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Aston Martin reveals new prototype Vantage GT3 race car at Le Mans

Aston Martin is rolling out a prototype version of its new Vantage GT3 at the Michelin Aston Martin Racing Le Mans Festival race this weekend. The race car is a replacement for the V12 Vantage GT3 but won't be homologated for competition until March 1, 2019. It's also showing — but not racing — a new Vantage GT4. Both are based on the Vantage road car. The Vantage GT3 has a dry weight of 2,745 pounds and is powered by the same 4.0-liter turbocharged V8, but the Aston racing tuners have tweaked output to 535 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, up from 503 hp and 505 lb-ft. It also keeps the road car's lightweight aluminum chassis but adds a steel roll cage, Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox, Alcon motorsports multi-plate clutch, Ohlins four-way adjustable dampers, Alcon brakes and Bosch Motorsport ABS. It's being helmed by driver Ross Gunn. Aston introduced the V12 Vantage GT3 seven years ago. It's the brand's most successful customer car and most recently won the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and British GT series. Aston is keeping the Vantage GT4 on display in its paddock for potential customers and race fans. It's also set to be homologated on March 1, 2019. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin Vantage GT3, GT4 Image Credit: Aston Martin Aston Martin Coupe Racing Vehicles aston martin v12 vantage aston martin vantage gt3

What does Aston Martin have planned for the name Aeroblade?

Aston Martin is working on something called Aeroblade, and the company recently filed a trademark application for the name. According to AutoGuide, the paperwork suggests the name could be used for a component, not for a model designation. The word indicates some kind of aerodynamic element, potentially in the form of an adaptive wing like those seen on the McLaren 650S, Bugatti Veyron, and so many Porsches over the years. Deployable spoilers allow a sports car to keep the airflow clean and undisturbed in some conditions and generate extra downforce under others. The use of the Aeroblade name for a component makes more sense than an actual model name. Aston typically starts its nameplates either with the letter V (as in Vanquish or the Vulcan pictured above) or DB (as in the current DB9 or forthcoming DB11). It has been known to make exceptions – like in the case of the Rapide four-door coupe or Cygnet city car – so we could be in for a surprise. The British manufacturer of luxury vehicles is working on a new generation of models to replace its current lineup. That includes a new platform to replace the aging VH architecture and a new engine under development with Mercedes-AMG. It's also working on bringing its first crossover to production, as previewed by the DBX concept at the Geneva Motor Show. Related Video:

Aston Martin Vantage with a manual transmission due next year

In 2016, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told Car and Driver that that Aston Martin would continue to offer manual transmissions and will always have at least one hand-shaker in the lineup. For the keepers of the dying manual light, it's been a long wait since the V12 Vantage S went out of production last year, but dawn will break over Gaydon in summer 2019. Aston Martin chief engineer Matt Becker told Road & Track at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that there'd be a stick shift in the V8 Vantage by "this time next year." That might seem like a long wait when there are already prototypes on the road, but the small company has a large engineering job. The Mercedes-AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 sitting in the Vantage's engine bay has never been paired with a manual gearbox, so Aston Martin has to create the software and the driveline hardware from scratch to make it work. On top of that, the company wants to make sure the package delivers the thrills the row-your-own crowd seeks. Becker said the car won't be a pushover, tuned so that "It reminds you that you have to know how to drive." Depending on uptake, one could hope that the DB11 using the same Mercedes-AMG engine would also undergo a manual transformation. Road & Track didn't get the details on what kind of transmission we could expect. We figure the options are a traditional six-speed, a Corvette-style seven-speed, a Porsche-style seven-speed, or the dogleg seven-speed used last in this year's V12 Vantage V600, of which there were only 14 units. Speculation on product plans puts the manual transmission first in the V8 Vantage pipeline, followed by a Vantage roadster and a V12 Vantage. Other models will certainly fill out the portfolio, Becker saying this first Vantage "is the starting point." Having applied the hardcore AMR moniker to the Valkyrie AMR Pro, DB11 AMR, and Rapide AMR, the Vantage seems a lock for the same extreme makeover. Related Video: