SPY PICS: Aston-nomical
Upcoming Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS promises ultimate performance, street credibility -- and pricingAston Martin chief Ulrich Bez said at the unveiling of the V12 Vantage RS concept during the opening of the new design studio in Gaydon, Warwickshire in 2007 that company executives would be closely monitoring public reaction to the pumped-up, trimmed down variant of the regular V8 Vantage to gauge whether or not future series production would be viable.
They did and they have, for now the hyper-Vantage is on the schedule for a European launch in the first quarter of 2009, and here, thanks to the Carparazzi team of spy photographers, we have the first views of a nearly road-trim car undergoing testing on Germany’s Nurburgring.
Equipped with a detuned 6.0-litre V12 from the DBRS9 Aston Martin racecar that is expected to pump out around 410kW, the Vantage RS should pare huge lumps off the regular 283kW V8 Vantage’s acceleration figures, meaning zero to 100km/h times around the four-second mark, as well as standing 400 metre times approaching 12 seconds.
As shown in the 2007 unveiling, the V12 engine featured dry-sump lubrication, tuned-length exhaust manifolds, re-profiled camshafts and reworked cylinder heads.
The RS will feature a carbon fibre boot lid, as well as a heavily louvered carbon fibre bonnet with a power bulge to enclose the bigger engine -- all in order to minimise weight. The grille is essentially unchanged, although it will be underslung by a much larger intake to gulp in extra cooling air.
At the back there will be a revised lip spoiler on the boot lid (if the photos are a true guide, it appears the pop-up spoiler featured on the concept may not happen) and a new diffuser-style rear bumper arrangement.
Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi (R8) -- any carmaker with plenty of kilowatts (and Newton metres) at its disposal will be fair game for Aston Martin with the new Vantage RS.
The price of the DBS RS in Europe is tipped to be around 225,000 Euros, indicating it would eclipse even the V12-engined DB9 coupe and Volante Astons in Australia, heading easily towards the $400,000 mark.
-- with Carparazzi
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