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Aston Martin V12 Vantage Discontinued  The V12 Vantage was previewed in 2007 by the concept V12 Vantage RS and a production version arrived two years later. Initially, Aston Martin planned to produce a total of 1,000 units and it had no intention of bringing the model to the U.S. market. Things have changed though and the V12 Vantage was eventually homologated for the U.S. market and the production was increased to about 1,320 units. This number includes both the roadster version and the V12 Zagato. Now, in an official later sent to its dealers, Aston Martin announced that no orders are being accepted for the V12 Vantage. It looks like the letter was sent on Friday April 19, 2013 and it basically confirms that the V12 Vantage is dead. This news comes as a big surprise, considering it is rumored that Aston Martin will also offer a small run of V12 Vantage "Centenary Editions." If this is still the plan, then our assumption is that these Centenary models are completely sold out. Click past the jump to read more about the V12 Vantage. Full story
Daniel Craig Bought Himself an Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster Birthday Present
Daniel Craig, aka Agent 007, celebrated his 45th birthday with a car worthy of his name: an Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster. Daniel Craig paid an impressive sum of £150,000 (around $226,000 at the current exchange rates) for his sports car, but unfortunately it does not come with an ejector seat or hidden weapons. The famous actor went to London to take delivery of his car and he dressed inconspicuously in an attempt to zip around London without anyone recognizing him. We are not very sure if he was successful in his attempt, but for sure he was very pleased with his new toy. And why wouldn’t he? The V12 Vantage Roadster is powered by a 6-liter V-12 engine that delivers an amazing 510 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, sprinting the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds and up to a top speed of 190 mph. 2013 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 Bilstein
Aston Martin, and the damping and suspension specialist, Bilstein, have been partners for a long time and now, the British automaker is paying homage to its long-standing partners with the unveiling of a special Bilstein-liveried V12 Vantage GT3. It’s safe to say that Bilstein’s iconic blue and yellow colors fit the V12 Vantage GT3 to a tee the same way its dampers do on all of Aston’s road cars. It’s a tie-up that seems natural too, considering the history between the two companies. And let’s not forget; the V12 Vantage GT3 is a pretty fantastic race car, too, one that is a direct line to Aston Martin’s V12 Vantage road car, sharing the same chassis and a modified version of the 6-liter V-12 engine. This is capable to deliver more than 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, but due to race regulations the output has been restricted to to approximately 550 horsepower. With the Bilstein and Aston Martin tie-up, we can only expect big things to come for this car in 2013. The Bilstein-liveried V12 Vantage GT3 will first be seen in action at the ADAC Westfalenfahrt four-hour race (VLN1) on March 23rd before proceeding to the ADAC ACAS H&R Cup (VLN3) on April 27th in preparation for the ADAC Zurich 24-Hour race on May 19th and 20th. UPDATE 05/15/13: The Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 is ready to rumble out on the track after the British brand officially announced plans to compete in this weekend’s Nürburgring 24 Hour race. Best of luck, fellas! TMG-AMR North America Wants You to Dress Up Their Vantage GT3 Racecar
Back when we were all kids, a lot of us probably did that thing where we’d take a Bburago auto scale model and proceed to paint over the existing car’s body color in whatever livery we can think of. It ruined far more models than we would’ve liked, but it was pretty fun. Fast forward to today and the TRG-Aston Martin Racing North America team is asking us to submit our very own paint scheme creations for its Vantage GT3 racecar. The prize? They’re going to take that livery design of yours and use it to dress up their third race car. All you need to do is do a preliminary design study using photos of the Vantage GT3 that you can download on TRG’s Facebook page. You can use any photo-editing program you want and you can enter as many times as you want with the deadline for submissions set on February 20. Once you’re done with your work, all you have to do is post the photo on their Facebook page! It’s pretty easy to do if you’re proficient in any of the aforementioned photo editing software. What might be more difficult is impressing the panel of judges that include Kevin Buckler, CEO of TRG-AMR North America, John Gaw, Managing Director of Aston Martin Racing, and Aston Martin Racing Factory Driver Darren Turner. But if you can catch the attention of these three individuals, you just might find your livery design on one of the three Vantage GT3s that will be racing in a 2013 Grand-Am event in North America. Well, what’re you waiting for, guys! Start putting those creative juices to work! 2013 Aston Martin V8 Vantage SP10
The Aston Martin Vantage V8 S is currently offered with a seven-speed Sportshift II gearbox - not the best thing if you are a true pilot and want to feel like you are in the control of the car. Things are going to change however, as now Aston Martin announced the V8 Vantage SP10 - a model inspired by the GT4 race car that races the VLN endurance championship at the Nürburgring. The car got its name from the SP10 class in the VLN series. The best part of this new version is that it offers a standard manual transmission - as a first for the S model - while the Sportshift transmission is only available as an option. We are pretty sure this news will make lots of people very happy. The new Aston Martin V8 Vantage SP10 will be offered in all European countries, except the U.K. The model is priced at €96,635 (around $130,000 at the current exchange rates). Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 Aston Martin V8 Vantage SP10. Full story 2013 Aston Martin Vantage GTE
Aston Martin is celebrating its centenary with ambitious plans for this year’s racing season, as it plans to win both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). In order to achieve its lofty goals, Aston Martin announced it will enter the races with four entries: two Vantage GTEs in both the Pro and Am classes. Two of the cars, No. 97 and No. 99, will be based on the V8 Vantage and will be heavily revised when compared to the model used in the 2012 racing season, while cars No. 95 and No. 96 will be built on the 2012 specifications. Aston Martin revealed nearly no details on the 2013 Vantage GT2, but it confirmed the cars will get redistributed weight, revised suspension and a new fly-by wire throttle – a newly allowed feature under this year’s regulations. Everything else seems to be pretty much identical to the road-going version: aluminum structure, and the design of the engine and suspension. Hit the jump for more details on the 2013 Aston Martin Vantage GTE. Full story 2010 Aston Martin V8 GT2 by Jota Racing
When Aston Martin Racing engineers designed the Vantage GT2 a few years ago, it was built to be a strong competitor in the GT2 race series. Racing team Jota Racing has even been a loyal partner of Aston Martin since the two companies inked a deal back in 2010 that allowed Jota Racing to use the Aston Martin Vantage GT2 in its forays into the world of GT2 racing. Recently, the two proved that their relationship was as strong as ever after Jota unveiled its official 2013 GT2 race car: the Vantage GT2. The car itself is based on the V8 Vantage, which shouldn’t be confused with the V12 version that’s being used in the GT3 series. Building it to adhere to racing regulations, the GT2’s body is made from bonded aluminum structure, a material taken directly from the V8 Vantage, and integrating an aerospace-specification-steel roll cage. Every component of the body, excluding the roof, is made from lightweight carbon fiber. Additionally, an advanced aerodynamic package is part of the car’s overall set-up, with the components including a carbon fiber splitter, flat floor and diffuser, and a carbon rear wing. With all these changes, the Vantage GT2 only weighs 1,175 kg (2,590 pounds), a shade over the 1,150 kg (2,535-pound) minimum weight that the FIA requires. The V8 GT2 retains a host of the road car’s engine mechanics, including the cylinder block, heads and crankshaft, while also using competition-spec components on the cylinder heads, connecting rods, valves, camshafts and the racing exhaust system. The engine itself is a 4.475-liter V-8 engine that produces in excess of 450 horsepower and 369 pounds-feet of torque. The engine mates to a mid-rear mounted, six-speed paddle-shift transmission with a ‘flat shift’ and competition clutch. Finally, Jota Racing dressed up its GT2 Vantage in its own team colors: a white front body with a grey rear and orange trims throughout the race car and completed with the usual sponsorship badges. It’s a stylish package that doesn’t go overboard with the overall colors. This is definitely a car to look out for on the GT2 starting grid next year.
2013 Aston Martin Vantage "Project Kro" by SR Auto Group
The return of SR Auto Group’s Project Kro for the Aston Martin Vantage was long overdue. But now that it’s back, it’s back with a vengeance. The combination of the British supercar’s sporty elegance and the expert tuning exploits of the Canadian aftermarket company has turned this Aston Martin Vantage into a piece of black-and-green awesomeness. We know SR Auto Group has made programs like this a thing of habit, but there’s something about Project Kro that really draws a lot of attention to it. Maybe it’s the polished black body, or maybe it’s the subtle lime green linings on the hood and the brake calipers. Maybe it’s even the set of 21-inch Modern Black PUR 8IGHT wheels that SR Auto Group was able to acquire from PUR Wheels’ 2012 collection. Whatever the case may be, SR Auto Group’s Project Kro program for the Vantage is really one for our books, despite its lack of performance updates. Aston Martin will Race in North America Next Season
Aston Martin and TRG (The Racers Group) have just signed a partnership that will bring the famous British sports car to a North American racing series starting next season. TRG will receive a total of 10 race cars that will be seen in competitions like the Twelve Hours of Sebring, Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, The Grand American Rolex Series and the Pirelli World Challenge Series. The first model we will see on the race track is the Vantage GTE. It will be unveiled at the Sebring winter test session on February 7th and then raced in the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. The TRG-AMR Vantage GT3 will be raced in competitions like The Grand American Rolex Series and the Pirelli World Challenge Series, while the V8 Vantage GT4 will be raced in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. The GTE version and the GT4 are based on the production version Vantage V8 and are powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 engine producing 420 horsepower, while the GT3 is based on the V12 Vantage and will be offered with a 6.0-liter V-12 engine. "We are delighted to form this innovative new partnership with TRG which presents great potential across a variety of racing competitions. In TRG we have a proven race partner who clearly knows how to be competitive and win races, helping us achieve new levels of success in North American motorsport for Aston Martin," said John Gaw, Managing Director of Aston Martin Racing.
Aston Martin Vantage Carbon Black Driver Banned from Driving After 181 mph Joyride
The Aston Martin Vantage Carbon Black is one fast piece of machinery, as it features a 6-liter V-12 engine that pumps out 510 horsepower and 420 pound-feet with a top speed of 190 mph. Not many Aston Martin owners ever really sniff that top speed, but when they do, it is typically on a closed course or somewhere that it is permissible, like the Autobahn. There are two reasons that drivers don’t do this on normal roads: No. 1- it is flat out unsafe and No. 2- you can get into serious trouble. One driver in Belgium named Erik Paris decided to get as close as he could to that top speed on the E17 highway in his home country, and he managed to get his ride up to 292 km/h (181 mph) with his friend filming it. In a fit of stupidity, his friend chose to upload the video on YouTube, which you can see above in all of its “The Doors” blaring glory. Apparently the authorities in Belgium are well aware of the Interwebz and YouTube, as they managed to dig up the video and nail the driver for this excessive speed. His punishment is pretty hefty too; a 30-month driving ban in the entire country. Actually, the punishment is relatively lax, considering the fact that Belgium law allows a ban of up to 5 years for this moronic act of negligence. Rumor has it, that following getting busted for this crazy act, Erik sold the Aston Marin. That is likely the wisest move that this man has ever made in his life.
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