Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Special Edition Bows in Geneva

Hot on the heels of announcing the super-hot track-only Vulcan, Aston Martin has followed up with another racing-focused special, the Vantage GT3 Special Edition. Both the Vulcan and the Vantage GT3 Special Edition are making their public debuts at the Geneva Auto Show.

The Vantage GT3 Special Edition is a racetrack-optimized version of the company’s vaunted Vantage grand tourer. The new model is 220 lbs lighter than a standard Vantage thanks to carbon fiber front fenders and hood; further weight reductions are possible if buyers specify an optional carbon fiber roof and polycarbonate rear and rear three-quarter windows. This is not a light car, though, even at a lightened 3450 lbs.

Aiding the Vantage GT3 Special Edition’s racing aspirations are other track-spec components. The suspension, for example, has a tri-stage (Normal, Sport, and Track modes are available) adaptive damper system and boasts upgraded springs and “track-focused suspension geometry”. The car’s bodywork is also optimized for the track, as evidenced by its big rear wing and a front splitter that wouldn’t look out of place on a pukka GT racing car.

Aston Martin says the aero kit is not just cosmetic; it will endow the new car with downforce to enhance stability at racing speeds. Other racing components include a Brembo-sourced brake package, Michelin Pilot Super Sport racing tires mounted on 19″ wheels (center-lock versions of the 7-spoke wheels are optional – great for speeding up those in-race pit stops!), as well as a plethora of lightened components all over the car (including the interior, where carbon fiber is a featured material).

It’s only appropriate that a track-focused special edition car would also have a track-focused special edition engine. Accordingly, the Vantage GT3 Special Edition features an uprated version of the Vantage’s 5.9 liter V12. The tweaked engine makes an estimated 592 bhp and 461 lb/ft of torque. Allied to a seven-speed automated-manual transmission and lightened torque tube and driveshaft, performance should be exciting.

Only one hundred examples of the Vantage GT3 Special Edition will be made, says Aston Martin.