ASTON MARTIN V8 Vantage N420 2010-2014 Photos, engines & full specs

In 2006, in a daring quest, a road-registered Aston Martin V8 Vantage entered the 24h of Nurburgring race. It was a slightly modified version of a street-legal vehicle. It didn't win but it finished in fourth place in its class and 24th overall.

The result was even more important since it wasn't driven by professional racing drivers. There were company employees, including the Aston Martin CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez. The result was good enough to make the brand repeat the stunt in the following years with other different vehicles, including the four-door Rapide.

The Vantage N420 was a car designed to remember the big success achieved by the team in 2006. It was based on a standard Aston Martin Vantage. The standard Vantage offered 420 hp, the same as the special edition. But the N420 featured some carbon-fiber elements that helped decrease the total weight by 27 kg (60 lbs). In the back, the car featured a diffuser to help reduce the drag and increase the cornering speed.

Inside, there were options for street, comfortable yet bolstered seats, or carbon-fiber seats. The car featured standard Bluetooth connectivity and parking sensors. On the door sills, there was a carbon-fiber decal with the Vantage N420 logo on it.

For the color scheme, the N420 was available with a two-tone livery, to celebrate various racing Astons. Some of them were more inspired than others.

The car featured the "sports-pack" stiffer suspension, offered as an option for the regular V8 Vantage. The transmission was a six-speed with paddle-shifters behind the steering wheel.