A couple of major projects we have been working on for some time are moving into production. Aston Martin has always been our core and our roots and we are proud to continue to improve our offerings for these vehicles. Both through improvements in quality and performance as well as reduction in cost. Both of these products (pre-production parts) will be on display with David Appleby Engineering at the Aston Martin Heritage Festival at Dallas Burston Polo Festival on June 26th. ****FEDEX may have completely dropped the ball here, but still hoping they will be at the show tomorrow****

New 2021 ‘V3’ 2006-2016MY V8 Vantage Power Pack:
While our competition is still criticizing versions of our product that are nearly 10 years old and multiple times superseded, we remain quietly steadfast in our commitment to continuous improvement. VAP have always wanted to be able to produce the ultimate iteration of our Vantage manifolds. Our previous versions were great but limited by external constraints in part due to our supply agreement with Aston Martin Racing. Our V3 Manifolds & Power Pack build upon our previous knowledge to achieve further gains:
• +57BHP
• +39ft/lbs from 4000-7500RPM
• 1.2 Second reduction in 30-100MPH 3rd gear ‘slip road’ test








New 2021 Twin Plate Clutch Kit:
A twin plate clutch is one of the most popular OEM upgrades available for the V8 Vantage. As OEM parts prices have continued to climb, and availability has waned, it has made the cost of continued maintenance and upgrades higher. 18 Months ago and after a lot of researching suppliers, we took the plunge and made a very significant investment to develop all the tooling required to produce these parts ourselves. After over a year of development and testing, VAP is proud to announce our own Twin Plate clutch kit, for manual V8 Vantages. The ASM/Sportshift version is also in the final phase of testing and expected to be released soon.
• Price reduction of over $1000 at $2895 USD RRP
• Manufactured by an OEM Valeo subcontractor, to OEM standards
• Identical OEM Valeo friction formula, purchased from Valeo
• Tested across over a dozen vehicles, and 30,000 miles of hard usage, including hire vehicles
• Manual version in production for October delivery. ASM version in final phase of testing

 

Wow, that looks great, what are the differences between this clutch and the previous VAP clutch? Are the friction disks supposed to be identical? Same flywheel?

 

The flywheel is the same. The 2 big differences are, we have made the release bearing ourselves. The clutch is 5lbs lighter than the V12V unit, but essentially very similar. The friction material is the same, dimensions of the disc the same etc.

Functionally speaking this is intended to be very much the same as our existing kit, we just saw costs escalating, availability declining and the justification for investing in some product we could bring to market at a lower price point.

 

That sounds excellent, I'll be looking forward to getting one in the future!

 

How does this new dual clutch kit match up in relation to the Aston Martin racing dual clutch kit? Similar weight loss and improved throttle response?

 

Glad to hear that your investment in manufacturability has reduced the cost of the clutch kit. I installed your twin plate clutch in my car just over a year ago and I recommend it to everyone who has, or is considering buying, a Vantage as the first "must do" upgrade. The difference is night and day.
Honestly, Aston should be ashamed of the original clutch.

 

Great news Stuart, will order a twin plate soon.

 

I'm prepping to order a new clutch as mine is starting to slip, and measured at 20% life remaining at a recent service.

I need to replace the clutch to start enjoying the car again, and was wondering if it's worth it to wait for the new model, or just order the existing one.

I have a 2012 V8 Vantage S with ASM II, and was also curious about the two options currently available in the site.

Thanks

 

Our kit is similar to the AMR kit, I believe has more weight reduction.

 

The 'current' option (using OEM AML V12 Vantage Parts + our flywheel & spacer) is the only one available for your car: https://www.velocityap.com/product/a...-sportshift-2/

 

Stuart will a 2015-16 V8 GT still need the old style torque tube for the clutch upgrade or will your revised throw out bearing permit the newer 2015-2016 torque tube to work with the VAP upgrade without modification?

 

Stuart, do you have an estimate for when the ASM version for the 2008 Vantage will be available, trying to plan my expenses, thank you!

 

Yes, it will still require machining the torque tube.

 

Not yet, it depends on a couple of variables. Potentially by the end of this year.

 

Great, gives me time to put money away for the job, so far it's currently working fine, so all good! Thank You!!