Aston Martin Vantage ‘RS’ spied – Britain’s answer to the 911 GT3 inbound
Aston Martin’s most hardcore Vantage variant yet is inbound, with more power expected and a manual gearbox possible
Aston Martin is preparing a hardcore variant of its Vantage sports car. Though the name isn’t yet known, the car is being colloquially referred to as the ‘Vantage RS’ and is expected to be Gaydon’s answer to the Porsche 911 GT3. It’s certainly the next logical step in CEO Adrian Hallmark’s plan to expand a family of derivatives within each Aston Martin model line, to create a ladder for customers to progress through. This variant will be the next rung on the Vantage ladder when it breaks cover next year.
Visually and aerodynamically, the car is a prominent deviation from the current Vantage and Vantage S models. At the front, there’s a larger splitter with vortex generators at each end, while the grille is segmented into large sections, no longer vaned or featuring honeycomb mesh as per past Vantage models. At the side there are wider skirts, and visible from a rear three-quarter view are extended front arches with vents to reduce wheel well pressure.
The rear is probably the most dramatically different, with a sculptural, almost F1/Valkyrie AMR-inspired rear wing with flowing endplates. The legs are mounted at about the width of the rear window, with scope for adjustability or even active elements visible where the wing is mounted to them.
There’s also a new more aggressive diffuser element, with four exhausts exiting more centrally than on the standard Vantage, in a position more akin to the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. The wheels are Aston’s signature honeycomb design, though it’s unclear if these will make it to the production version.
In terms of power and performance, we do not expect this to be a new V12 Vantage and take the 800bhp-plus V12 of the Vanquish. More likely, it will feature a development of the current V8. We know the Mercedes-AMG M177 twin-turbo 4-litre V8 has scope for much more power even beyond the Vantage S’s healthy 671bhp figure. The S is 15bhp up on the 654bhp standard Vantage, so we expect this new hardcore Vantage to add at least that again over the Vantage S, for a minimum of 686bhp. More likely, this is a model that’ll cross the 700bhp barrier.
We also expect the model to boast a reasonable drop in weight, in spite of the extra bodywork it carries. Both the Vantage and Vantage S have a DIN weight in the region of 1670kg, so dipping under the 1600kg mark wouldn’t be an unreasonable hope for the upcoming hardcore Vantage.
A longer shot hope would be for the option of a manual gearbox. We know Aston Martin has mated a seven-speed Graziano box to the last-generation Vantage AMR, that broadly shares both the current Vantage’s engine architecture and core structure. So in terms of packaging, a manual would fit, or could be made to fit with relative minimal effort. CEO Adrian Hallmark has expressed interest in reintroducing manual as an option and a more hardcore, but also more driver-focused model such as this Vantage, would be an opportunity to do so.
