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Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS concept
By
Ben Pulman
12 December 2007 10:50
Aston Martin has squeezed its biggest engine into its smallest coupe to create the V12 Vantage RS. As the RS badge indicates, it's a lighter, faster, less compromising version of the Vantage. Aston Martin unveiled the stripped out coupe as a concept last night (11 December), but it's almost certain to make production.
So there’s a V12 squeezed under the hood?
Oh yes. Aston’s engineers deserve massive credit for managing to shoehorn this 600bhp block in there. The engine is a development of the DBRS9’s – Aston’s ‘gentleman racer’, one rung down from the Le Mans winning DBR9 – but boosted to give a nice round 600 horses. The engine is dry-sumped and features forged pistons and conrods. Peak power arrives at 6250rpm, while 509lb ft is available at 5000rpm.
To shave a few kilos, the boot lid and louvred bonnet are carbonfibre, although this is offset by a heavier engine than the regular V8. Aston says the RS weighs ‘under 1600kg’, but officials wouldn’t be drawn on specifics. A regular V8 Vantage is 1630kg. Either way, this special Vantage is some way off the weight of its nemesis, the 1375kg 911 GT3 RS.
More Porsche-watching from Aston?
Yes. Aston’s boss, Dr Ulrich Bez, was in charge of Porsche R&D when a certain 993 RS was rolling out of Stuttgart. The ‘RS’ script on the brake callipers looks suspiciously Porsche-esque, and a Harm Lagaay was there last night: he’s the man who penned the 993-generation 911.
But for Aston RS is not ‘rennsport’ (which is German for motorsport). Instead it stands for ‘road sport’, signifying that the Vantage RS is a road car that can be used on the track, rather than being an all-out trackday racer.
