V12 GT3 update
Discussion
Let's assume that people who buy go for the Factory spec rather than lux it up. Then the 100-150kg of weight saving together with a little more bhp, torque, gearing and aero I would suspect adds up to a significantly different driving experience. As well as the CF body.
Oh and the looks...Not sure anyone will confuse it with other models!
I wouldn't say it's not to my taste, as I suspect if I had the money to have a little fleet of cars, this would be in there. But I don't and so I don't. So am looking forward to seeing one of these on the road. I suspect it will have some road presence!!!
It's a good thing in limited numbers IMO.
Hope the guys and gals who bought one aren't shy and bring them out to play!
Oh and the looks...Not sure anyone will confuse it with other models!
I wouldn't say it's not to my taste, as I suspect if I had the money to have a little fleet of cars, this would be in there. But I don't and so I don't. So am looking forward to seeing one of these on the road. I suspect it will have some road presence!!!
It's a good thing in limited numbers IMO.
Hope the guys and gals who bought one aren't shy and bring them out to play!
SELON said:
Let's assume that people who buy go for the Factory spec rather than lux it up. Then the 100-150kg of weight saving together with a little more bhp, torque, gearing and aero I would suspect adds up to a significantly different driving experience. As well as the CF body.
Sorry to harp on about it, but if the factory release is accurate, it's only 100kg saving and that's without lux, but with (presumably) expensive additional weight saving options. That saving also includes the CF body. The gearing has been announced as identical to that in the standard V12VS hasn't it ?
And the bhp gain is about the same as removing the rear cats and MUCH more than a certain well known firm who post on here occasionally when they replace the manifolds back exhaust system
The car looks fabulous! I do remember putting on a post that Aston should build a car like this. I also remember being given a bit of a slapping for suggesting it! I would not be surprised if a V8 example was to follow. We all know that they are going to struggle with their existing model range until the AMG engined replacements arrive. This is an ideal way to keep selling new cars and maintain exclusivity, don't imagine many will actually make an appearance on track as they will still not be able to mix it with others out there. I would also imagine that the quoted weight will pile back on as owners spec the car . Cunning plan: charge them more give them less! Porsche are quite good at this! 
robgt3 said:
The car looks fabulous!
Agreed! It's a bit difficult to comment much on the tech specs when there's so much ambiguity in the various articles. Just seems a bit unprofessional not to make specs very clear from the start.
However, it looks fantastic and that's a great start. Would rather have seen a more sculpted rear wing rather than the flat plank affair. Race car style wings on road cars can be a hit or a miss looks wise and this car isn't improved by it. They can still be effective following the contours of the back end - P1 for example.
Congratulations Aston Martin.
I very much like the details, the design, and the overall look.
Would I add one to my collection? - Err, no.
To me an Aston Martin is either, an understated sports car with adequate road performance and touches of luxury, or it is a snarling racer on the track, proving the marque by winning WEC races (beating Chevrolet, Porsche and Ferrari).
Driving the flamboyant GT3 on the road would make me think, I should have my cap on backwards, and do I have plenty of spare front splitters.
I am sure though, that there will be a queue of buyers who will love their GT3s, and hopefully it will be a profitable model for Aston Martin. I look forward to seeing one.
robgt3 said:
The car looks fabulous! I do remember putting on a post that Aston should build a car like this. I also remember being given a bit of a slapping for suggesting it! I would not be surprised if a V8 example was to follow. We all know that they are going to struggle with their existing model range until the AMG engined replacements arrive. This is an ideal way to keep selling new cars and maintain exclusivity, don't imagine many will actually make an appearance on track as they will still not be able to mix it with others out there. I would also imagine that the quoted weight will pile back on as owners spec the car . Cunning plan: charge them more give them less! Porsche are quite good at this!
I do recall that post Rob...are you getting a percentage? 
Porsche are indeed the experts at this type of proposition! Obviously they sell a lot more cars hence there isn't the 'outrage' that people then go and spec the lux and heavy items back in to their own car. Let's hope the lucky buyers of this model keep it as lightweight as possible.
I profess to being a bit ignorant in the track and racing dept myself, but I believe Porsche themselves rely on more distant past glories in this area, hence their recent return to the LM series?
I think AM have recent and credible racing experience to create their own GT offering and their own take on it.
This is a new market for AM and if they make money out of it then hopefully the can invest and build V8 versions, as Rob says and expand their product range further.
Of course, I would really like them to go back and sell 5 cars per year and keep the exclusivity and be "gentlemans" cars only, but they wouldn't survive in any form like that in the modern world. So good luck to them.
George29 said:
Says it has Brembos.
I thought all the Gaydon cars have Brembos (obviously not the Cygnet).
In David's recent topic, http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
, you can see how Brembo ceramic discs are made. No wonder they are expensive.
SELON said:
I profess to being a bit ignorant in the track and racing dept myself, but I believe Porsche themselves rely on more distant past glories in this area, hence their recent return to the LM series?
I think AM have recent and credible racing experience to create their own GT offering and their own take on it.
This is a new market for AM and if they make money out of it then hopefully the can invest and build V8 versions, as Rob says and expand their product range further.
It's an interesting pointI think AM have recent and credible racing experience to create their own GT offering and their own take on it.
This is a new market for AM and if they make money out of it then hopefully the can invest and build V8 versions, as Rob says and expand their product range further.
Porsche have a separate motorsport development centre that does the racecars and the most extreme roadcars (GT3). They take a road car and then spend a fortune in R&D, developing improvements from dynamic engine mounts, to reworked engines, different suspension, different aero, etc. One of that department's jobs is to strip weight. They will sometimes use parts used on the racecars, or ideas influenced by the racecars, on the extreme roadcars
Whatever Aston say about the influence of their racecars on this new V12GT3, I don't buy it. I've seen the latest video interviews & press releases where they suggest this new car is almost halfway between current race & road car, but I just don't see it, other than the wider track
The aero on the new car, however much better than on any current Aston road car (which I'm sure it is), doesn't appear to have anything in common with the existing race cars and the new stuff, like wheels, interior, etc certainly don't. Furthermore, I thought Prodrive (effectively Aston Martin Racing) build/design the Aston race cars ?
So whilst Aston have more recent success than Porsche, particularly in road derived cars rather than say the 919 Le Mans racer, they don't capitalise on it particularly well
This new Aston has been designed by the roadcar division and is 'inspired by V12 GT3 racecar' - no more than that IMO. In terms of what they have announced, other than aero & wider track, it's just been some very obvious & relatively easy weight savings but for instance the engine 'upgrade' appears to be nothing more than the current roadcar engine with a fancy manifold/exhaust system
This is a 1565kg road legal track special - that's simply too heavy for the money - the target weight of 1500kg was just about OK, but in reality you should be aiming for 1450 which is still 150kg heavier than a 458 Speciale which has about the same power as this Aston - a Speciale (c. £200k, not as exclusive as this Aston but stellar residuals) will IMO slaughter the new Aston
Don't get me wrong - I think the new car will be great and a lot of fun to drive. I was in my V12V at Imola and one mate had his 458 - his car was faster but I'm sure I had just as much fun. But AM must understand something about the trackday market and must know this new car is not really a competitor for other trackday roadlegal cars, partly because of the price/performance ratio, of course partly because they are only making 100 so it doesn't really matter and partly, things like the new splitter I keep harping on about. Porsche make the bottom of their GT3/RS in plastic/rubber so it can be replaced for a few hundred quid when it inevitably gets scraped. I'm sorry but who takes a car like this new Aston to a track on a regular basis knowing a new splitter will cost what, £5k including painting & fitting ?
BravoV8V said:
I know it's been said before but I'll say it again...
I'm confused by the GT3 branding.
It doesn't look like the actual GT3, and it shares very little of the same tech. So, why the same name??!?
Quite. It's simply capitalising on the roadgoing Porsche GT3, which is widely regarded as the best road legal trackday car on the marketI'm confused by the GT3 branding.
It doesn't look like the actual GT3, and it shares very little of the same tech. So, why the same name??!?
jonby said:
Don't get me wrong - I think the new car will be great and a lot of fun to drive. I was in my V12V at Imola and one mate had his 458 - his car was faster but I'm sure I had just as much fun. But AM must understand something about the trackday market and must know this new car is not really a competitor for other trackday roadlegal cars, partly because of the price/performance ratio, of course partly because they are only making 100 so it doesn't really matter and partly, things like the new splitter I keep harping on about. Porsche make the bottom of their GT3/RS in plastic/rubber so it can be replaced for a few hundred quid when it inevitably gets scraped. I'm sorry but who takes a car like this new Aston to a track on a regular basis knowing a new splitter will cost what, £5k including painting & fitting ?
Not me! But someone with £250k plus change to spend...? Fair points though Jonby.
jonby said:
cayman-black said:
AMDBSNick said:
They need to be 
I always thought the ceramics where good, or is that just for road use?
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