(By Tom Lohnes) – The Aston Martin Vantage is a rather underrated vehicle in today’s vast sports car market. With bespoke underpinnings, AMG power, and an absolutely gorgeous body, the Vantage is held back by its mediocre interior and numbers that don’t really jump out at you when there’s vehicles in the same class with upwards of 600 horsepower. Well, Aston Martin now has a solution for that. Its name? V12 Vantage.
That’s right, the long-awaited 12-cylinder powered Vantage is here. With a 5.2-liter twin-turbocharged V12 under the hood, the V12 Vantage makes an absolutely massive 690 horsepower, which goes very well with its curb weight that is expected to be around 3,500 pounds with the heavier engine. All 690 horsepower goes through a Mercedes-sourced 9-speed auto which has proven to be a good mate to the V12 in DBS and DB11 models. If you’re looking for off-the-line acceleration, the V12 Vantage may not be for you, because it is RWD only. But, with that power-to-weight ratio it should get up and go from a roll. If you like to patrol the autobahn on your free time, you’re in luck as well, because the V12 Vantage tops out at a perfectly round 200 miles per hour.
On the outside, this Vantage is rather unassuming for a 12-cylinder model. It still looks super cool and sporty, but most of the exterior parts are shared with lesser special edition Vantages, so you don’t really know what you’re getting into if you line up next to one of these. The only real teller is the small badge on the fender that reads “V12”, and two giant center-mounted exhaust tips.. Otherwise, you have to really know to tell the V12 apart from other Vantage models. Inside, things get a nice improvement, with padded carbon-fiber seats straight out of the Valkyrie hypercar and a large plaque on the center console telling you that you bought a special Vantage.
Like all crazy supercars nowadays, these things are going to be extremely rare. 333 V12 Vantages will be produced, and then the V12 powering it will die as well. This is the end of the line, the last new 12-cylinder Aston Martin. And if you want one, they’re already sold out. Deliveries start this summer.
