Aston Martin DBRS9 GT3
Major racing teams have been fielding the racing model Aston DBRS9 in international contests such as, until 2009, the FIA GT championships or the 24 hour race at le Mans. Smaller teams have entered the big British sports car in national classes like the GT3 European Championship or the ADAC Masters. Prodrive in Banbury, England, have been building the DBRS9 on the basis of the DB9 based on the specifications of the Group GT3 regulations. Although the car cannot claim to have made a huge breakthrough, the DBRS9 has had a degree of success. In October last year the Aston triumphed at the Mount Panorama race in the Australian GT series and more recently scored a podium place in Zolder, Belgium. Now in order to be even more competitive Aston Martin have come up with a successor to the DBRS9.
Aston Martin Vantage GT3
The new car is not based on the DB9 but on the smaller V12 Vantage. By taking this approach the British engineers are seeking above all a weight reduction and thus better chances of winning in 2012. The Vantage GT3 is to tip the scales at below 1,250 kilos. The motorization is based on the six-litre V12 of the Vantage street model, but tuned for race circuit action it is a power plant delivering 600 horsepower and 700 Newton metres of torque compared with the standard output of 517 and 570 respectively. This has been partly achieved through the installation of a semi-automatic Xtrac racing transmission with gear-shift paddles on the steering-wheel. To give the driver the best possible mastery of the automobile there is racing-tested ABS and traction control. The first car will be completed in July and then subjected to an exhaustive testing and further development program. Only then will ten examples be built for customers entering the 2012 competition season. The price has not yet been announced but the previous DMRS9 had a ticket of 175 Pounds .
