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This year's Geneva Motor Show promises to be a big one for Aston Martin with the company's largest ever presence at Europe's premier automotive show.
Aston's stand will feature a larger than average range of models including the stunning DB11 coupé as well as its cabriolet version, the Volante, which we recently tested. This will be the first time the two models have been displayed alongside each other.
Making its motorshow debut is the eagerly awaited Vantage coupé, the smallest car in Aston's line-up, full details of which emerged last November.
The new Vantage marks a radical departure for the company. With the previous model every bit the scaled-down version of the DB9, the new one differs significantly from the other models in the range in terms of styling and a much more sporty character. The styling is more curvaceous than its predecessor and it seems to have the Porsche 911 GT3 firmly in its sights with 510hp on tap from its Mercedes-AMG twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8, similar 0 to 100km/h times and tech like carbon driveshafts, a sophisticated electronic differential and specialised aerodynamics making it a bit more boy-racer than gentleman-racer.
The Vantage's sporting connection will be underlined by the presence of its racing version, the Vantage GTE, built to compete in the World Endurance Championship, including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The racer is currently nearing development completion ahead of its debut at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium in May. The stand will also feature the new Aston Martin Red Bull Racing car, the RB-14, coming ahead of the 2018 Formula 1 season which sees Aston Martin in technical partnership with Red Bull Racing.
According to Aston's President and CEO Andy Palmer: "Geneva is a highlight of the industry calendar and a motor show with a rich history and great atmosphere. It's an indication of Aston Martin's growth that we have adopted a new stand location for 2018: one that affords us the extra space we need to display our growing range. It's always a proud moment to see the fruits of the company's efforts on show in one place, but this year's Geneva Show promises to be extra special. Who knows, we may even have one or two surprises in store."