The second model in Aston Martin’s brand renaissance has been spotted.
The car is the new Vantage which will bow next year as a 2018 model.
The prototype spotted testing at Germany’s Nürburgring reveals a number of details for the upcoming sports car. The design language is similar to what we first saw on the new DB11 but the new Vantage sits lower, has a shorter wheelbase and overall looks sportier and more focused.
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer has described the car as being the option for track enthusiasts. He also confirmed it will continue to form the basis of Aston Martin’s endurance racing program.
The bumper designs are unique to the car and feature larger openings than on the DB11. The engineers are also testing a very aggressive front splitter on the prototype.
The finer details are heavily camouflaged but we’re told Aston Martin’s slinky DB10 sports car developed for the James Bond movie Spectre is a good indication of what’s to come.
Though it’s hard to gauge from the spy shots, it’s possible the Vantage will only come with two seats this time around, helping to further differentiate it from the DB11 which sticks with a 2+2 seating arrangement. A digital instrument cluster will feature at the front of the cabin and buyers should be able to select from either a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic.
Also helping to differentiate the cars will be the addition of a V-8 engine in the Vantage, with Aston Martin’s new twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12 reserved for the DB11 and next-generation Vanquish. The V-8 will be a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 sourced from Mercedes-AMG. It will have some unique treatments to provide the Vantage with its own power rating and soundtrack.
Underpinning the car is the same bonded aluminum structure found in the DB11. The new structure promises less weight, increased rigidity and better packaging.
Sales of the new Aston Martin Vantage should commence towards the end of 2017. The $138k starting price for the current model is a good bet for the lower bound of the new model’s pricing.
