Hello Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3...
Aston Martin Racing has released this rendering of the exciting new Vantage GT3 that which will make its competitive debut in 2012.
The car is a replacement for the six year old DBRS9 GT3 racer (although the DBR9 lives on in GT1 guise), and will be built around the Vantage aluminium VH architecture with a lightweight dry-sumped 6.0 litre V12 engine, based on the V12 Vantage road car.
The new car will have a race semi-automatic paddle shift Xtrac gearbox and the latest race-developed ABS and traction control systems, optimised for the Vantage GT3, the company tells us.
"The DBRS9 has been a very successful GT3 racing car and, despite being more than six years old, is still competitive today," says John Gaw, Aston Martin Racing's MD. "However, the competition has moved on and we needed to create a new car that combines our six years' experience in this category with the latest race technology to continue Aston Martin's success in GT3 for many years to come."
The new racer has a target weight of 1250kgs and target performance figures of more than 600bhp and 516lb ft. Aston Martin Racing says the first real car will be completed in July for a comprehensive R&D programme, prior to ten customer cars being readied for the start of the 2012 season.