Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition
The new Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition sits at the top of the Vantage model lineup and celebrates the marque’s return to Formula 1 for the first time in over 60 years and establishes the Vantage as a true sports car.
While the brand’s Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One team was busy preparing a return to the grid, the engineering team behind the road cars were too, creating the ultimate Aston Martin Vantage which could take on the role of an Official Safety Car of Formula 1.
Set to work by Chief Executive Officer, Tobias Moers, the task was to develop significant performance enhancements and improved lap time performance in order to successfully carry out its role on the F1 track, but without compromising its on-road capabilities. Many of these enhancements have now found their way into the production car, ultimately developing the new Vantage F1 Edition.
Starting with the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, power is up by 25PS to a new maximum of 535PS. Peak torque remains unchanged at 685Nm, but that peak is sustained for longer to further increase tractability and in-gear urgency. Performance has been further enhanced by work to the 8-speed automatic transmission, with an optimised torque cut during upshifts that reduces shift times and increases the feeling of directness and precision.
With the chassis, the team’s focus centered on the suspension and steering, with further detailed underbody modifications to increase front structural stiffness for a further improvement in steering feel and response. Reworked damper internals have increased the dampers’ effective force range. Wheels are increased from 20” on the regular Vantage to 21” as standard for the Vantage F1 Edition, sporting Pirelli rubber.
The aero kit is designed to deliver positive front and rear downforce, totaling 200kg more downforce than Vantage at top speed. The aerodynamic changes comprise a full-width front splitter, front dive planes, underbody turning vanes, and the new rear wing. The rear diffuser remains unchanged but is still a core feature in the delivery of the aerodynamic performance,
The Vantage F1 Edition – available as Coupe and Roadster – is further distinguished by its vaned grille as standard, 2×2 Twill Carbon Fibre exterior detailing, unique graphics, quad exhausts and a new design of Satin Black Diamond Turned 21” alloy wheel.
Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Tobias Moers said: “Performance is at the heart of every Aston Martin, but when it wears an F1 badge it has to be a truly exceptional car. Vantage was already the most focused sports car in our range but in the development of our Official Safety Car of Formula 1, it had to be a true athlete: more powerful; more agile; more immediate and more exciting to drive. And – of course – quicker and more capable in a race-track environment. I set the engineering team a tough target, as I was insistent that gains in performance came via genuine improvements in the car’s dynamics, and not by fitting track-optimised tyres. The results speak for themselves. A Vantage to appeal to the most discerning drivers and a new model that marks an exciting moment in Aston Martin’s history”.
The new Vantage F1 Edition is on sale now with a recommended retail price from £142,000 in the UK and €162,000 in Germany with deliveries scheduled to begin in May 2021.
