Photo: screenshot from YouTube
After 12 years of serving Aston Martin as the entry-level model, the V8 Vantage is up for an overhaul from the ground up. Scheduled to debut on November 21, the all-new Vantage will do just that in grand, grand style.
Aston Martin published the first video teaser of the newcomer on Facebook, and the slow-motion drifting action is all sorts of wonderful. The most important detail of the teaser, however, is the Red Bull Racing logo featured in the starting credits. Add in the Facebook post’s copy of “two exceptional drivers, one empty racetrack,” and you know what’s up.
The circuit is Rockingham Motor Speedway, dubbed “Europe's fastest racing circuit” by its owner. And at the British racetrack, Aston Martin is almost certain to bring Red Bull racing drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Considering that Red Bull’s Formula 1 cars flaunt the Aston Martin logo and the drivers have been seen in Aston Martin grand tourers during most race weekends, you know it’s Daniel and Max.
Watching the video once again reveals a ridiculous drift angle, something that suggests Chris Harris or a racing driver is behind the wheel. Even though the camouflaged 2019 Aston Martin Vantage appears to be production-spec, it isn’t once you focus your sight on the exhaust pipes.
Despite the fact the exhaust is still a work-in-progress affair, the number of pipes is the indicator of what’s hiding under the hood. And that’d be a V8 tower-of-power of the twin-turbocharged kind. Instead of the Jaguar AJ8-based 4.3- and 4.7-liter engines, the 2019 Aston Martin V8 Vantage gets its mojo from the M177 developed by Mercedes-AMG.
The M177 shouldn’t be confused with the M178 found in the Mercedes-AMG GT, for it features a conventional oil pan instead of dry-sump lubrication. What’s more, the M177 is matched to a conventional automatic transmission instead of a fast-shifting dual-clutch automatic. Chief executive officer Andy Palmer and countless reports in the automotive media further make a case for a good ol’ manual transmission.
Just like the DB11, the Vantage shows lots of aerodynamic trickery, ranging from the flat underside to the venturi-tunneled diffuser and integrated decklid spoiler. The Pirelli decals on the doors, meanwhile, suggest that P Zero rubber ensures grip is on the superlative. By comparison, the DB11 comes as standard with 20-inch Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires, 255/40 up front and 295/35 at the rear. That, dear reader, means Aston Martin is extremely confident in the Vantage's handling.
The circuit is Rockingham Motor Speedway, dubbed “Europe's fastest racing circuit” by its owner. And at the British racetrack, Aston Martin is almost certain to bring Red Bull racing drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Considering that Red Bull’s Formula 1 cars flaunt the Aston Martin logo and the drivers have been seen in Aston Martin grand tourers during most race weekends, you know it’s Daniel and Max.
Watching the video once again reveals a ridiculous drift angle, something that suggests Chris Harris or a racing driver is behind the wheel. Even though the camouflaged 2019 Aston Martin Vantage appears to be production-spec, it isn’t once you focus your sight on the exhaust pipes.
Despite the fact the exhaust is still a work-in-progress affair, the number of pipes is the indicator of what’s hiding under the hood. And that’d be a V8 tower-of-power of the twin-turbocharged kind. Instead of the Jaguar AJ8-based 4.3- and 4.7-liter engines, the 2019 Aston Martin V8 Vantage gets its mojo from the M177 developed by Mercedes-AMG.
The M177 shouldn’t be confused with the M178 found in the Mercedes-AMG GT, for it features a conventional oil pan instead of dry-sump lubrication. What’s more, the M177 is matched to a conventional automatic transmission instead of a fast-shifting dual-clutch automatic. Chief executive officer Andy Palmer and countless reports in the automotive media further make a case for a good ol’ manual transmission.
Just like the DB11, the Vantage shows lots of aerodynamic trickery, ranging from the flat underside to the venturi-tunneled diffuser and integrated decklid spoiler. The Pirelli decals on the doors, meanwhile, suggest that P Zero rubber ensures grip is on the superlative. By comparison, the DB11 comes as standard with 20-inch Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires, 255/40 up front and 295/35 at the rear. That, dear reader, means Aston Martin is extremely confident in the Vantage's handling.
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