Aston Martin’s Vantage GT3 special edition goes hardcore with lightened bodywork and 592 hp

By Stephen Edelstein Published February 18, 2015

While the bigger Vanquish takes on the role of luxury GT car, Aston Martin’s Vantage has focused on performance with a series of increasingly-aggressive variants, the latest of which will debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

The Aston Martin Vantage GT3 special edition is described as the “most potent and uncompromising Vantage to date” by its maker. That sounds like something worth looking into.

The new model is inspired by Aston’s racing efforts, and makes that connection with a number of steroidal body mods, including an aerodynamic package with a large rear spoiler and front splitter.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

It also features wider track, and plenty of carbon fiber pieces, including the hood, front fenders, door shells, and roof.

In addition, the car is equipped with a racing-style lithium-ion battery, and can be ordered with polycarbonate rear windows. All of this cuts weight down to 3,450 pounds, about 220 pounds lighter than a V12 Vantage S.

The same 6.0-liter V12 found in that model and many other Astons also motivates the GT3, but here it’s tuned to produce 592 horsepower.

Aston won’t discuss performance figures, but the combination of a lightened chassis and nearly 600 hp is always a good thing.

On the inside, the GT3 special edition is slathered in Alcantara and carbon fiber trim, as is typical of high-end road cars meant to evoke racecars.

Just 100 examples of the Vantage GT3 special edition will be made, with deliveries set to begin in the third quarter of 2015.

Everyone else will get to see this hardcore Aston at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show March 3.

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Mini’s infotainment system is very charming, but still needs work

Main screen of the Mini infotainment system

When you think Mini, you probably don’t think of infotainment. Personally, I think of the British flag taillights, the distinct exterior, and the surprising room on the inside. But after driving the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman over the past week, infotainment might well be something I think of more often when it comes to Mini. It’s charming.

It also, however, suffers from all the traps that other legacy automakers fall into when it comes to software design. Mini has something on its hands here — but it still needs some work.
Bringing the charm
The first thing that stood out to me about the system when I got in the car was how fun it was. That all starts with the display. It’s round! No, it’s not curved — the screen is a big, round display sits in at 9.4 inches, and I found it plenty large enough for day-to-day use.

Cars

Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?

Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Cars

EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says

ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.