Photo: DAMD
You never know what you might find when you check up on a Japanese tuning company you've only read about once. In 2013, DAMD made the Toyota GT 86 (Scion FR-S) look like a Lexus LFA. Now they're back, and they've transformed the same car into an Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
The project is appropriately called the 86 Vantage. The bad news is that they haven't stuffed a V8 or V12 engine under the bonnet. But everything else is pretty gosh-darn sexy if you ask us.
Sure, Aston Martin could sue them for calling it a Vantage, but it's a normal English word that means "to gain". And the GT 86 has certainly gained a fair bit of kit.
Starting at the front, we have ha new bumper that includes Aston's signature grille design. It's flanked by redesigned air intakes and fog lights. The Vantage makeover also includes a new rear bumper, a trunk spoiler, front fender garnish and new mirror caps.
We calculated that without delivery, taxes and paint, the body panels cost 336,000 yen or about $2,700. You can't even buy an Aston Martin wheelset for that!
On the chassis side, we find 19-inch RAYS wheels with Bridgestone Potenza tires, ACRE breaks, Spirit Racing custom shocks and a ram air intake system developed by DAMD.
But wait, there's more, because no Vantage would be complete without a nice leather interior. The seats get light cream leather covers that work with the standard Toyota frame. Meanwhile, dark brown is used for the dash, gear shifter, doors, handbrake and other elements. Light cream stitching and brushed aluminum finishes give the cabin a very retro feel.
The funny thing is that while nobody is going to be fooled this is an Aston Martin cabin, Toyota's navigation system is probably a lot better than the one used by the Brits.
Another cool thing about this project is that the line between the bonnet and the bumper is the same on the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S. So you could import and install it, even if you don't own the JDM-specific version of the coupe.
Sure, Aston Martin could sue them for calling it a Vantage, but it's a normal English word that means "to gain". And the GT 86 has certainly gained a fair bit of kit.
Starting at the front, we have ha new bumper that includes Aston's signature grille design. It's flanked by redesigned air intakes and fog lights. The Vantage makeover also includes a new rear bumper, a trunk spoiler, front fender garnish and new mirror caps.
We calculated that without delivery, taxes and paint, the body panels cost 336,000 yen or about $2,700. You can't even buy an Aston Martin wheelset for that!
On the chassis side, we find 19-inch RAYS wheels with Bridgestone Potenza tires, ACRE breaks, Spirit Racing custom shocks and a ram air intake system developed by DAMD.
But wait, there's more, because no Vantage would be complete without a nice leather interior. The seats get light cream leather covers that work with the standard Toyota frame. Meanwhile, dark brown is used for the dash, gear shifter, doors, handbrake and other elements. Light cream stitching and brushed aluminum finishes give the cabin a very retro feel.
The funny thing is that while nobody is going to be fooled this is an Aston Martin cabin, Toyota's navigation system is probably a lot better than the one used by the Brits.
Another cool thing about this project is that the line between the bonnet and the bumper is the same on the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S. So you could import and install it, even if you don't own the JDM-specific version of the coupe.
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