Wheels

By: ROBINSON/BENTEMA AUTOFILES

At the recent official opening of Aston Martin's first ever dedicated design centre in England, more than 700 VIP guests saw the surprise unveiling of a stunning new 600 hp performance concept car; the V12 Vantage RS.

The V12 Vantage RS concept is based on Aston Martin's critically acclaimed V8 Vantage coupe, but the company's design and engineering team have fully exploited the design flexibility of their unique VH architecture and the motor sport development of their 6.0 litre V12 engine to create a dramatic and production feasible concept car focused on extreme performance and dynamics.  

Although the 600bhp power output of the V12 Vantage RS concept will be the focus of attention, just as significant is the level of weight reduction achieved by Aston Martin's engineering team.

With a curb weight of less than 1600 kg, the RS concept underlines Aston Martin's continued commitment to intelligent use of materials and weight reduction as a means of achieving improved efficiency and performance.

In common with the recently launched DBS, the bonnet and trunk lid are moulded in carbon fibre and the concept also adopts motor sport-inspired carbon ceramic brake discs.

The dramatic hood louvres extract air from the fully ducted cooling pack and the trunk lid features a deployable spoiler that rises automatically at high speeds to increase rear down force.

The front bumper features cooling ducts for the carbon ceramic brakes and a carbon fibre splitter to balance down force.

With a power-to-weight ratio of over 375 hp per ton, the V12 Vantage RS concept is the fastest accelerating road car ever built by the company, capable of reaching 100km/h from rest in 4.0 seconds and 160km/h in just 8.5 seconds.

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