ASTON MARTIN Vantage GT12 2015-2016 Photos, engines & full specs

Transforming a true GT car into a race car is not something as easy as it seems. Even though it had all the proper ingredients, such as the engine and transmission, there are still more other departments not suitable for a proper race-winner vehicle.

But Aston Martin engineers burned the midnight oil in their quest of creating a race-ready street vehicle. It took the standard Vantage V12 and completely transformed it. First of all, they added a wider body kit to fit those massive wheels. Then, they added vents behind the front fenders to allow the air inside the wheel-well to escape and keep the car’s nose down.

The next step was to put the car on a diet, and Aston Martin shaved 100 kg (220 lbs). They installed carbon-fiber front fenders and hood, a lightweight magnesium torque tube, and a full titanium exhaust system. Inside, the carmaker lost its luxurious look and received a carbon-fiber center console, Alcantara upholstery, and, obviously, lost the rear bench. Aston Martin replaced the pop-up navigation screen from the regular Vantage with a fixed one, still on top of the center stack. A roll-cage, offered as an option, reinforced the car’s structure and added rigidity to the bodywork.

Under the hood, the carmaker also worked on the V12 naturally aspirated engine and paired it as standard to a robotized, seven-speed gearbox with a single clutch system. A limited-slip differential was also present as standard.