LESS POWER, MORE PACE

Stripped-down race version is ready for endurance action

There’s nothing like designing a wonderful new interior only to then see your colleagues strip it down again to its bare bones in the name of motorsport – exactly what Aston has done with its new Vantage GT3 challenger. Set to compete in the F|A World Endurance Championship and |MSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, among other series, the Vantage GT3 is the first collaboration between Aston Martin Racing and Aston Martin Performance Technologies, which links road and race divisions.

Standout features include a modified version of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo AMG-derived engine (albeit with less power, to conform to class rules), a 1265kg dry weight, one-piece carbonfibre clamshell nose, louvres by the dozen and a rear wing large enough to host a banquet on. And what’s more, the aero plays a crucial role in making the new Vantage GT3 more driveable than the last one.

Head of performance Gustavo Betelli explains: ‘The focus on the new Vantage GT3 was to increase the performance window and make something that would work on any circuit, on any tyre and with any driver.’ That’s crucial when strict Balance of Performance (BoP) regulations and mixed driver abilities are such big factors in GT racing.

Betelli says a key target was making the car more stable under braking. They’ve achieved this using clever damper tuning and aero modifications that allow a stable rear end without compromising the suspension set-up by making it too sti— and therefore unpredictable. |t’s also much more even on tyre wear, and less punishing for drivers over the course of an endurance race.