New Aston Martin Vantage Race Car Tests at Sebring

Spy video catches the redesigned Vantage V8 and its twin-turbo V8 knocking out laps in Florida.

People have spotted both the road-going and race-car versions of the Aston Martin Vantage V8 in recent months. And while the hollering naturally-aspirated V8 is gone, the new twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 should give plenty of grunt to defend their Le Mans victory.

The redesigned Vantage GTE — spotted testing at Sebring International Raceway by the Fans of the 12 Hours YouTube Channel and earlier at Rockingham in the UK (below) —features lines that look a tad more slippery, although it’s hard to see all the details with the zig-zag camouflage. However, you can’t miss the enormous diffuser under the rear bumper or the towering wing over the decklid. Like its GTE competitors, this new Vantage should generate tremendous downforce. The hood vents will cool the harder-working race engine by improving underhood airflow.

Speaking of the engine, Aston Martin has sourced the 4.0-liter V8 from Mercedes-Benz. A version of that twin-turbo engine graces the Mercedes AMG GT road car with 500 horsepower. The GTE power target usually lingers around that number, although Aston Martin will have made significant changes to keep up with endurance racing’s unique demands.

When it runs in 2018, the Aston Martin Vantage V8 will face new competition from BMW’s M8 GTE. That pair of twin-turbo V8 machines face an established GTE roster: Corvette Racing’s C7.R, Ford’s GT, Ferrari’s 488, and Porsche’s mid-engined 991 RSR.

The outgoing Vantage V8 still could clinch the GTE-AM drivers’ and teams’ titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The AMR squad of Paul Dalla Lana, Mathias Lauda, and Pedro Lamy lead both championships by 10 points currently. The season’s final round, the 6 Hours of Bahrain, comes November 16 to 18.

Those championships would make a wonderful swan song for the naturally aspirated engine, which won the GTE-PRO class at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans.