The second vehicle from Aston Martin 7 cars in 7 years promise has been caught by spy cameras once again. What you see here is a prototype of the company’s redesigned Vantage that is supposed to be unveiled later this year and presented as a 2018 MY. This time we caught it testing in Europe, and we managed to pick out more than a few new details which are skillfully hidden by the design language similar to the one on the DB11. The difference is that 2018 Aston Martin Vantage sits a lot lower, has a shorter wheelbase and looks a lot sportier and focused.
As it was announced, by the Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer, this one is an option to those who are more track focused, and that the 2018 Vantage will continue to be a basis for their endurance racing program. As far as the design goes the bumpers are going to be unique for this car, and it will feature larger openings than on the DB11. The addition to this is the fact that the engineers are test fitting more aggressive front splitters on some of the prototypes. Thanks to the heavy camouflage we can not tell you anything about the finer design details, but we managed to find out that the end product might look something like the Aston Martin’s slick DB10 sports car developed for the James Bond movie “Spectre.”
It is very hard to see inside the car from the video, but most will say that the Vantage might end up with a two-seat arrangement in order to differentiate itself from the DB11 which still sticks to 2+2 setup. Inside you will find a digital instrument cluster, and you will be given a choice between either a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmission. What will further make a gap between these two cars is the engine lineup, where the Vantage will come exclusively with V8 power, while the DB11, in some markets, will offer both a V8 and the current twin-turbocharged 5.2 L V12 as an option. The V8 in the Vantage is a twin-turbocharged 4.0 L unit sourced from the Mercedes-AMG that will undoubtedly receive unique treatment in order to ensure that company’s models have their own power rating and soundtrack.
The one thing that will tie together Vantage and the DB11 is the bonded aluminum structure that underpins them both. The choice of this platform for the Vantage is simple – it promises less weight, increased rigidity and better packaging, which is basically everything you need in a track focused vehicle. The sales of the redesigned Aston Martin Vantage should start sometime near the end of 2017, and its price for lower trim models should be around $138K which is starting price for the current version.
