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As many sportscars from Aston Martin are wearing the designation Vantage since the early 50´s german tuning professionals are showing their latest creation of the beautiful convertible.

After installing the handcrafted 3-piece 6Sporz² forged rims the roadster appears more sporty and visually perfected. At the front the wheels are sizing 9,0 x21 fitted with tyres 255/30/21 and at the rear axle 11.0 x21 with tires in size 295/25/21.

Wheelsandmore also used uncompromising state-of-the art quality at the suspension kit developed from specialists KW.

A rebound and compression adjustable stainless steel coilover suspension variant 3 enhances the performance significantly without an uncomfortable impression.

The luxury tuner receives more agility, torquey and powersound of the V8 engine by installing the proven combination of 200 cells sport catalysts and a remotable, valve-controlled exhaust system. Combined a noticeable increase in performance is achieved at about 460HP and 500Nm of torque.

Prices (excl. tax/vat):

• Wheelset 6Sporz ² 9.0 +11.0 x21 with 255/30/21 and 295/25/21 – 9916 EURO
• Valve controlled exhaust and 200 cell sports catalysts – 6008 EURO
• Stainless steel adjustable suspension – EURO 2939
• All prices include installation

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(from Aston Martin Press Release) THE NEW ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE S

• The driver-focussed V8 Vantage featuring enhanced dynamics
• Increase in power and torque to 430 bhp and 490 Nm
• New ground-up developed seven speed Sportshift™ II transmission
• Dramatic V12 Vantage-inspired looks available as coupe and Roadster
• Compelling package of agility, balance, engagement and everyday practicality

Gaydon, 25 January 2011. The Aston Martin Vantage range comes of age with the new V8 Vantage S characterised by a host of new driver-focussed features all designed to push the honed dynamics of the standard Vantage to a new benchmark level.

Aston Martin’s own 4.7 litre V8 engine has been engineered to deliver peak power of 430 bhp (436 PS / 321 kW) at 7300 rpm and torque of 490 Nm (361 lb.ft) at 5000 rpm and is coupled with a new ground-up developed Sportshift™ II transmission specifically designed for the Vantage S with seven short ratio gears to deliver the most engaging and intense driver involvement.

“The Vantage S epitomises every attribute of the V8 Vantage and pushes the driver experience beyond what we have offered before,” says Dr. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, “It combines dynamic exhilaration with all the charming finesse, beauty and practicality already associated with the Vantage range.”

Dynamic revisions are central to the Vantage S, with a quickened steering rack ratio of 15:1 compared to 17:1 on the standard car and a larger diameter front brake disc with new six-piston front brake calipers. New springs and dampers, and wider rear wheels also contribute to chassis revisions. A new dynamic stability control (DSC) system specifically tuned to the Vantage S along with a new brake module providing features such as Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA) which provides assistance in emergency braking situations, and Hill Start Assist (HSA). Bespoke tyres have been developed with Bridgestone to optimise road holding enhancing dynamic feel.

At the core of the Vantage S is the new seven speed Sportshift™ II automated manual transmission, offered as standard and delivers exceedingly rapid gear changes, twenty per cent quicker than Sportshift™. The extra gear permits shorter well-spaced ratios taking advantage of the optimum torque, which combined with a shorter final drive ratio of 4.182:1 delivers quicker acceleration and an enhanced sporting feel. The inherent benefits of a single clutch system reduces complexity and significant weight over a dual clutch solution. Sportshift™ II allows the driver to take an increased level of control, modulating the throttle pedal to achieve the desired type of gear change. In addition, the Vantage S features a ‘Sport’ button which quickens the gear changes and gives the driver a more aggressive throttle response while also opening the exhaust bypass valves across most of the engine speed range perfectly characterising the ‘S’ variant.

As with every Aston Martin, the Vantage S benefits from its own unique sound with a new exhaust muffler and bypass valve map, creating a very distinctive and highly vocal exhaust note.

The Vantage S is instantly recognisable as a true Aston Martin, characterised by its purposeful stance conveying its agility and performance capability. From the front, a new lower front bumper finished in perfectly-aligned carbon fibre houses a larger air intake feeding the engine and front brakes. The splitter combined with the extended deck lid ‘flip’ work in harmony to provide increased down force at speed. New 19 inch ‘V’ spoke wheel styles are available as standard, while an optional 10-spoke lightweight forged wheel option, reduces unsprung mass further. A new rear bumper and side sills optically widen the car.

Bridging the gap between road car and race car, the Vantage S is heavily influenced by the 2011 Vantage GT4 race car. The GT4 takes advantage of the Vantage’s immensely rigid bonded aluminium chassis, providing the ideal platform for a race car. Minor racing safety modifications including an FIA approved roll cage and racing ‘bag’ petrol tank along with weight saving measures are made to the standard road car to convert it into a class winning race car. In 2010, it won its class at the Dubai 24 Hours following this up with further endurance race wins at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, Silverstone 24 Hours and Spa 24 Hours. It also won its first major international championship victory in the European GT4 Cup.

The Vantage S is available to order now from Aston Martin’s global dealership network.

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(from TopCar Press Release) TOPCAR Moscow has been involved in the tuning of the Porsche, BMW, and Bentley cars since 2004.

Having created and implemented a new idea of the Porsche Cayenne rebuilding into the stylized dashing off-road coupe TOPCAR has successfully participated with its Porsche Cayenne Advantage and Porsche Cayenne Vantage GTR at the largest and most prestigious car tuning exhibition in Europe – Essen Motor Show. Due to the great majority of renovated cars it proves that the idea has been appreciated and managed to gain customers’ confidence.

In this connection, it is remarkable that the new Porsche Cayenne is going to be in a great demand and in fact to be a great opportunity to create the new Advantage and Vantage GTR renovated series.

Porsche Cayenne Vantage 2

The Vantage 2 body kit assembly doesn’t require any complementary car base work as the Advantage 2 и Vantage GTR 2 packages. The whole package includes front and rear spoiler bumpers, front and rear fender extenders, a bonnet and side skirts. The Vantage 2 appearance has its own distinctive face containing the wide character strings inherited from the Vantage GTR 2.

The projects are excellent. All car parts will be fully manufactured from the Carbon Kevlar and Carbon fibre.

The body kit parts not only look fantastic but have the added advantage of also being highly firm and extremely lightweight.

All elaboration activities and fitting works are provided in the state-of-the-art tuning manufactory. The perfect quality of TOPCAR’s products is guaranteed and the company has its own production capacities that are needed to achieve success.

To every of these three projects TOPCAR offers new wing mirrors with LED side repeaters.

In order to achieve better performance the new Porsche Cayenne engine will be juiced up and get an output from 550 to 750 hp.

The new forged wheels (R21 and R23) have been especially designed for the new Porsche Cayenne by TOPCAR.

Besides, the TOPCAR Company is ready to accomplish luxury and exclusive car tuning works. All elaboration activities and fitting works are provided in the state-of-the-art tuning manufactory. We also offer the masterly hand crafted leather interior of the ideal quality. The highest standards of workmanship are a key part of our business therefore our customers can be fully assured of the excellent quality of the products they buy.

Specialists of TOPCAR help the customers in searching that unique but recognizable and inimitable appearance of their cars.

Please have a look at the cars manufactured by our company – these can be seen on our website www.top-car.ru which shall help you appreciate the true value our kits add. Please also feel free to pay a visit to our office where you can satisfy yourself that the highest standards of workmanship are a key part of our business.

Leno comments that the V12 Vantage is “almost the perfect combination of hardcore track sports car and GT car.” Leno demonstrates this by giving Justin Bell, professional driver, the wheel who takes the Vantage to Willow Springs for a spin. Check out this video below.

Aston Martin design director Marek Reichman will take the wheel of a custom Vantage GT4 to race at the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Britain. Reichman has been racing before but usually only vintage club racing. This will be the first time he enters a more “demanding” series although Chris Porritt, the engineering manager for Aston Martin, will be accompanying him with his driving duties.

Porritt has driven the Vantage GT4 in the past, but most of his experience has been at the Nurburgring. For both these drivers, the competition will be tight. With that said, the custom Vantage GT4 is not a bad looking car either. The series is said to start at Oulton Park on Saturday, August 21.

ASTON MARTIN DESIGN DIRECTOR TO MAKE VANTAGE GT4 RACING DEBUT
11/08/10
Gaydon, 11 August 2010.

Aston Martin’s Design Director, Marek Reichman is to embark on his maiden race in a Vantage GT4 competing in the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Britain at Oulton Park on Saturday 21 August.
Marek, who is a keen motorsport enthusiast and regular competitor in historic club racing, will share driving duties with Aston Martin Engineering Manager, Chris Porritt; himself an experienced GT4 racer for the 90-minute race on the notoriously challenging Cheshire circuit later this month.

Speaking ahead of the race, Marek said: “The design team has been closely involved in the design of all our race cars, from the works LMP1 prototype to the Vantage GT4, but I’ve always longed to get even more closely involved and the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge provides the perfect introduction to GT4 racing for me.”

The Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Britain is a one make series exclusively for owners of the Vantage GT4 and the Vantage N24. The races are between 90 and 150 minutes in length with practice, qualifying and the race all in the same day. The series is the perfect opportunity for owners of Aston Martin racing cars to compete on a level playing field on some of the very best racing circuits with the full support of the factory.

Marek’s co-driver, Chris Porritt, added: “Most of my GT4 experience with Aston Martin has been at the Nürburgring, but Oulton Park is my home track and while I’ve raced my own cars there many times, I’ve never had the opportunity in an Aston Martin. The standard of racing in the series so far has been extremely high so Marek and I will have our work cut out to keep up with the front runners.”

The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 is a production-based race car eligible for all FIA GT4 races as well as other race series around the world. 2010 successes to date include class wins in the Dubai, Nürburgring and Spa 24 Hours, numerous class wins in the Nürburgring VLN endurance series and four wins out of six in the FIA GT4 European Cup.

Aston Martin’s Head of Motorsport, David King commented: “The Aston Martin Vantage N24/GT4 has been the outstanding performer in GT4 and other classes around the world since 2006. Whether in 24 hour races or short sprints, its performance, reliability and ease of handling deliver class wins and podiums time after time.

“The Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Britain, in its first year, is providing a focal point for our customers to make a first step into GT4 racing with high quality events on challenging circuits with comprehensive organisation and technical support from Aston Martin Racing.”

Back in 2007 Aston Martin released a special edition Vantage called the N400 to commemorate the success of the Vantage N24 racer at the Nurburgring. The N400 was an upgrade that gave the Vantage 400 horsepower, a series of suspension tweaks, and some special cosmetic touches. Only 240 were produced and easily sold out. Now its back.

The N420 consists of similar improvements as the N400 in the areas of power, looks, and suspension. The power is bumped up to 420 horsepower. An optional Sports Pack to the Vantage now comes standard in the N420. For the appearance, a new front splitter, side skirts, and diffuser are made of carbon fiber, unique rims are fitted along with black mesh grille inserts, and 27 kilograms (60 pounds) have been trimmed from the curb weight. A few interior changes have also been made and buyers can choose from a range of “race collection” paint schemes.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 will be sold in coupe or roadster format and available with either six-speed manual or Sportshift semi-automatic transmissions. You can pick one of these up in the US for only $119,500. The Press Release is below.

ASTON MARTIN INTRODUCES V8 VANTAGE N420

* New Special Edition, motorsport-inspired V8 Vantage
* Standard equipment includes Sports Pack suspension and new sports exhaust system
* 27kg weight saving over standard car
* New distinctive Aston Martin ‘Race Collection’ paint schemes available as an option

6 July 2010, Gaydon, Warwickshire: Aston Martin has unveiled a new motorsport-inspired special edition; the V8 Vantage N420 which brings a new dimension of sporting prowess and dynamic ability to the V8 Vantage range.

Successor to the special edition V8 Vantage N400 of 2007, the Vantage N420 is based upon the standard 4.7-litre, 420bhp, 180mph V8 Vantage and is available as a Coupe or Roadster, and with a six-speed manual or optional Sportshift automated manual transmission.

The Vantage N420 draws inspiration from the company’s experiences at the Nürburgring 24-hour race. In the 2006 running of the annual Nürburgring endurance classic amongst a field of mostly motorsport homologated cars, Aston Martin entered a near-standard, road-registered V8 Vantage. Driven by a team of employees, including Aston Martin’s CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, the V8 Vantage – named ‘Rose’ by the team – finished 4th in class and 24th overall from a field of more than 200 specialised racing cars.

Since then Aston Martin has returned every year to compete in this gruelling endurance race, scoring a string of class victories and podiums with road-registered V8 and V12 Vantages and most recently the new four-door Rapide. Not only has this racing success spawned a burgeoning V8 Vantage GT4 customer programme run by Aston Martin Racing, but lessons learned in racing at the Nürburgring has led to aerodynamic and other performance developments being fed back into Aston Martin’s road cars.

A generous standard specification and some unique options ensure the special edition Vantage N420 is both exclusive and distinctive, while also offering a 27kg weight saving – achieved through the application of carbon fibre – over the standard V8 Vantage.

On the outside, wider sills combine perfectly with a carbon fibre splitter, side strakes and diffuser, while bold 10-spoke diamond turned alloy wheels complete with gloss black finish, black mesh vents and ‘Graphitic’ tailpipe finishers complete the co-ordinated look.

Inside the Vantage N420 offers an Iridium interior package, with graphite instruments, leather or Alcantara® steering wheel, special N420 sill plaques and lightweight carbon fibre seats, complete with ‘Race Track’ stitching as in the V12 Vantage. Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control and Park Distance Control are also standard.

Cementing the Vantage N420′s credentials as a special edition V8 Vantage tailored for the most discerning and enthusiastic drivers, it is fitted with the normally optional Sports Pack. This package combines revised springs, dampers and anti-roll bars for even more responsive and dynamic handling, while retaining the V8 Vantage’s renowned poise, balance and long distance ability. Finally, a new sports exhaust system delivers a suitably rousing soundtrack.

A further distinctive feature is the availability of a new range of optional Aston Martin ‘Race Collection’ paint schemes. Pairing bold body colours with contrasting hues for the cant rails and radiator grille surround, they celebrate the marque’s racing heritage. All of the company’s successful N24 Vantage racers are celebrated, with ‘Rose’ yellow, ‘Kermit’ green and ‘Elwood’ blue all featuring in the collection along with traditional Aston Martin Racing green. The white and black car shown in the accompanying images wears the equally striking ‘Asia Cup’ livery.

Production of the V8 Vantage N420 begins this month, with deliveries commencing in August and prices starting from £96,995.

(from Barracuda Wheels Press Release) The gentleman in sports shoes: BARRACUDA TZUNAMEE for the Aston Martin Vantage

Aston Martin – a brand as typically English as afternoon tea, or horse racing at Ascot. The small model of the classic English brand, the V8 powered Vantage, is entering into a stylistically dynamic liaison with the TZUNAMEE rim, produced by the innovative wheel manufacturer BARRACUDA WHEELS from Stein am Rhein. The front axle is adorned with 9.0 x 20 inch light alloy rims, while 10.0 x 20 inch rims are mounted on the rear drive axle.

With its striking drop centre and secondary spokes, which enable a lightweight design with high static strength, the TZUNAMEE wheel has an extremely aggressive look. It imparts breathtaking design and lightweight athleticism – precisely the attributes that characterise Aston Martin.

The matte black/polished, highly polished surface suits the V8 Vantage, painted in classic green, especially well. In addition, the wheel is available in sizes from 7.5 x 17 to 10 x 20 inches, and in the following colour schemes: Higloss black, real chrome, and white polished.

More information available online at www.barracuda-wheels.com

All other information, and price and delivery information, available directly from:

Aerotechnik Fahrzeugteile AG
Hofwisenstrasse 17
CH-8260 Stein am Rhein
Tel.: +41 52 742 00 55
Fax: +41 52 742 00 59
www.aerotechnik.ch

Looks like Aston’s going to avoid the Porsche path and not release an SUV.  The Lagonda concept premiered in Geneva earlier this year to poor reviews.  Add to that the hard downturn in company revenue and you have a formula prevent “branching out.”  Aston CEO Ulrich Bez confirmed the Lagonda plan was on an indefinite hold, with insufficient funds and interest in building the sport-ute.