent two-door coupe can scurry from standstill to 100km/h in under 4.0 seconds.

Sitting on a wider track with wider wheels, the Vantage GT3 is modelled on Aston’s race cars, with flared carbon-fibre front mudguards, carbon-fibre bonnet, a lithium ion race-derived battery and carbon-fibre door casings.

Cashed-up buyers can also opt for a carbon-fibre roof and weight-saving polycarbonate rear window and rear quarter windows.

Aerodynamic aids includes a prominent rear wing and pronounced front splitter that Aston says offers a “profound effect” on handling.

Inside, the GT3 boasts a carbon-fibre sports seats with Alcantara trim, as well as a carbon-fibre centre stack with touch-sensitive controls.

Aston says the GT3 bridges the gap between the road and race track.

New CEO Andy Palmer – formerly Nissan’s global product chief – said motorsport was in Aston Martin’s blood.

“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 said.

“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.” While the GT3 is the most powerful Vantage, it is not the most powerful Aston road car. That honour is held by the One-77 hypercar that boasted 559kW from its 7.3-litre V12.