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Aston Martin Vantage vs. Mercedes-AMG GT C Review | Translating German into English

GROssBRITANNIEN — No car matches the new Aston Martin Vantage as closely as the Mercedes-AMG GT, the two sharing both their 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 and electrical architecture while competing for the same market niche. So, of the many challenges Aston Martin faced when developing it, ensuring that the Vantage had a unique identity must have weighed more heavily than any other. The added spice to this confrontation is the GT's status as halo model for AMG. Meanwhile, Aston Martin's brand identity, built on the sharp-suited machismo embodied by a certain big-screen spy, is a make-or-break issue for the company. The identity problem has fascinated me since the AMG deal was first announce in 2013. So exploring the Vantage on British roads with the GT literally filling the mirrors is a big deal. Now, finally, we have directly competing products with which to explore the theory. And there's much to like in both, not least of which is that common powerhouse of an engine. While they don't share a platform, both use the classic front-engine, rear-drive, transaxle layout, with traditional driving manners to match. Some quick number-crunching as an appetizer: The AMG GT C you see here has the dry-sumped M178 derivative of the V8, with 550 horsepower and 501 pound-feet of torque, driving the rear wheels through a transaxle-mounted, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and fully active electronic locking differential. It's 179 inches long, weighs 3,748 pounds and will clear 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds en route to 197 mph. The Vantage has the wet-sumped M177 version of the same engine, as featured in countless AMGs and shared with the DB11 V8. It makes 503 hp, 505 lb-ft and drives the rear wheels through a transaxle-mounted, eight-speed automatic gearbox and fully active electronic locking differential. Sounding familiar? It's comparable in overall length but a couple of inches longer in wheelbase, and weighs pretty much the same as the GT C, give or take a few pounds. It hits 60 in 3.5 seconds and tops out at 195 mph. Both have adaptive dampers and a variety of driver modes, both are built from aluminum and both are at the sportier end of the GT spectrum. The two U.K.-market cars you see here cost just more than $180,000 with options. Pretty darned close, then. Numbers are one thing.

Aston Martin Valkyrie gets insane 1,100-horsepower AMR Pro model

We still have yet to see the final production version of the road-going Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar, but that hasn't stopped Aston from creating an even more extreme version of the already radical car. It's called the Valkyrie AMR Pro, and it's lighter, more powerful, has more downforce, and is only for use on the track. Powering the Valkyrie AMR Pro is a version of the standard car's naturally aspirated hybrid V12. In this guise, Aston says it produces 1,100 horsepower, more than the standard car. That engine won't have much to carry around, either, since Aston is aiming to have the Valkyrie AMR Pro weight just about 1,000 kilograms, or about 2,200 pounds. To hit that weight, Aston is using lighter carbon fiber for the body, carbon fiber control arms, a lighter exhaust, polycarbonate windows, molded seats, and it has removed the HVAC fan and infotainment system. Fortunately, Aston is including heater elements in the windows so that they don't fog up in wet or cool weather. The Valkyrie AMR Pro's body shape is different, too, and it has been changed to increase downforce. It has usual changes such as large front and rear wings. It also has a tall center fin like that found on prototype and F1 race cars. The body itself is wider, too. All told, Aston expects the car to produce over 2,200 pounds of downforce. The combination of all these performance enhancements means the car can achieve a claimed top speed of 225 mph, as well as cornering forces of over 3G. Aston Martin didn't reveal pricing, but it doesn't matter. Aston already sold all 25 Valkyrie AMR Pros it will build. The company says that they'll be delivered sometime in 2020. Related Video:

Autoblog Podcast #402

Episode #402 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, and Brandon Turkus talk about the Audi A3 TDI Challenge and luxury car features we not-so-secretly love. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #402: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics: Audi A3 TDI road trip Luxury features we're sort of ashamed we love In The Autoblog Garage: 2014 Land Rover LR4 2015 Aston Martin Vanquish 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Hosts: Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, Brandon Turkus Runtime: 01:17:40 Rundown: Intro & Garage - 00:00 Audi A3 TDI Challenge - 42:51 Luxury Features We Love - 01:00:05 Q&A - 01:09:17 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Podcasts Aston Martin Audi Dodge Land Rover Diesel Vehicles Luxury Performance aston martin vanquish