Aston Martin Vantage GT8: In Nomine Racing

ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE GT8

IN NOMINE RACING

Edited by Richi Mackie

Photography: Aston Martin

“For the first time in my life I bought something without first seeing it in the flesh. All I needed was the words of a trusted person, those of my dear father. It’s been about a couple of years since that lunch of a pretty random Sunday at my parents’ house, as I was anxiously waiting for the cake prepared by my mother, dad told me that a former colleague, a great friend of him and adventure companion in some historical re-enactments in which he takes part whenever possible, told him of a limited edition that would have celebrated the ending chapter of the current V8 Vantage. All in all a simple car that gave Aston Martin the chance to expand its market share and, let’s be clear, despite not having exciting performances, it was still able to make you enjoy driving it. We bought two Astons in recent years, a V8 and a V12 Vantage. But the Vantage GT8 would have been something much more special and not just because the production would have stopped at 150 units – only available as a coupe – but because it would have been able to make you feel that trembling knees sensation every time you wait for the start at the beginning of a special stage. Few words were enough and curiosity immediately became deep interest, but until the following week I did not know if I could ever put my name on a slot for one of those incoming 150 GT8s. Only nine days later, I was on the list! Got it!”

You never know what to expect from the mailbox, but when you see something like this and start reading the words of such a passionate car guy, without even realizing you find yourself immersed in his story, you immediately understand that you hope there is enough material to make it end up straight where it deserves to be, on the magazine. Between one coffee and another, the words of one of our loyal Dutch reader who, at least for now, wants to remain anonymous, have struck me and made sure that I did not distract my attention from this e-mail until the very end. Not an attachment, not an imaginative header that could stand out among the various mails that crowd the main office mailbox. Only his story, that of a father-son speech who made sure that this exceptional couple put their hands on one of the most brutal cars that had ever laid its wheels on this planet. As mentioned, the Vantage GT8 saw the light at the end of 2016, with a production of only 150 coupe models, configurable according to the most intimate preferences of its driver. A pure car for purists, but also a tribute to the GT from Gaydon, which despite not distorting its numerical figures compared to a standard V8 Vantage, is a completely different animal. The naturally aspirated 4.7-liter V8 delivers just 10hp more, for a total output of 440 at around 7300 rpm, while the weight saved is 100kg and stops the needle at 1685kg. The poison is injected into the veins of the GT8 thanks to a body kit borrowed directly from the drama of Aston Martin racing cars, with showy (and functional) spoilers at front and rear, side skirts, cutaway front wheel arches (like its racing siblings), an immense wing at the back and the optional titanium exhaust ready to unleash one of the craziest and most intense sounds ever heard on a car you can drive around with number plates.

“I have followed the making process and living such an experience completely changes the way you look at the finished product, the way you drive it and the feeling you feel towards it. It is not just a car, but a family jewel. The hardest thing was resisting the urge to press the throttle to the floor during the first kilometers of run-in – the roar of its V8 is something that is really hard to ignore. Then, once it has freed itself from these chains, the exhaust has further changed sonority and driving it is something visceral, a physical experience, exceptionally transmitted by the hydraulic power steering, which really transmits you every single change of the road surface and every input you get goes straight to the back, and then to your brain. It mounts Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, which once warm are impeccable, although they like to widen the back just enough to make a sudden chill goes through the spine. And that sound, you cannot get it off your head, even though it’s probably too much for a car which does not boast crazy performance. The chassis is alive, so reactive, (more) rigid at the right point and surprisingly does not kill you on long distances drive.”

The Vantage GT8 is a gift from Heaven, a gift from Aston Martin, even if the approximately €228,000 needed to put your name on the list of the lucky buyers weren’t coins. But don’t worry, because all the specimens have gone way before the first model was delivered to the rightful owner.

“Try to find, today, a sports car with a naturally aspirated 8-cylinder and the possibility of having it with a manual gearbox. The 6-gears lever is short, precise and it is that ingredient that makes an extraordinary car, something that goes beyond perfection, because after all this is not perfect and does not aspire to be that. The Vantage GT8 is the one I would pick if I could drive only one car for the rest of my life. A continuous battle between the nervousness of a car that prefers the track, but that can give wet dreams on the road and a riot of old-school sensations in a modern grand tourer wearing a racing suit. That Sunday, where it all began, was one of the best days of my entire life.”

ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE GT8 (2016-)

Layout – front-engined, rear wheel drive

Engine – V8 cylinder 4.737cc

Transmission – 6-speed manual gearbox / 7-speed automatic

Power – 440 hp @ 7.300 rpm

490 Nm @ 5.000 rpm

Weight – 1.685 kg

Acceleration – 4 sec.

Top Speed – 306 kph

Price – from € 228.801

Production – 150 units (Coupe only)