Reichman also said Aston’s road car operation will be making full use of the Formula 1 team’s resources, likely resulting in several tweaks in the Vantage’s design. The upgraded model was recently seen testing at the Nürburgring, revealing a smaller grille and smoother lines around the front end. The car’s rear appears to have received a reworked splitter with a quad-exhaust set-up and more aggressive air ducting from the wheel arches.
The chassis set-up is expected to take after the track-honed V12 Vantage, with improvements in poise and pace ranking high on the to-do list. Lightweighting is not likely to extend to a smaller engine, however: AMG’s six-cylinder wouldn’t work for the Vantage, Long said, because “the sound is so much” of the car’s raw emotional appeal. “We don’t build transport. We build dreams,” he added.
As such, the Vantage will use an uprated version of the 503bhp 4.0-litre V8 from the current-generation car. The new Mercedes-AMG SL 63 uses the same unit, but boosted to 577bhp, hinting at its potential in the new Vantage.
Prices are likely to rise significantly compared with the £133,920 starting price of the existing Vantage, given Aston’s push to become a profitable luxury brand. For reference, the larger DB12 is anticipated to start from £185,000 when it arrives later this year.
