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Aston Martin is reportedly looking at building an even hotter version of its current-fastest V12 Vantage S, with much of the performance boost coming through weight reduction.
Speaking with Autocar, Aston Martin engineering boss Ian Minards suggests that significant weight loss is possible from the existing 1665kg V12 Vantage S. "It would be relatively easy to lose 100kg from the current car," he says. “That much could be saved by removing the air conditioning, simplifying the interior and fitting lightweight seats."
Following a similar approach to Porsche with its 911 GT3, such a car would build on Aston’s significant experience with racing the Vantage in production-based categories.
Beyond weight loss, Aston CEO Ulrich Bez suggests there’s more to be squeezed out of the 6.0-litre V12 than the current 421kW/620Nm outputs. "We could get more power than we have now even if we made the engine smaller to help with economy and emissions."
Such an improvement to the V12 Vantage S’ power/weight ratio could exceed the current 911 GT3 and approach that of the Ferrari 458, and could see the Vantage S’ 0-100km/h figure of 3.9 seconds drop significantly.
The project is still yet to be given the go-ahead from Aston however, which would make any production debut before 2015 unlikely.
This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn
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