Aston Martin Vantage GT8 : Fast, But You Can't Get One

As we previously mentioned, Aston Martin was hard at work building a sharper version of its Vantage V8 so as to give a sibling to the GT12 that was unveiled last year.

Here is the Vantage GT8. What’s different from the regular Vantage? It’s faster, lighter and has updated aerodynamics.

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The 4.7 litres V8 now develops 446 horsepower, about 10 more than the standard Vantage. Torque remains at 361 pound-feet of torque and buyers will be able to choose between a six-speed manual and a seven-speed automatic optimized for the track.

Thanks to a slew of updates, the GT8 weight 100 kilogram less than the standard car. It features a lithium-ion battery, side and rear glasses replaced by polycarbonate, a carbon fibre roof, titanium exhaust, carbon fibre bucket seats and 19-inch magnesium wheels, among other things.

Aerodynamics is accentuated by the addition of front and rear splitters as well as a huge rear wing.

Performance-wise, the GT8 goes from 0-100 in 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 306 km/h. However, its real performance gains will probably be on a track.

Sadly, I got two bad news: the GT8 starts at 165,000 pounds, (about $300,000) and only 150 will be built, meaning they are probably already sold. Also, none of them will reach North America.