By: Dave Abrahams
Gaydon, Warwickshire - Racing, they say, improves the breed; given that the name itself is derived from a successful racing car, that is especially true of Aston Martin.
And this, it says, is the distillation of years of sports-car racing on circuits around the world - the most powerful, most performance-focused, most uncompromising street-legal version yet of the V12 Vantage - the GT3 special edition.
Just 100 examples of this lightweight fire-breathing monster will be built, a car so potent that it won't be offered for sale in North America or China.
It's built around an upgraded version of the Vantage S six-litre V12, including magnesium-alloy inlet manifolds with revised geometry, a race-derived magnesium-alloy torque tube, and a full titanium exhaust system with centre outlets.
The race engineers at Gaydon estimate that it will deliver about 440kW, depending on how lumpy an idle you are prepared to put up with, and the car should weigh in at 100kg less than the standard V12 Vantage S.
LOWER STANCE, BROADER TRACK
More importantly, this track-day special sits lower than any of its Vantage siblings, with a broader track front and rear for harder cornering, and Michelin Pilot Super Sport gumballs to help it stick to the road.
The track-focused aerodynamic package starts with an aggressive carbon-fibre front splitter and a serious rear wing - while flared carbon-fibre front wings, bonnet and door casings, an optional carbon-fibre roof, optional polycarbonate (rather than glass) rear windows, and even a race-derived lithium-ion battery, help explain where that 100kg went to.
The interior is also pure track-day, with alcantara-trimmed carbon-fibre shellback sports seats, an alcantara-trimmed sports steering wheel and carbon-fibre centre stack with touch-sensitive controls.
The Vantage GT3 special edition will make its public on 3 March at the Geneva motor show, with first customer deliveries due in the third quarter of 2015.