Aston Martin hangs its largest engine in its smallest model one more time. We are introduced to the brand new Aston Martin V12 Vantage, a limited edition of Aston Martin’s joie de vivre to 333 pieces.
The V12 Vantage is back, but really for the last time. Aston Martin dares one more time to hang its largest source of power in its entry-level model. Until now, the Vantage was only available with the well-known biturbo 4.0 V8 from Mercedes-AMG, but as the V12 Vantage, the powerful 5.2 V12 with two turbos that you know from cars like the DB11 and DBS Superleggera will be available. The 510 hp regular Vantage drives many supercars simply the snot in mind.
The previous Aston Martin V12 Vantage (Roadster).
The 333 Aston Martin copies of the new V12 Vantage are in fact 700 hp and 753 Nm strong. Just like in the V12 Speedster. This makes the twelve-cylinder engine in the V12 Vantage slightly less powerful than the DBS V12 Superleggera in which the block stamps 725 hp and 900 Nm to the rear wheels. However, the V12 Vantage is in one fell swoop the strongest Vantage ever. It thunders to a speed of 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.4 seconds and should be able to reach a top speed of 322 km/h. On paper, the V12 Vantage isn’t even impressively much faster than the existing V8 Vantages. The Vantage with V8 sprints – with automatic transmission – to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 314 km/h.
Aston Martin Vantage
No V12 Vantage without the necessary optical finery, so Aston Martin has also turned the appearance of the latest incarnation of its crazy scion into an optical feast. The track of the V12 Vantage is 4 centimeters wider than that of the regular Vantage, so Aston Martin has given the V12 a so-called ‘widebody’. The V12 Vantage looks remarkably more exuberant than its predecessor. Aston Martin gives it a larger grille, around spoilers and lips and at the bottom of the rear we see a heavy rear bumper with two centrally placed bang pipes. At least as striking is the huge rear spoiler that adorns the lid. There is no such thing as subtlety anymore. The spoiler work provides the V12 Vantage at top speed with more than 200 kilograms of downward pressure.
Aston Martin Vantage
In order not to increase the weight of the V12 Vantage too much due to the arrival of the larger V12, Aston Martin has used carbon fiber for the front bumper, hood, front screens and tailgate. The exhaust system also provides a weight reduction of more than 7 kilos.
The Aston Martin V12 Vantage has an eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF, a machine that sends the power to the rear wheels via a mechanical differential lock. Adaptive dampers? Of the lot, the same goes for new strut bridges. The springs are 50 percent and 40 percent stiffer in the front and rear, respectively, than those of the Vantage V8. The standard carbon ceramic brakes should be able to calm the V12 Vantage properly again. These brakes also provide the top Vantage with a weight saving of 23 kilos. If you want, you can also order special lightweight wheels that reduce the weight by another 8 kilos.
Got greedy? Then we have to disappoint you. All 333 copies to be built have already been sold. The previous V12 Vantage was also available as a Roadster. It is not yet clear whether Aston Martin will also cut the roof of the new V12 Vantage.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl