Aston unveils steroidal Vantage

Forget the James Bond-toting DBS, this is shaping as undoubtedly the hottest Aston Martin on the planet.

Say hello to the V12 Vantage RS concept, a pumped-up, stripped-down coupe that packs a 447kW race-bred V12 engine.

The covers were whipped off the concept at the inauguration of Aston's new design studio at Gaydon, Warwickshire.

Crucially, company insiders revealed that if the one-off is well received at the upcoming Detroit and Geneva motor shows, it could go into limited-run production towards the end of next year.

In the words of company boss Ulrich Bez: "We will listen with interest to feedback on this concept and, as ever, if there is sufficient demand then we will seriously consider a low-volume production run in the near future with a price that will reflect the exclusivity of the car."

The V12 Vantage RS would clearly be the fastest road car to wear the winged Aston Martin logo, and it may also be the priciest if it achieves production status.

If, indeed, it does become a production reality, it will create headaches for the likes of the Ferrari 599 GTB and Lamborghini Murcielago.

Its motive power comes from a detuned version of the 6.0-litre V12 that propels the DBRS9 racecar. In the V12 Vantage RS, it belts out 447kW at 6250rpm and a thumping 690Nm at 5000rpm.

In keeping with its high-po job description, the big V12 features dry-sump lubrication, more aggressive camshafts and free-flowing cylinder heads.

Although initially designed to house the 4.3-litre V8 that resides in the existing production model, Aston Martin says the flexibility of the VH (Vertical-Horizontal) platform enabled the V12 to be shoehorned into the Vantage's engine bay.

Aston's boffins have also pared vital kilos from the Vantage concept via a moulded carbonfibre bonnet and bootlid and carbon-ceramic brakes (which also offer improved stopping power).

Consequently, the V12 Vantage RS tips the scales at just 30kg more than the V8-powered car.

Wheels magazine extracted 0-100km/h and 0-400m splits of 5.7sec and 13.8sec respectively out of the garden-variety Vantage, so it's fair to expect the V12 version will bring these down to times that will match or better the 3.8sec and 11.9sec splits posted by the current Porsche 911 Turbo when tested by the same mag.

External clues that distinguish the V12 Vantage RS from its V8 donor car include subtle bonnet louvres and a deployable spoiler that rises automatically at high speeds for added downforce.

There's also a bespoke front bumper with cooling ducts for the carbon ceramic brakes, as well as a carbonfibre splitter to generate downforce over the front axle.

Now that we've wiped the drool off our chins, all we can say is: Bring it on… please!

To comment on this article click here