2011 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 race car

2011 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 race car

We’ve already seen race bred versions of the Aston Martin Vantage designed for the GT2 and GT4 competitions but now Aston Martin and its racing division, Aston Martin Racing (AMR), is developing a new GT3 car.

Based on the V12 Vantage production car already in showrooms, the new Vantage GT3 race car will serve as the replacement for the aging DBRS9 and will see its first action in the 2012 GT3 season.

You may recall, the DBRS9 was first launched in 2006 and has since seen 26 chassis built and raced to multiple victories in national and international series across the world. Now, with the upcoming addition of the new Vantage GT3, Aston Martin’s fleet of race cars will be comprised of five different models, the others being the aforementioned Vantage GT2 and GT4, as well as the DBR9 GT1 and recently revealed AMR-One LMP1.

Designed to FIA regulations, the new Vantage GT3 will be built around the Vantage aluminum VH architecture with a lightweight dry-sumped 6.0-liter V-12 engine. Other features will include a semi-automatic paddle shift Xtrac gearbox and the latest race-developed ABS and traction control systems, optimized specifically for this model.

Engineers have a set a target weight of 2,755 pounds and target engine performance figures of more than 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque.

The first car will be completed in July of this year and will undertake an extensive test and development program during the rest of the year.

Only ten customer cars will be built, ready for delivery for the start of the 2012 season. Some of its competition will include this recently revealed BMW Z4 GT3 race car, as well as Porsche’s iconic range of 911 GT3 models.