Aston Martin Vantage GT4 revealed – less weight, slick tyres and more aero
Aston has unveiled its Vantage-based GT4 race car, and it’ll be hunting for class wins at endurance events this year
If the Aston Martin Vantage and Vantage GT3 represent two ends of the spectrum for the firm’s 911 rival, this sits somewhere in the middle. Meet the new Vantage GT4: Aston’s entry-level GT racer that will compete in endurance events this year.
Sitting a rung below the Vantage GT3, the GT4 is less powerful and features fewer bespoke components but promises to offer class-leading drivability and pace. A wide spread of cars – from the Alpine A110 to the Ford Mustang and McLaren Artura – make up the current GT4 field, and the new Vantage features a host of technical improvements over its predecessor to challenge them.
Some of these developments are derived from the Vantage road car, including a new front end design with larger cooling apertures for the engine and brakes. A larger front splitter and swan-neck rear wing add downforce and reduce drag over the previous GT4, with a new composite bonnet featuring air outlets to cool the engine.
Beneath the skin is the production car’s bonded aluminium structure, which now incorporates a full roll cage. The suspension mounting points are unchanged, but the racer uses two-way adjustable KW coilovers and an increased range of camber adjustment. The 18-inch forged aluminium wheels are specific to the Vantage GT4, and its dry weight has been trimmed down to 1465kg – 140kg less than the production Vantage.
Power comes from an AMG-derived 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8, but where the road car offers 656bhp, the racer gives a more modest 469bhp. Peak torque is rated at 471lb ft, but both outputs can be raised via boost controller depending on Balance-of-Performance regulations.
The engine drives the rear wheels alone through the road car’s automatic transmission, but new software locks the gearbox in manual mode and cuts off seventh and eighth gear. A motorsport traction control system, carbonfibre dashboard and an F1-style steering wheel have also been installed for competition.
The new Vantage GT4 competed at last month’s Daytona 24 Hours in disguised form, but it’ll make its official racing debut later in 2024. Aston is scheduled to build 40 examples for customers by the end of this year.
