007 will get his man— and women— much quicker with the new Aston Martin V12 Vantage S.
Excepting the company’s 700-horsepower One-77 hypercar, this is the fastest street Aston Martin yet — celebrating 100 years of the great marque.
The new AM28 all-alloy, quad overhead camshaft, 48-valve V-12 doesn’t stop until 205 mph, delivering 565 bhp at 6,750 rpm and 457 lb/ft peak torque at 5,750 rpm. With low-rev performance also improved from the previous Vantage, the torque curve has both flattened and fattened, says Aston Martin — significantly improving driveability compared with the former V-8 Vantage S.
Among the performance components of the front mid-mounted 6-liter engine are Bosch engine management, CNC-machined combustion chambers, hollow cam shafts and fully catalysed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves.
The lighter rear mid-mounted seven-speed Sportshift™ III is a hydraulically automated manual transmission (AMT), providing paddle shift changes for optimum performance. Proven in Aston Martin Racing’s race-winning Vantage GT4, GT3 and GTE competition cars, the AMT delivers precise, swift gear changes with minimal torque interruption. A final drive ratio of 3.7:1 and a limited-slip differential also ensure exhilaration at low and top speeds.
“Learning from our successes on the track feeds the development of this type of car, and I’m proud to launch such an exciting sports car in this, our centenary year,” says Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ulrich Bez. “The new V12 Vantage S is, simply, pure Aston Martin. It is extreme in its nature yet truly timeless in its design language.”
The Adaptive Damping System (ADS) — also new for this Vantage — allows you to tune the car’s dynamics in Normal, Sport and Track modes. This, in turn, governs the new ZF Servotronic rack-and-pinion power assisted steering. With a 15:1 ratio, it’s linked to the adaptive damping button, featuring two-mode steering assistance designed to best match the Sport or Normal settings generated by the ADS.
The suspension is equally performance optimized. In the front are independent double wishbones incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar and monotube dampers; in the rear are independent double wishbones with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry, dual-rate coil springs and monotube dampers.
On the central console, a button controls a Sport mode which, to your requirements, alters throttle response, gearshift speed and timing as well as exhaust note, derived from that of the One-77 hypercar.
Front brakes are ventilated carbon ceramic discs, with six-piston monobloc calipers; the rear are ventilated carbon ceramic discs, with four-piston black-painted monobloc calipers.
In track mode, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) is engaged for the ABS system. At the front and rear are 19-inch, 10-spoke forged alloy graphite-painted wheels with diamond-turned finish. These are shod up front with Pirelli P Zero Corsa 255/35 ZR19s and Pirelli P Zero Corsa 295/30 ZR19s in back.
The restyled V-12 Vantage S coupe features an extruded bonded aluminium body structure, with a magnesium alloy, composite and steel body. The doors are also extruded aluminium with side-impact beams.
The new carbon fiber grille also includes black carbon fiber or titanium silver mesh. Created to maximize airflow to the V-12, the grille is inspired by that of the CC100 Speedster Concept — DBR100 for the centennial — which recently debuted at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. A carbon fiber front splitter, rear diffuser, hood vents and flared wheel arches add to the look of a great performer.
For lighting, main beams are halogen projector headlamps in black bezels; in the rear are LEDs and clear lamps bordered in black.
The interior features revised stitching and welt detailing, and two full-grain leather options are available — Luxmill and semi-aniline — with the possibility of including Alcantara. The sports steering wheel, in fact, is Alcantara trimmed with a black airbag ring.
The electrically adjustable sports seats have side airbags, and you may choose lightweight sport and carbon fiber seat options. The optional Carbon Fibre Interior Pack adds the material to the facia and door pulls, which are, in standard trim, Piano Black. Additionally personalize your V12 Vantage S with black pedals for the bespoke finish.
Other standard and optional features include a trip computer; satellite navigation system and LED map-reading lights. Entertainment and connectivity are impressive, with Bluetooth® telephone preparation; a 160W Aston Martin audio system and six-CD autochanger; an integrated Apple iPod® connector; USB connector with Waveform Audio Format (WAF); and Windows Media Player (WMA) and MPEG (MP3) audio file compatibility.
“The new V12 Vantage S is our most extreme Vantage to date — engineered to bring race car performance and technology to the open road,” Dr. Bez says. “It is elegant, yet brutal, and it is at the same time easy to control. It has everything that sums up Aston Martin: power, beauty and soul!”
Aston Martin V12 Vantage S, www.astonmartin.com.
