By Otsile Kadiege

Late last year British marque – Aston Martin – confirmed that they’re working on a V12 powered Vantage. After countless spy-shots and a few months later, Aston Martin delivered on their promise. Sadly, this “final edition” of 12-cylinder Astons comes in limited numbers of 333 examples. Adding salt to the wound, all units have been sold ahead of release.

Form meets function

The V12 Vantage isn’t only stunning to look at. Designers at Aston Martin bolstered the exterior design of the V12 Vantage to help improve aerodynamics and reduce weight. These weight saving measures include carbon fibre front bumper, clamshell bonnet, front fenders and side sills, composite rear bumper and deck lid, lightweight battery and a special centre-mounted twin-exit exhaust system. Tuned to ensure the V12 Vantage has a voice to match its looks and performance, this new exhaust system is made from lightweight 1mm stainless-steel, saving some 7.2kg compared with the system fitted to the Vantage.

Inside, the V12 Vantage has a fighter-jet-like design thanks to a awkwardly shaped steering wheel with carbon fibre inserts and peddle shifters. The centre console is also covered with CF and V12 insignia. The highlight inside are the carbon fibre performance seats with exposed twill carbon fibre shell and manual 6-way adjustment available as an option. These seats are said to save 7.3 kg without compromising comfort.

Performance

Underneath the clamshell bonnet is a 5.2 litre V12 engine developing 515 kW at 6500 rpm and 753 Nm of torque from 1800 rpm to 6000 rpm. The power is fed through a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission and mechanical Limited-Slip Differential (LSD) mounted at the rear of the car. Aston Martin claims the V12 Vantage will sprint from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of 322 km/h.

Stopping power is also of great importance. The V12 Vantage features a Carbon Ceramic Braking (CCB) system as standard – At the front 410mm x 38mm discs with 6-piston calipers, while at the rear 360mm x 32mm discs are paired with 4-piston calipers.

Boffins at Aston Martin’s Warwickshire factory in England increased the suspension spring rate by 50 % at the front and 40% at the rear, combined with top mount stiffness increasing by 13% and new anti-roll bars are 5% stiffer at the front and 41% softer at the rear. Body stiffness is increased with additional front and rear shear panels, a rear suspension tower strut brace and fuel tank bracing, increasing body stiffness (kNm/Deg) by 8% and lateral stiffness (kNm/mm) by 6.7%.

As mentioned above all 333 units have already been sold. We definitely hope a few units will soon find new homes in South Africa.