Italy has Ferrari, Germany has Porsche and Britain has Aston Martin; these manufacturers are very much part of the national identity for each of these countries. The Aston Martin brand, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, is the very essence of being British in the same way as is the Royal Family or Big Ben.
The Aston Martin Vantage is the latest in a long line of road cars that have taken to the track to race against, and beat, the best in the world. The Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE starts life on the same production line in Warwickshire as Aston Martin’s other road cars and is then taken 14 miles to Banbury where it is worked on by the engineers at Aston Martin Racing to produce the car which will be seen on track in the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Aston Martin
To find out more about the transition from road to track, first stop was Aston Martin headquarters at Gaydon to see how the cars begin their journey.
On arrival at the factory you are greeted by an impressive structure that superbly embodies the Aston Martin brand. Inside this feeling continues with a light and airy reception with a display of four cars greeting every visitor.
Just past the entrance there is a further display of cars outlining the history of Aston Martin right up to the DBS that was used by James Bond in the 2006 filmCasino Royale. The company is very proud of its link with 007 which stretches back 50 years to the introduction of the DB5 in the 1964 film Goldfinger.
Walking onto the factory floor the attention to detail is everywhere, right down to the polished floors, pristine production line and the pride with which people working at Gaydon wear their Aston Martin uniforms.
Unlike most car plants there is only one robot on the production line, every other task is completed by skilled craftsmen and women using a mix of modern and traditional techniques. At every stage a car is checked and rechecked and only then is the Aston Martin badge applied to the nose of the car.
It is during the ‘body-in-white’ stage of the production process that chassis are sent to Aston Martin Racing for the race engineers to work their magic on the cars.
Aston Martin Racing
Aston Martin Racing currently has four LMGTE spec cars that will race in this year’s FIA WEC and delivery of a fifth chassis has just taken place.
The first thing that is a very noticeable difference is the roll cage that is fitted to provide protection for the driver. The back of the chassis is modified so the rear of the car can be changed in the event of accident damage.
The V8 engine is also a standard engine with the block, head and crank being retained, but Aston Martin Racing upgrades the rods, valves and pistons to racing specifications. Other modifications are made with bespoke brake, suspension and air conditioning systems. The drive train layout is the same as the road car but modified to a racing specification and includes a carbon fibre prop shaft to the rear wheels
The engineers at Aston Martin Racing have an excellent working relationship with their colleagues at Gaydon and the two-way communications strategy has helped push forward developments in both the road and race cars.
The Aston Martin V12 Vantage S
When you first sit in the cockpit of a road-going Aston Martin you know you are in a very special place and this top of the range V12 Vantage S is probably the closest you will get to the performance of the actual race car.
Now the V12 Vantage S is no light weight, stripped out, race car for the road. This is the height of luxury with hand stitched leather on every panel, beautifully detailed instruments and controls that are exquisite to look at but are ergonomically perfect so as not to distract the driver from the whole driving experience.
For comfort, the electronically adjustable carbon-fibre sports seats wrap the driver and passenger in style, climate control keeps the cabin temperature at a constant level and a Bang & Olufsen sound system is provided for in-car entertainment.
When you slide in behind the steering wheel the real fun begins: putting your foot on the brake and pushing home the Emotional Control Unit to bring the 6-litre V12 to life. A primeval roar from the exhausts has you smiling like a Cheshire cat. After selecting ‘Drive’ on the automated-manual gearbox and release the handbrake, press the accelerator and you’re off.
At low speed the Vantage is very easy to drive; this isn’t a snarling beast trying to pitch you into the nearest wall at the earliest opportunity. In fact it is very smooth around town. The suspension doesn’t crash over the notorious British pot-holed roads and also handled the traffic calming humps around Banbury with consummate ease.
Take it onto the open road and you find yourself in charge of the perfect GT car. The V12 Vantage S is perfect on the open road and is the embodiment of the Grand Tourer which could be driven down to the Cote d’Azur or the Italian Riviera in style. There is even a decent sized boot, easily big enough for luggage for two – Aston Martin Nubuck leather holdalls, of course.
Press the ‘Sport’ mode button and the gear changes are made higher up the rev range and the exhaust note changes above 4000 rpm. Taking charge of the gearbox by flipping the paddles behind the steering wheel, you are now the master of your own destiny and the car encourages you to change up later as the glorious engine note rises. Even the downshifts are aurally dramatic as the engine blips the revs as your speed drops off – that key is well named!
Driving the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S was a motoring experience like no other and the link between the road car and the race car is there for all to see. The Ferrari 458 Italia and the Porsche 911 RSR would undoubtedly provide a similar motoring experience, and this is why the LMGTE class in the FIA World Endurance Championship continues to engage the fans around the world.
The Le Mans Prototypes are beautiful and are technologically the ultimate in endurance racing machinery. However the Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche GT cars provide an equally beautiful, tangible link to the cars seen on the road which fans can aspire to own and drive.
WORDS: Jeff Carter PHOTOGRAPHS: John Rourke / Adrenal Media
