AUTO
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Gaydon’s final twelve-cylinder Vantage a sell-out success with all 333 units presold MATT BROGAN STON MARTIN has announced details of its last ever twin-turbocharged V12-powered Vantage. The Gaydon-based marque will produce only 333 examples of the specially honed variant. With outputs of 515kW at 6500rpm and 753Nm between 1800-6000rpm from its 5.2-litre mill, the final V12 Vantage is the most powerful yet; it is said to accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds and go on to a top speed of 320km/h. The engine is paired exclusively to an eight-speed ZFsourced automatic transmission driving the rear wheels via a mechanical limited-slip diff. Aston Martin says it has worked to deliver “utmost performance and unmatched enjoyment” from its wide-body (+40mm) model, of which the order book is already closed. Since the model’s confirmation in December 2021, there has been unprecedented demand for its “future icon” and an “oversubscribed register of interest waiting in the wings”. The use of carbon-fibre in the front bumper, bonnet, front guards and side sills, a lightweight battery as well as a composite rear bumper and boot lid, trim the V12-engined Vantage’s kerb weight, while the tuned stainless-steel exhaust is said to emit a soulful soundtrack. For optimal dynamism, in addition to a wider wheel track, the V12 Vantage is equipped with a newly calibrated adaptive damping system, larger anti-roll bars, firmer bushes, and uprated springs and dampers. AM says the model’s spring rates are firmer
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(50 per cent up front and 40 per cent at the rear), combined with top-mount stiffness increasing by 13 per cent and anti-roll bars that are five per cent stiffer at the front and a staggering 41 per softer at the rear.
Changes support steering setup Additional front and rear sheer panels, a rear suspension tower strut brace and fuel-tank bracing increase body stiffness by eight per cent and lateral stiffness by 6.7 per cent. The changes are supported by a recalibrated steering setup and stopping power courtesy of 410mm carbon ceramic rotors (with six-piston calipers) up front and 360mm discs with four-piston clamps (at the rear). The final V12 Vantage is available with a choice of two 21-inch alloy wheel designs shod with Michelin Pilot 4S rubber. To improve cooling, the front grille of the V12 Vantage is 25 per cent larger than before. It is complemented by a horseshoe shaped vent set into the bonnet, and a unique diffuser built into the rear bumper. The rear wing contributes to a maximum downforce pressure of 204kg at top speed, though this can be deleted from the build sheet if it is not to the customer’s taste. The interior of the V12 Vantage is unchanged from the that of the model it’s based upon, apart for the inclusion of Aston Martin’s Sport Plus Seats trimmed in semi-aniline leather with Wings quilt and perforation pattern. Six-way adjustable exposed carbon-fibre performance seats, which further reduce the vehicle’s overall weight are optional.
WESTERN SYDNEY BUSINESS ACCESS APRIL 2022
“Every great sportscar brand has a hero car. For Aston Martin, in more recent years, that car has been the V12 Vantage. Right from the moment the first V12 Vantage RS Concept was shown back in 2007, our customers and fans around the world fell in love with the idea of fitting our biggest engine into our smallest and most sporting model,” said Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers. “The recipe has been refined over the years with great success, but the essence has remained the same. Now it is time to bring this bloodline to a close, fittingly with the
most spectacular example yet – the fastest, most powerful and most dynamically capable V12 Vantage ever. “A celebration of its forebears and an embodiment of Aston Martin’s intensifying focus on driving dynamics, it ensures the V12 Vantage goes out on the highest of highs,” he added. Production of the V12 is due to commence in Q1 of 2022, with first deliveries scheduled to begin shortly. The next-generation Vantage, which is slated for arrival in 2025, will be purely electric.
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