What's the news?
You're looking at spy photographs of what is almost certainly going to be the all-new Aston Martin Vantage, snapped in a series of shots as it goes through intensive testing on the public road.
The 'baby' Aston has been around since 2005, in that time evolving through a number of engine options and special editions - it started life with a 4.3-litre, 380hp V8 petrol engine, before moving to a 4.7-litre, 420hp V8 in 2008. Aston Martin also managed to shoehorn a massive 6.0-litre V12 into it during its lifetime, making for a diverse range of models.
But this newcomer will use the twin-turbocharged Mercedes-AMG V8 motor that has recently been launched in the DB11, where it makes 510hp and 675Nm. Whether the Vantage replacement will have the same outputs remains to be seen, although Aston has never been afraid of having performance overlap between two distinct models in its line-up. And it's not beyond the wit of man to believe that Aston will once again do V8 and V12 motors for its entry-level car, as the 5.2-litre Aston-developed V12 from the launch DB11 is available to use.
While the car in the pictures is wearing a lurid Pirelli-branded disguise, it's clear to see from the lines how different it looks to a DB11. There's no confirmation from Aston Martin as yet, but we expect the Vantage replacement to take its styling cues from the DB10 and the wild Vulcan hypercar, which is very, very good news indeed.
Anything else?
Although we only have speculation to go on at the moment, Aston's CEO Andy Palmer has already confirmed that the replacement for the Vantage will be shown fully by the end of 2017, so we don't have too long to wait to find out precisely what the car will look like in its undisguised format.