Porsche has been using the GT3 moniker for its track-focused 911 models for about sixteen years now, and the fact that Aston Martin “dared” to use it on the V12 Vantage GT3 didn’t go down well in Stuttgart.
According to a recent report from Goodwood Road & Racing, lawyers of both companies have been holding talks for a few months, with Porsche claiming the GT3 name is its own designation for road cars and Aston Martin replying that the name is a racing category now and can be used by anyone.
The British carmaker also argued that the GT3 name had been used before Porsche put it on the 996 GT3 in 1999, by the Lotus Esprit GT3. Still, the folks from Stuttgart didn’t want to drop the issue, which is why Aston decided to let it go.
The company has decided not to waste money on litigation and instead opted to rename the car the Aston Martin GT12. To make sure people make a connection between it and the racing car it is derived from, the latter has also been renamed the GT12.
It doesn’t happen that often that a car changes its name after its launch, but that’s the way trademarks work. Anyway, the 100 customers who ordered the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 will probably don’t mind the last-minute name change. Interestingly, Porsche didn’t seem to have any issues with Bentley using the GT3-R name for the road-going version of the Continental GT3 racer.
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