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Aston Martin reveals hardcore Vantage GT3 special edition

If there are two things of which we've seen a lot in recent years, they're versions of the Aston Martin Vantage, and road-going sports cars wearing the name GT3. And you know what? We're not tired of either just yet. So we're pleased to report that the two have come together with the release of the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The ultimate evolution of Gaydon's nimble little sports car, the Vantage GT3 is lighter and more extreme than any version to date. Envisioned as a street-legal mid-point between Aston's successful racing cars and its coveted luxury GTs, the Vantage GT3 packs a number of key upgrades to make it lighter, more powerful and more hard-core than its stablemates. For starters, the company's ubiquitous 6.0-liter V12 has been upgraded with a new intake manifold and torque tube made from magnesium and a full titanium center-exit exhaust system. Although final figures are yet to be announced, Aston Martin figures it'll crank out around 600 metric horsepower – 592 by our standards, more than any iteration of the engine to date (including the flagship Vanquish) or any road-going Aston this side of the One-77. The other side of the power-to-weight ratio is optimized through the extensive use of carbon fiber. Aston has replaced the front fenders, hood and doors with the lightweight weave, as well as the center stack and Alcantara-trimmed racing buckets. Customers can even opt for a carbon-fiber roof and the rear glass to be replaced by plexi. The result is a projected curb weight of around 3,450 pounds, or a good 220 pounds lighter than the V12 Vantage S. A more extreme aero kit (also made of carbon, naturally) includes a splitter jutting out from under the nose and a big rear wing, and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires sit at the edges of a wider track. Only 100 examples of the Vantage GT3 will be offered after its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, with deliveries slated to begin later this year as Aston prepares its next generation of Mercedes-powered sports cars. INSPIRED BY RACING: THE ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE GT3 SPECIAL EDITION - Lightweight and extreme Vantage special edition limited to 100 cars - Motorsport-derived chassis, aerodynamics and handling - Bridges the gap between road and race track driving 18 February 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin is today revealing the first details of its most potent and uncompromising Vantage to date: the track-inspired Vantage GT3 special edition.

Bathurst 12-hour gallery is GT3 heaven [w/video]

The 2015 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour race was run this weekend at the Mt. Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, Australia. Race photographer Joel Strickland sent us a huge batch of photos, all of which make us salivate for the switch to GT3 rules in the United SportsCar Championship; the top seven finishers at Bathurst were of seven different makes: Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3, Audi R8-LMS Ultra, Aston Martin Vantage GT3, Bentley Continental GT3, Mercedes SLS AMG GT3, Ferrari F458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo. It was a sweet victory for the No. 35 car driven by the NISMO Athlete Global Team after it crashed in Saturday qualifying, and then was only in third place on the penultimate lap. The three-man driving team included two GT Academy winners, one of whom, Florian Strauss, has only been a professional race car driver for 18 months. It's the first time the GT-R has won at Panorama since the original R32 "Godzilla" took back-to-back wins in 1991 and 1992. Second place went to the No. 15 Phoenix Racing Audi R8-LMS Ultra, 2.4 seconds behind the winners, third to the Craft Bamboo Racing Aston Martin Vantage not even half a second behind the Audi. The Bentley Motorsport team, in its first Bathurst 12-Hour with two cars, had its No. 10 Continental GT3 in the lead until the penultimate lap and in second place until the final corner, but crossed the line in fourth after some rubbin'-is-racin' action from chasers. And if pictures aren't enough, as of writing you can still watch the live stream of the entire race at the Bathurst 12-Hour site. Or, if you don't have the time, at least be sure to check out the last five minutes, below. Enjoy. Featured Gallery 2015 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour View 118 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Joel Strickland / AOL Motorsports Aston Martin Audi Bentley Nissan Coupe Racing Vehicles Videos aston martin vantage gt3

The last gunfighter | 2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S First Drive

Here's a deliciously subversive thought for you: Stats are ruining enthusiast cars. We use them to rank the latest models, critique them, and deify them. Sometimes the numbers happen to align with a bunch of intangibles, and the car becomes transcendent – like the Ferrari 458 Speciale, a very special thing indeed. There are cars with great numbers and very little charisma; I've driven many of them. And then, there are the number-based narratives that mislead us. For example, the hoopla around the Mazda MX-5's horsepower, or the continuing lack of a Toyobaru with a turbo – frustrating crosstalk about purist platforms better understood on track than on paper. The 2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S is flawed, old, and weak – so say the insidious numbers. A mechanical watch doesn't keep time as well as a quartz one, the numbers say. A tube amplifier produces an inferior sound, the numbers say. The way to fight back is to stop this slavish devotion to the stats and go wind the thing out on good roads in imperfect conditions, which is to my mind the ultimate test of a grand tourer's competence. Southern California was rocked this winter by wild weather – much of the Angeles Crest Highway that dances along the spine of the San Gabriel Mountains was closed due to heavy snow. So much for Plan A. Some roadside rerouting led to some promising roads, so I pointed the Aston into the curves. The V12 roar is a profound part of this car's appeal. Uphill and building steam, the Vantage is a symphony's brass section playing the sounds of wolves on the hunt. Downshifts yowl and snarl like a pack crashing through the underbrush in search of prey. Under deceleration, it sounds like lupine static, unearthly and resonant; wound out it's a frenzied whir. Every stab of throttle brings an immediate response: sound and acceleration in equal measure. If you have even the barest appreciation of joy, you can't stay out of the throttle. This is soulful, warm, analog – but merely honest rather than consciously retro. There's nothing here trying to simulate an authentic experience – it is an authentic experience. It's all right there, under the long and delicate hood – twelve cylinders displacing 5.9 liters. And inside the cabin, a seven-speed manual gearshift lever that moves through a dogleg pattern. This watch requires winding; it's a tactile experience that the quickest, most sophisticated dual-clutch automated manual can't touch.