Remember those two Aston Martin official F1 track cars we told you about the other day? Well, have a good look at the Vantage Safety Car again, because it turns out that Aston Martin wasn't just designing it in order to shepherd F1 cars around the track - instead, it has served as the basis for this marvellous thing. It's called the Vantage F1 Edition and it is said to be the fastest, most focused of the whole Vantage breed.
Power hiked to 535hp
Built to celebrate Aston's return to F1 for the first time in more than 60 years, the Vantage F1 Edition has had direct input from Tobias Moers, the recently appointed CEO of the company. In case you've forgotten, the German used to be the boss of Mercedes-AMG, so he knows how to make a taut, thrilling, track-focused special or two.
It's not all about the engine, though, as the Vantage F1 Edition has had serious chassis and aerodynamic upgrades enacted upon it by the engineering team of Aston Martin. Moers asked his team to deliver a Vantage with faster lap times than any model yet seen, including the talented AMR, which on the one hand would serve the F1 Edition well in its alternative guise as the Official F1 Safety Car. But the on-road capabilities of the Vantage could not be compromised in the process.
So, what's been done to the Vantage F1 Edition? Well, as outlined in the Safety Car piece, its 4.0-litre biturbo V8 engine (sourced from Mercedes-AMG; spotting a theme, here...?) has been taken from 510hp on the other Vantage models to a peak of 535hp here. The torque remains pegged at a maximum 685Nm, but it's a figure spread over a wider rev band so the F1 Edition has more tractability and in-gear response. To cope with this upswing in muscle, the Vantage's eight-speed automatic transmission now features an optimised torque-cut during upshifts that reduces the time taken to swap cogs. This also helps on downshifts, allowing for 'finer control when the driver is balancing the car at its limit of traction'. That's all about making the Aston better to steer on track.
Full chassis and aero work
Underneath, the suspension and steering have been given a good going-over, with detailed underbody modifications said to increase front structural stiffness for finer steering feel and response. Moving to the suspension, the dampers' internals have been reworked to increase their effective force range, which is a technical term that means the vertical body control should be improved, so the Vantage F1 Edition will be less bothered by high-speed compressions or monstering its way over crests. See? Told you this was a serious car.
Beyond this, the rear spring rates have been jacked up, as has lateral stiffness at the back of the Aston. This sharpens turn-in and increases traction, meaning the trailing axle of the car shouldn't be dynamically 'left behind' by the more-eager front end. To make the most of all this kinematic acuity, the alloy wheels have gone up a size, from 20s on the other Vantage models to a set of 21-inch rims here. These are wrapped in tyres developed specifically for the F1 Edition by Pirelli, and it's the first time any model of Vantage has had such sizeable rubber at all four corners.
Completing the work is a comprehensive aero-kit, which delivers positive front and rear downforce, said to total 200kg more than the regular Vantage can summon up at maximum speed. These aerodynamic changes comprise a full-width front splitter, front dive planes, underbody turning vanes and, one you can't miss, that rear wing. Aston hasn't changed the design of the rear diffuser on the F1 Edition, although the company says it is a 'core feature' in the delivery of the car's overall aerodynamic performance.
'A Vantage to appeal to discerning drivers'
If you've scrolled through the picture gallery, you might have noticed that not only is the Vantage F1 Edition a Coupe (obvs), but Aston is going to sell it as a Roadster as well. Distinguishing features of the F1 Edition include a vaned grille, 2x2-twill carbon-fibre exterior detailing, unique body graphics, quad exhausts and the Satin Black Diamond-Turned 21-inch wheels.
It also allows buyers access to a limited but distinctive array of body colours and interior finishing, obviously with a strong motorsport theme. That means the Aston Martin Racing Green colour is available, seen on both Aston's F1 contender for 2021 and also the Safety Car, but there's also Jet Black and Lunar White (Satin or Gloss finish), all of which have a Solid Matte Dark Grey racing graphic to contrast their main hue. Inside, the Vantage F1 Edition features Obsidian Black leather teamed to Phantom Grey Alcantara, with contrast stripe colours of Lime Green, Obsidian Black, Wolf Grey or Spicy Red available. Choose any of these and the stitching is finished in the same shade, too.
CEO Moers said of the newcomer: "Performance is at the heart of every Aston Martin, but when it wears an F1 badge it has to be a truly exceptional car. Vantage was already the most focused sports car in our range but in the development of our Official Safety Car of Formula 1, it had to be a true athlete: more powerful; more agile; more immediate and more exciting to drive. And - of course - quicker and more capable in a race-track environment.
"I set the engineering team a tough target, as I was insistent that gains in performance came via genuine improvements in the car's dynamics, and not by fitting track-optimised tyres. The results speak for themselves. A Vantage to appeal to the most discerning drivers and a new model that marks an exciting moment in Aston Martin's history."