Aston Martin has revealed the final edition of its V12 Vantage sports car.
Since the automaker plans to introduce its first fully electric vehicle in 2025 and offer an electric option on all new car lines beginning in 2026, this new sports car represents the last fossil-fuel version of the line.
In an interview with Reuters, Aston Martin executive chairman and investor Lawrence Stroll said, “This V12 Vantage is really a swan song and it will be the last one we make before we move onto hybridization and electrification.”
The first V12 Vantage RS concept was shown in 2007 and since then, CEO Tobias Moers says the company has been “fitting our biggest engine into our smallest and most sporting model.” He went on to call the new version “the fastest, most powerful and most dynamically capable V12 Vantage ever.”
Its quad-cam 60-degree 5.2-liter V12 engine produces 700PS, 753Nm of torque, and powers the vehicle to a top speed of 200 miles per hour and zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.4 seconds. An optional rear wing contributes to a maximum downforce of about 450 pounds at top speed.
To save weight, Aston Martin used features including a carbon fiber front bumper, composite rear bumper and deck lid, lightweight battery and a special center-mounted twin-exit exhaust system. In addition, the exhaust system is made from lightweight 1-mm stainless steel. All this combines for a power-to-weight ratio of 390PS-per-ton.
The petrol-powered V12 Vantage is limited to 333 vehicles globally and possesses a starting price of approximately $300,000. According to Aston Martin, demand for the vehicle is so high that after its confirmation in December, all examples were sold ahead of release and the car was oversubscribed three times.
Production is set to begin in in the first quarter of of 2022, and deliveries will commence during the second quarter.
