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Aston Martin documentary tells development story of Vantage GTE racer

Aston Martin doesn't merely go racing, the carmaker's name enshrines racing: Company co-founder Lionel Martin conquered the Aston Hill Climb in 1914 with a tuned Singer automobile; when Lionel needed a name for the car he built with funding from Robert Bamford, Lionel's wife suggested "Aston-Martin." That makes the Vantage GTE racer that will enter the 2018 FIA World Endurance Championship not only an obvious descendant, but a necessary one. To show us what went into the new standard-bearer, Aston Martin produced a nine-minute documentary on the Vantage GTE's development. The endurance challenger replaces the six-year-old V8 Vantage GTE race car that — even at the end of its development path — took WEC team honors in 2016 and class victory at Le Mans this year. The short doc visits Aston Martin Racing over the course of 18 months spent creating the new Vantage GTE, finding out how the road car got upgraded to race spec, what new partners like Ohlins and Alcon provided, and revealing that electrical wiring can't be mapped out entirely in CAD beforehand, the wiring has to be laid into the chassis by hand in order to find the shortest paths. The Vantage GTE rings in at 2,745 pounds dry, roughly 500 pounds lighter than the Vantage road car. The AMG-sourced twin-turbo V8 gets around 536 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque depending on circuit regulations, and shifts through an Xtrac six-speed sequential transmission with a carbon fiber driveshaft. Ohlins created a five-way suspension, Alcon supplies the brakes, clutch, and limited-slip differential, the Akrapovic inconel exhaust exits just behind the front wheels, and 18-inch forged magnesium TMS wheels wear Michelin tires. Unanimous feedback from the drivers says the new racer is already more durable, more torque-y, and more reliable than the one it replaces. The Vantage GTE debuts on track at the 6 Hours of Spa on May 5, 2018. You can watch it now in the video above. View 16 Photos Related Video: News Source: Aston Martin via YouTube Motorsports Aston Martin Coupe Racing Vehicles Videos fia wec world endurance championship aston martin vantage aston martin vantage gte

Watch Prodrive build an Aston Martin race car in 60 seconds

It's always fascinating to watch a racecar's production whether the construction is out of Lego blocks or a cutting-edge mix of aluminum and carbon fiber. This time-lapse clip offers a glimpse of the latter as Prodrive creates an Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE in just 60 seconds. The process took nearly three weeks in real time. Starting from just a bare shell, you first notice bits of wiring, suspension, and brakes appear on the chassis. Then the engine eventually arrives, but there's still a lot of work to do. The builders keep adding body panels and do lots of other wrenching. The process reminds us of building a plastic model kit but with much more expensive consequences if parts go missing. The #98 Vantage GTE will compete in the GTE Am class this season in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Drivers Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy, and Mathias Lauda are the lucky folks who get to pilot this beauty.

The Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante is a beautiful mouthful

Aston Martin makes some of the most beautiful sportscars in the world. There are few bad looking Astons and most attempts to modify or change the cars' characters usually ends terribly. Zagato, the Milan-based coachbuilder, is one of the few companies that seems to get it right. Last year, the company debuted its Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato coupe and Vanquish Zagato Volante convertible. These new spy shots show the production car in action. As the name suggests, the Vanquish Zagato Volante is simply a Aston Martin Vanquish Volante restyled by Zagato. That means a 5.9-liter V12 sending 592 horsepower to the rear wheels. Expect a 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds. That's nearly as quick as the new Aston Martin DB11. The Vanquish Zagato Volante keeps the standard car's long-hood short-deck proportions, but most of the bodywork has been redone. The grille keeps the standard Aston Martin outline, but it grows in size and bubbles out just slightly. Round LED lights sit at the corners of the Z-emblazoned grille. Around the side, we can see the gold-accented wheels and fender. There is a deep cut for airflow just behind the rear wheel. The shape mimics that of the standard car, but changes it just enough to make it special. A carbon-fiber lip runs around the bottom of the entire car. Out back, the wing-shaped taillights have been replaced with round units that use bladelike LEDs. The quad exhaust tips remain in place, but they appear to sit slightly higher than on the standard car. The small rear wing raises and lowers at speed for increased downforce. Just 99 of these Vanquish Zagato Volantes will be built. Most are likely spoken for, going to owners of the coupe version of the car. After all, if you have one, you might as well have the set. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante View 12 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos Aston Martin Convertible Luxury Performance aston martin vanquish aston martin vanquish volante aston martin vanquish zagato