GT12 performance pack for V12VS

[AdamV12V]

Only just noticed this but AM are now offering a GT12 derived performance pack for the V12VS.

Quote "Unlock the power potential with the new V12 Vantage S Performance Pack. Derived from the Vantage GT12, the new V12 S Performance Pack delivers a power upgrade of up to 30bhp. Magnesium manifolds coupled with a full length titanium exhaust produce increased performance with a spectacular soundtrack. The all-new carbon fibre diffuser completes this pack by giving your V12 Vantage S an even sportier look."

Full details here: http://www.astonmartin.com/en/accessories/v12-vant...

Wonder how much that will be!

Anybody interested or already enquired?

[RobDown]

Hmm. I'll guess they will ask £12-13k

Which would be a lot on a cost/bhp. But that titanium exhaust does sound sooooo good!

[Brakke]

what the hell is AM doing?!

You buy a GT12 and then they go an offer the same power output to standard v12vs models??
Yes its still lighter and all that, but what the hell???!
Whats the point of paying the premiums to have the most powerfull V12 Vantage, and then get screwwed over by Aston like this and having STANDARD cars have the same power output.

What a joke.

[JBaps]

RobDown said:

Hmm. I'll guess they will ask £12-13k

Which would be a lot on a cost/bhp. But that titanium exhaust does sound sooooo good!

Well it's a lot cheaper that forking out for a GT12. Tempting for the noise alone ;-)

[outofstepuk]

RobDown said:

Hmm. I'll guess they will ask £12-13k

Which would be a lot on a cost/bhp. But that titanium exhaust does sound sooooo good!

I was told £13k

[RobDown]

Do I win the Internet as my prize?

[CSK1]

Hmmm, interesting! Is this for the Coupé only or also available for the Roadster? I may well be tempted. Not sure about the rear diffuser though. Maybe a tad too much on the Roadster.

[AdamV12V]

Well that's less than I was expecting to be honest. Isn't the titanium exhaust £7k on its own on a GT8, so I imagine the GT12 version must be at least as much if not more. Did that price include fitting or was it just for the parts?

OK, its a lot for 30BHP but if it makes it sound like a GT12 then it could be worth it just for that. Plus I assume the warranty is still valid and I imagine there was more potential for upside on resale than with non official factory equivalents?

I wonder if the new rear diffuser looks the same as the one on the GT12 too?

[FFM]

AdamV12V said:

Well that's less than I was expecting to be honest. Isn't the titanium exhaust £7k on its own on a GT8, so I imagine the GT12 version must be at least as much if not more. Did that price include fitting or was it just for the parts?

Yes, I though more than £13k too, that carbon diffuser alone it may well be £5k, another 6-7k for the titanium exhaust and the rest for the manifolds... the fitting is likely to be excluded but I may be wrong!

[jonby]

It's available for roadster and coupe but despite the literature & website not mentioning it, it's not available for manual V12VS

The new diffuser is required because the GT12 exhausts exit more centrally than V12V/V12VS.

I was quoted £12.5k by my local dealer but I didn't ask if that included fitting or was subject to VAT on top

I suspect a lot of the power increase is due to deleting the rear cats, which is the opposite approach to BR. The GT12 kit keeps the headers & their cats but changes all the pipework backwards including deleting the rear cats. The BR approach is to change the headers & remove the header cats, but keep the pipework behind (with the option of changing the rear cats to sportier less restrictive ones and changing the backbox)

Suspect you end up with 2 different approaches having something not vastly unsimilar at the end in terms of noise/power

[outofstepuk]

jonby said:

It's available for roadster and coupe but despite the literature & website not mentioning it, it's not available for manual V12VS

that's interesting. As someone considering the manual S roadster as a sort of ultimate incarnation (GT12 aside, and whatever the final ultimate special edition ends up being...) it would open the thought of getting a used paddle one, upgrading it and keeping the change.

I love a manual box, but I also like unnecessary extra power

Any idea why it isn't available for the manual? Is it something obvious I'm missing?

[jonby]

outofstepuk said:

jonby said:

It's available for roadster and coupe but despite the literature & website not mentioning it, it's not available for manual V12VS

that's interesting. As someone considering the manual S roadster as a sort of ultimate incarnation (GT12 aside, and whatever the final ultimate special edition ends up being...) it would open the thought of getting a used paddle one, upgrading it and keeping the change.

I love a manual box, but I also like unnecessary extra power

Any idea why it isn't available for the manual? Is it something obvious I'm missing?

I don't know the full technical answer but they have only thus far put that much power through the flappy box. Reading between the lines, they would need to do at least some form of testing of that much power through the manual box, perhaps involving some 'regulatory/homologation' issues, which I guess they haven't been able to justify whilst not knowing what the demand might be, or perhaps simply haven't had the time given all the new models right now

Theoretically to me as a layman, the box is essentially the same and shouldn't be an issue, but I am only a layman and I do understand my slightly vague explanation above is the reason the factory aren't making the option available on manual V12VS. Others may be able to expand on the technicalities

[SFO]

jonby said:

I was quoted £12.5k by my local dealer but I didn't ask if that included fitting or was subject to VAT on top

even if VAT needs to be added, it's a reasonable price for a full titanium exhaust, new rear diffuser and other bits

[12pack]

..perhaps also need to factor in somehow getting on 325 section tyres to get that power down.

[CSK1]

This sounds interesting and I may well go down that route. I emailed Gaydon but they said it hasn't been launched yet and will give me full details when released.
The only reservation I would have is the diffuser if it looks like the one fitted on the GT12, I think it looks nice on said GT12 as a Coupé but having seen pictures of the unique GT12 Roadster made by Q, I'm not too sure it would look good on a V12 Vantage S Roadster especially as the boot is different and the entire back end is less aggressive looking, not sure this would work, I have a feeling it wouldn't look right somehow. Ideally I need the Performance Pack without the GT12 rear diffuser but I think that wouldn't be possible because of the tailpipes' different location.

[Brakke]

CSK1 said:

I emailed Gaydon but they said it hasn't been launched yet and will give me full details when released.

Hmmm weird.... how is it possible that it hasnt been launched as the info is clearly stated on the website.....

The idea of a Manual GT12 would be AWESOME!
Im pretty sure you could get them to do it, just waive all rights of warranty and chuck them an extra 10k et voila...all doors opened

[AdamV12V]

jonby said:

outofstepuk said:

jonby said:

It's available for roadster and coupe but despite the literature & website not mentioning it, it's not available for manual V12VS

that's interesting. As someone considering the manual S roadster as a sort of ultimate incarnation (GT12 aside, and whatever the final ultimate special edition ends up being...) it would open the thought of getting a used paddle one, upgrading it and keeping the change.

I love a manual box, but I also like unnecessary extra power

Any idea why it isn't available for the manual? Is it something obvious I'm missing?

I don't know the full technical answer but they have only thus far put that much power through the flappy box. Reading between the lines, they would need to do at least some form of testing of that much power through the manual box, perhaps involving some 'regulatory/homologation' issues, which I guess they haven't been able to justify whilst not knowing what the demand might be, or perhaps simply haven't had the time given all the new models right now

Theoretically to me as a layman, the box is essentially the same and shouldn't be an issue, but I am only a layman and I do understand my slightly vague explanation above is the reason the factory aren't making the option available on manual V12VS. Others may be able to expand on the technicalities

Does sound odd - I can only imagine as you suggest that it is to do with the removal of the rear cats affecfing type approval or such like given the GT12 was only available with SSIII, thereby meaning a V12VS SSIII with the kit would still be approved as it would in effect be covered by the GT12 spec?

I just can't see that its the gearbox alone in itself. As far as I am aware the SSIII and dogleg box are the same gearbox underneath - the dogleg is just missing the semi-automated clutch bits and gains a old school gear lever. The snipit below is from the V12VSM dealer launch info and seems to back that up.



Let's hope they sort it out anyway whatever it is, I am tempted to enquire and push the question further about V12VSM, but equally tempted that just go with a straight forward pair of cat bypass pipes. I guess they might give a good 50% of the sound for just 5% of the cost, albeit with all the potential warranty and MOT issues to follow.

[CSK1]

AdamV12V said:

I wonder if the new rear diffuser looks the same as the one on the GT12 too?

Well, in this case the rear bumper would need to be changed as well, the GT12 diffuser taking the lower portion on each side of the bumper whereas on the V12 Vantage S the diffuser doesn't extend to the lower section of the bumper on each side.
I imagine the diffuser of the Performance Pack will therefore be different than the one fitted on the GT12.

Edited by CSK1 on Wednesday 14th September 10:07

[jonby]

GT12 is also significantly wider than any other road legal vantage so that diffuser couldn't fit a non-GT12 vantage even with a new bumper

[CSK1]

Well, hopefully it will be slightly more discreet than the GT12 diffuser. I like the idea of a power upgrade you don't notice from the outside, just a better breathing engine and a purer even less restricted soundtrack. Could AML please release some pictures of said diffuser?