Aston Martin Teases Manual Vantage AMR, Out Next Week

Aston Martin will reveal the long-rumored manual version of the Vantage next week, releasing a teaser image on social media under the Aston Martin Racing banner.

The teaser image portrays three pedals in nod of the manual transmission of the new Vantage variant that’s expected to be more driver focused and host various other goodies from the AMR department.

This will be the first manual Vantage since the previous-gen V12 Vantage S and its dog-leg seven-speed transmission. Aston Martin then took its single-clutch paddle-shift unit and engineered it with a manual clutch and a dog-leg first gear layout.

The new Aston Martin Vantage AMR will also be the first car to pair AMG’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with a manual gearbox, details of which remain unknown at this point. The UK sports car maker may revive the seven-speed transmission, which helps achieve targets on both performance and emissions.

“The 4.0-liter AMG engine doesn’t come with a manual anywhere else. So, actually, to integrate a manual into it is not without its challenges,” Aston Martin’s chief engineer Matt Becker said last year. “The software doesn’t exist so you have to create your own software. The driveline system doesn’t exist so you have to create your own.

The twin-turbo V8 engine may also receive a small power boost over the standard model’s 503hp (510PS) and 505lb-ft (685Nm) of torque, which comes paired to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.