Gaydon is readying its replacement, yet its baby supercar will go out with a bang, not a whisper.
The DB11 is the “it” Aston Martin right now and it heralds a new era for the rejuvenated British manufacturer, with new platforms and turbocharged engines underlining its rebirth as a credible opponent in the sports luxury segment.
The Vantage and its naturally aspirated engines are destined to go the way of the Dodo DB9, but there’s still life in the old dog and Aston is making the most of it.
Cue the hardcore GT8, the GT12’s eight-cylinder sibling and Porsche 911 GT3 rival-to-be. Essentially a stripped out and more powerful Vantage V8, it’s already been teased by Aston Martin and is currently lapping the Nordschleife with barely any camo at all.
One would expect engineers to simply replace the 6.0-liter V12 of the GT12 with a tuned version of the V8 and leave the rest of the race-derived package intact, but that’s not the case.
As is evident from the images, the front spoiler and rear diffuser are reshaped, the fixed wing is smaller, and the air outlets on the front fender and rear brake cooling ducts of the GT12 are missing.
Nevertheless, the GT8 promises to be a formidable weapon as, apart from its carefully tuned chassis it is also officially billed as the lightest Vantage ever, something that should definitely improve both its handling characteristics and performance.
Its production run will be limited to just 150 units and will carry an £170,000 (a bit over $240k) price tag. About time the all-conquering 911 GT3 got some serious competition, isn’t it?
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops
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