The Aston Martin Vantage GT12 is the result of “a growing frustration at seeing other brands’ GT3 cars so well represented at track days”. At least that is how Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s design director, explains part of the thinking behind it.
This, then, is the most hardcore, track-focused variant of the Aston Martin Vantage, which, Aston Martin in V12 S form, is already hardly a shabby track car in itself. It’s so unshabby, in fact, that we placed it in the top three in our Britain’s Best Driver’s Car contest in 2013.
The GT12 – which was to be called GT3 until Porsche became unnecessarily uppity about the name – takes the V12 S as a base and makes it even more extreme. Think of it as Aston Martin’s answer to a Ferrari 458 Speciale, only it’s yet more exclusive and yet more expensive. Aston will build 100 (all of which are already sold) at £250,000 apiece.
Acting as this generation Vantage's swansong was another limited run Vantage GT - this time to reflect on Aston Martin's success at Le Mans. There was Aston Martin a more readily available 150 GT8s built and likewise were sold out at a blink of an eye, which again showed Gaydon's ability to cram as much race tech and paraphenalia to a road car while keeping it road legal.
The changes to the GT12 run pretty deep to justify that cost, though, and they’re inspired by Aston’s own GT3 race cars. Hence the wings, the splitters and the (optional) paint finish. This is the lowest, widest Vantage ever, then, some 50mm wider than standard and fitted with lightweight carbonfibre bumpers, front wings, bonnet and, optionally, roof. Get really serious about saving weight and you can specify plastic rear and rear quarter windows, too.