aston martin unveils vantage, GT3 variant, and AMR24 F1 cars

Aston martin’s vantage sports car, gt3 racer & AMR24 formula 1

Aston Martin reveals three new vehicles in one day: the new Vantage sports car, its GT3 racer variant, and the AMR24 Formula 1 on-track vehicle.

‘Aston Martin has always been a phenomenal brand for British luxury, but in the recent years, we have been missing the third pillar: performance. We now have this, thanks to Formula1 and our amazing group of engineers,‘ promises Marco Mattiacci, Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer of Aston Martin Lagonda, at the launch event with designboom.

images courtesy of Aston Martin

Vantage GT3 racer by Aston Martin

Exploring the design of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, the racer introduces a wider grille aperture to increase the volume of cooling air to the brakes, giving the driver more consistent performance. The front nose of the race car is a one-piece clamshell made from carbon fiber and is designed with a quick-release setup so it can be removed and replaced in an instant in case of mid-race accident damage. The clamshell nose also houses a full-width laser light and a shorter splitter, the latter aimed at reducing the tilting of the race car and helping it be more stable as it speeds up.

Aston Martin unveils its Vantage GT3 race car (left) and Vantage sports car (right)

Aston Martin’s focus on the Vantage GT3 race car is to improve its performance enough to make it work at any circuit, on any tire, and with any driver. Achieving this means that the GT3 has tuned dampers, or suspension car parts that control the movement of the springs, that have been adjusted so they can respond to different road conditions and a more balanced downforce without affecting the suspension setup. The race car also uses its tires more evenly for stability, and the team first tested the Vantage GT3 in a virtual wind tunnel to understand and improve its aerodynamics and efficiency before bringing the vehicle on track with matched and refined specs from the data they gathered during virtual testing.

Aston Martin Vantage GT3 race car

Aston Martin says that its Vantage GT3 race car is the first product of the collaboration between Aston Martin Racing and Aston Martin Performance Technologies. The vehicle evolves from the recently retired Vantage GTE and GT3 cars, which made their debut in 2018. They all share similar mechanical architecture built around Aston Martin’s bonded aluminum chassis structure and are powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine. The release of the GT3 race car coincided with the introduction of the new Vantage road car, the sports car variant of this winged vehicle.

side view of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 race car

Aston martin’s vantage sports car design

Diving into Aston Martin’s new Vantage sports car design, the bonded aluminum body parts are joined with a larger and recontoured front grille aperture to increase airflow for additional vehicle cooling and to make the sports car stable at high speeds using lift reduction. More cooling design elements are added inside the bumper on the side of the grille, and the vehicle’s new integrated splitter with a wider and lower stance contributes to the aerodynamic function of the Vantage. The front design is completed with the new Matrix LED headlights, which feature Aston Martin’s new lighting signature.

‘How do you make an object look fast? The design looks like it is moving even when it is static. That is the trick. As light falls on the car, it is the front three-quarter poise that gives it a fast appearance,‘ answers Marek Reichman, Chief Creative Officer of Aston Martin Lagonda.

rear view of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 car

‘It has 150 more horsepower than previously, 38% greater grille capacity, and the outward vents are actually helping to breathe all of that horsepower as well. The wheels are pushing themselves out. It has a great stance. If one looks at the Vantage, it truly is a fit, athletic car,‘ confirms the Chief Creative Officer.

Aston Martin’s Vantage sports car comes with larger and more robust wheels through the 21-inch alloy-forged tires, and the arches around them are wider too to offer a more aggressive, sporty look. The side mirrors on the doors don’t have a frame, and the back of the car has a broader bumper that includes side openings and larger exhaust pipes to mirror the front design. Stepping inside the sports car, Vantage introduces its in-house-created infotainment, first introduced in the DB12, entirely developed by the Aston Martin team themselves from scratch.

the front nose of the race car is a one-piece clamshell made from carbon fiber

After the driver and passenger sit in their aromatic hand-stitched Bridge of Weir sports seats, they see a multi-screen system in front of them, featuring a 10.25-inch Pure Black touchscreen with multi-finger gesture control. Though most of the buttons are now digital using the touchscreen display, Aston Martin retains some physical keys for the Vantage sports car, including switches for gear selection, drive selection, heating and ventilation, chassis, Lane Assist, and Park Distance Control. Drivers are also afforded a new 3D mapping system that gives them lifelike and clear lane guidance and real-time traffic overlays.

Performance-wise, the Aston Martin Vantage sports car is powered by the reworked, hand-built 4.0 Twin-Turbo V8 engine with peaks of 665PS and a 800Nm of torque. The sports car can achieve a top speed of 202mph and can go from zero to 60mph in just 3.4 seconds. Along with the Vantage sports car, Aston Martin also unveils its AMR24 Formula 1 on-track vehicle with an overhaul of the sidepods and bodywork to improve airflow around the floor and over the rear wing. It is the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team that debuted the new race car, unveiled ahead of the Formula One World Championship season at the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2nd, 2024.

the front design of the Aston Martin Vantage sports car is completed with the new Matrix LED headlights