Tuesday 21st November 2017

Aston Martin Racing unveils Vantage GTE

You know what they say about Aston Martin Vantages, you wait 12 years for a new one and then two come along at once!

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Win on Sunday, sell on Monday, or so the old marketing adage goes. This has certainly been more accurate for some manufacturers than others, but when it comes to Aston Martin, the saying rings particularly true. In a bid to put the marque's wilderness years behind it, Gaydon has invested heavily in its motorsport programme, recasting the brand as cool, sporty and successful - and the current Vantage GTE has been central to that.

Not only has it taken 36 of Aston Martin's 50 international race wins to date, including multiple WEC titles, but last summer it claimed one of the most dramatic Le Mans class victories in living memory, ensuring it left suitably large racing boots for its successor to fill.

With the road car being unveiled earlier today, it has taken Aston just a few hours to follow it up with its track-going counterpart - further proof of just how closely intertwined the fortunes of these two cars are now seen as being.

So what are we looking at then? Well, fairly obviously, it's the new Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE. Designed and engineered in-house at Aston Martin Racing's headquarters in Banbury, and powered by an "extensively optimised" variant of the road car's Mercedes-AMG 4.0-litre turbocharged V8, it's the car that'll be looking to defend that Le Mans victory in seven month's time.

Balance of Performance will obviously dictate its final output, but we do know that Aston has partnered with several new technical partners to otherwise maximise its ability. These include a braking system from Alcon, suspension from Öhlins, and a bespoke tyre programme from Michelin.

It seems to be so far, so good, too, because while the new road car has only just been launched, development of the GTE is well underway. With more than 13,000km of testing completed - including a 30-hour run at Navarra and a rigorous durability programme at Sebring - Aston reports the new car's reliability as being "exceptional straight out of the box" with the drivers saying that it's also easier to control on the limit than its predecessor. An attractive proposition for all those gentleman drivers out there...

Talking about the new car, President of Aston Martin Racing, David King said, "Motorsport is fundamental to the DNA of Aston Martin and our commitment to the FIA World Endurance Championship is stronger than ever. This is a golden era for GT racing and today's launch of the new Vantage GTE will ensure that Aston Martin Racing remains at the forefront of the world's greatest endurance series."

[Andrewph75]

Another reason to look forward to Le Mans 2018, still miss the V12 noise though...

[Krikkit]

Phwoar. Much more handsome than the road car, I'd like to get rid of that silly diffuser though, they were better when it wasn't quite as tacked-on looking...

[justboxsters]

Christ!

[205pat]

Andrewph75 said:

Another reason to look forward to Le Mans 2018, still miss the V12 noise though...

It was a V8 in the old race car, and this new one sounds even better!

[noble12345]

Want one now and a racetrack for at least 3 years and a billion sets of tires as i plan on going sideways a lot

[JohnnyQ86]

205pat said:

Andrewph75 said:

Another reason to look forward to Le Mans 2018, still miss the V12 noise though...

It was a V8 in the old race car, and this new one sounds even better!

I think this is what is being referred to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nax3ZvLb2X4#t=52s

Edited by JohnnyQ86 on Wednesday 22 November 02:19

[Vee12V]

205pat said:

Andrewph75 said:

Another reason to look forward to Le Mans 2018, still miss the V12 noise though...

It was a V8 in the old race car, and this new one sounds even better!

bks, no turbo engine sounds better than the N/A equivalent.

[DJM7691]

Vee12V said:

205pat said:

Andrewph75 said:

Another reason to look forward to Le Mans 2018, still miss the V12 noise though...

It was a V8 in the old race car, and this new one sounds even better!

bks, no turbo engine sounds better than the N/A equivalent.

I can assure you, having heard this car at full chat that it sounds incredible. Its a different noise than the old NA V8, but to my ears it sounds better. Think Merc AMG GT angry rumble, and then double it.

[DanielSan]

Vee12V said:

bks, no turbo engine sounds better than the N/A equivalent.

Turbo charged boxer in the STI sounds better than the N/A version in the GT86.

Now pipe down

[Gary29]

Nurse!!!

[sidesauce]

DanielSan said:

Vee12V said:

bks, no turbo engine sounds better than the N/A equivalent.

Turbo charged boxer in the STI sounds better than the N/A version in the GT86.

Now pipe down

Ouch!

[Andrewph75]

To clarify the V12 comment, Aston did used to run a V12 at Le Mans in LMP1 which sounded awesome,also a V12 Vantage at Nurburgring 24hrs, which featured in a support race at Le Mans 2016 - that is what I miss.

[Andrewph75]

DJM7691 said:

Vee12V said:

205pat said:

Andrewph75 said:

Another reason to look forward to Le Mans 2018, still miss the V12 noise though...

It was a V8 in the old race car, and this new one sounds even better!

bks, no turbo engine sounds better than the N/A equivalent.

I can assure you, having heard this car at full chat that it sounds incredible. Its a different noise than the old NA V8, but to my ears it sounds better. Think Merc AMG GT angry rumble, and then double it.

Here you go, good video of it testing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpbkznudEtc

[Moonhawk]

Krikkit said:

Phwoar. Much more handsome than the road car, I'd like to get rid of that silly diffuser though, they were better when it wasn't quite as tacked-on looking...

I agree, much better looking.

Are the headlights a slightly different size - or is it just that they are framed by black - they look much better proportioned than the road car.

[DS240]

Andrewph75 said:

To clarify the V12 comment, Aston did used to run a V12 at Le Mans in LMP1 which sounded awesome,also a V12 Vantage at Nurburgring 24hrs, which featured in a support race at Le Mans 2016 - that is what I miss.

And the DBR9 prior to the Vantage.

[Never you mind]

Can some explain why the diffuser sticks out like that.

[Craikeybaby]

Krikkit said:

Phwoar. Much more handsome than the road car, I'd like to get rid of that silly diffuser though, they were better when it wasn't quite as tacked-on looking...

I agree, I'm not a fan of how the front of the road car looks, this is much nicer.

Does "in house at Banbury" actually mean Prodrive?

[DS240]

Never you mind said:

Can some explain why the diffuser sticks out like that.

Regulations permit a maximum size so they are maximizing aero rules.

[dank]

can't help seeing an MX5 in the road version....headlights particularly!

[bigmowley]

Lovely.

Clearly the vehicle is just the transport device for the rear diffuser.

Coming to a Corsa near to you soon