Alongside the Vantage road car reveal, Aston Martin just revealed its GT3 race car version of the two-door coupe. That said, it’s sort of a post-reveal “reveal” because this new Vantage already took to the track at last month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Today, we learn all the details and get to see the new Vantage racer in its hometown Aston Martin-designed livery. Like the road car, the new Vantage GT3 is sporting a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 under its hood. It’s a unique race version of the engine with bespoke turbochargers, a dry sump oiling system and much more. Power, of course, will be variable depending on Balance of Performance restrictions, but Aston says it’ll make “more than” 536 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. It uses a six-speed Xtrax sequential transmission and Alcon brakes for stopping.
The design and aero package is all new for this next-gen GT3 car, as is the suspension. Aston says its previous car had a lot of dive under braking, but through a lot of fine-tuning and testing with damper tuning, it believes the problem to be solved. It also expects greater stability from the car in all conditions and more even tire wear for long stints.
A new nose aids both aero goals and crews in possible repair situations. It’s all one single piece of carbon fiber now with a quick-release design for quick changes in pitlane should it become damaged on track. The Vantage has a shorter splitter, large louvers in the front wheel arches and even larger louvers in the rear arches, all to improve aero. And of course, its general design channels the new road version of the Vantage more than the previous one to keep it looking mighty fresh out on track.
Aston expects there to be as many as 30 Vantage GT3s competing in various race series around the world in 2024. You’ll see it on track at some iconic races like the Nürburgring 24 Hours, Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours, and the most important of them all, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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