Aston Martin's Newest Vantage GT3 Demands Your Attention

What is it?

Aston Martin has been known in recent years to have a very good GT3 racing team. In the past, they've used the Vantage as the basis for their cup cars and it did terrifically well. People don't realize that the technology and research that goes into making a racecar is then applied to the road cars down the line that fill showroom floors. Everyone assumes that the racecar is a totally different entity than the car that is sold to buyers. That is not at all true--in fact, it's the exact opposite.

So, with Aston's latest GT3 cup car, they took all their research and development from the last model and put it into the newest 2019 Vantage. This time, the Vantage is lighter, stiffer, and more agile than ever before so the GT3 variant is supposed to be quite the hauler...

GT3

GT3 is a race series just like any other. Formula 1 is another series (just to name one of the many) which crams each manufacturer's latest and greatest technology into a space-age track car. GT3 uses already road-legal cars and converts them into thoroughbred racers. It's a backward method but it ensures that each competitor uses a street-legal car to start. That way, it pushes manufacturers to make already brilliant cars so that it's easier to win races. It also means that the cars that win are closely tied to the car on the road so you can guarantee that the Vantage sitting in your garage has pedigree.

May seem like a long shot while watching GT3 cars lap exotics tracks all over the world, but those cars are the closest versions to road-legal cars. That's what makes GT3 races so fun; they're not lighting fast trillion dollar spaceships made of unobtanium. Instead, they're normal cars that are made into track cars. 

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New Vantage GT3

It's been about 7 years since the first Vantage rolled out of pit lane and began winning races. Now, the time has come to bring the newest iteration of the Vantage to the checkered flags. The Vantage keeps its 4.0L twin-turbocharged V8 but is up in power from 503 hp to 505 lb-ft of torque, and 535 hp to 516 lb-ft of torque. It also got a whole slew of new technology such as an Xtrac six-speed sequential transmission, Alcon motorsport clutch, Alcon brakes, Bosch Motorsport ABS, and Ohlins adjustable dampers. No lap times or data has been released just yet but expect this GT3 to be much more capable than the last model.

>>Join the conversation about the 2019 Vantage GT3 right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!

When Can We Expect It?

The new GT3 should be debuted in June at the Michelin Aston Martin Racing Le Mans Festival race. As of now, the Vantage GT3 is still under testing. Homologation is set for March and a GT4 version will come soon after. As stated before, no data has been released so one can only hope that the GT3 will deliver blisteringly fast lap times.

If Aston Martin's business plan for the next five years is an indication of anything, then the GT3 will be a winner for sure. The GTE was debuted a couple months ago and is supposed to run alongside the World Endurance racers. That way, Aston will have cars racing in each class at LeMans this next year.

>>Join the conversation about the 2019 Vantage GT3 right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!

What's coming down the pipeline

Later this year, the Valkyrie will be unveiled which was developed alongside the Red Bull racing team and other models will be announced soon after. 

>>Join the conversation about the 2019 Vantage GT3 right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!