Aston Martin GT8: the Le Mans Vantage’s Road-Ready Fraternal Twin

By Tony Markovich - April 25, 2016

gt8

Oh, Aston Martin. You don’t know how to be ugly, do you? You have no idea what it’s like for the rest of those totally uninteresting cars out there. The brand new limited-edition V8 Vantage GT8 is further proof of that.

Following in the wake of the Aston Martin ~~GT3~~ GT12, the GT8 has its heart set on racing. It’s technically based on the V8 Vantage, but the motorsports-blood comes from the amped-up version of that, the V8 Vantage GTE, which makes an appearance in these photos for some comparison.

Aston Martin Vantage GT8. April 2016Photo: Drew Gibson

“We long held the desire to create a road car that truly reflects our racing activity at Le Mans,” Director of Special Projects and Motorsport David King said. “With the Vantage GT8, we’ve finally been able to achieve that. By focusing on weight savings and aerodynamics, we’ve taken the V8 Vantage to an entirely different level of agility and aggression. It’s a hugely exciting car honed to the keenest possible edge.”

The V8 Vantage was already a solid sports car. Obviously, it has a V8, which puts out 430 bhp and 361 lb-ft of torque. At a 3,549 curb weight, it can sprint from 0-60 in 4.6 seconds. Solid, but not race-worthy by Aston’s standards. The 4.7-liter engine was juiced to 446 horsepower, but the real advantage comes from shedding pounds. Aston took off about 220 pounds through the use of carbon fiber and other minor things, like switching to a lithium ion battery and titanium exhaust. That engine is paired with a six-speed manual or the seven-speed Sportshift II paddle-shift.

It’s the lightest and most powerful V8 Vantage ever.

The exterior, bulked up by a wide body, was built to call on the racing world, as well. The front splitter, front and rear bumpers, fenders, side sills, and diffuser are all carbon fiber. Aston Martin also points out that the “cutaway front wheelarch” mimics the GTE’s. And you can get that massive wing, as well.

For colors, you can pick China Grey and blue, Stratus White and green, or Stirling Green and lime (shown here). The car is limited to only 150 examples, none of which will see pavement in the U.S. The GT8 costs $233,880. Want one?