Want a More Aggressive Aston Martin Vantage? The New RS Version Was Spied Testing with Aggro Aero
Spy photographers spotted Aston Martin’s upcoming Vantage performance variant testing at the Nürburgring. The red-hot version will likely be called the Vantage RS, and it adds a prominent rear wing, along with ...
- Spy photographers spotted Aston Martin’s upcoming Vantage performance variant testing at the Nürburgring.
- The red-hot version will likely be called the Vantage RS, and it adds a prominent rear wing, along with considerably more aggressive bodywork.
- We don’t yet have a clear timeline for its arrival, but the spy photos show a car that appears nearly production-ready, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long.
Aston Martin’s normally graceful Vantage sports car is trading in a bit of elegance for a more demanding presence. Our spy photographer recently spotted the sports car’s new performance variant—expected to be called the Vantage RS—testing at the Nürburgring.
The track-ready Vantage is much more fraternal than identical to its siblings. It’s got considerably more aggressive bodywork, including a more prominent front lip complete with dive planes, venting at the top and rear of the front fenders, and a more intricate rear diffuser. The grille is restyled as well, and it looks prepped to suck in additional air. The biggest change, though, is the high-mounted wing fixed to the rear decklid. The wing appears static and features end plates that curl down from the deck.
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Interestingly, the aforementioned reworked diffuser resulted in Aston moving the exhaust pipes around. There are still four of them, though they now exit in the middle of the diffuser, rather than two on each side, as before. The change could have been necessitated by the new bodywork, but it could also be evidence of a more powerful engine setup. In base form, the current Vantage produces 656 horsepower from its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8. Stepping up to the Vantage S boosts that figure to 670 ponies, though we wouldn’t be shocked to see the RS bring that number north of 700 horsepower.
Aston remains tight-lipped when it comes to the timeline surrounding the RS’s arrival. Still, we don’t expect we’ll have to wait too much longer, as the spy photos show a car that appears nearly production-ready. Pricing also carries a question mark, with the current Vantage starting at $194,500 and the slightly more powerful Vantage S at $199,500. Given the extent of the changes, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the RS come in closer to the $250,000 mark or even a bit higher still.
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Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.