Few outfits have benefited from the kind of success that Aston Martin Racing has enjoyed. The team has emerged as an absolutely dominant force in the numerous GT classes of endurance racing around the world. But Aston's success arguably went to its head a little, prompting AMR to abandon its GT racing program to privateers as the team itself attempted to step up to the top-tier LMP1 class with the AMR-One.
That ended up a fool's errand that yielded none of the success to which the Prodrive squadron had become accustomed. So after three years nipping at the heels of Audi and Peugeot, AMR has announced its return to production-based GT racing with this, the Aston Martin Vantage GTE.
Designed to comply with the amalgamated GTE Pro class regulations set out by the ACO and FIA for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the new World Endurance Championship, the Vantage GTE is based on the V8 Vantage, but upgraded considerably to competition spec. Its aerodynamically optimized carbon fiber bodywork – draped in iconic blue and orange Gulf livery – packs a 4.5-liter V8 with a six-speed sequential transaxle and adjustable everything to optimize the package for specific race tracks.
The team will field one car at each of the races on the WEC calendar – from its debut at Sebring on March 17 through Spa, Silverstone, Sao Paulo, Bahrain, Fuji and Shanghai – with a second car to join at Le Mans in June. Follow the jump for the full press release and video clip, check out the high-res images in the gallery for a closer look.
That ended up a fool's errand that yielded none of the success to which the Prodrive squadron had become accustomed. So after three years nipping at the heels of Audi and Peugeot, AMR has announced its return to production-based GT racing with this, the Aston Martin Vantage GTE.
Designed to comply with the amalgamated GTE Pro class regulations set out by the ACO and FIA for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the new World Endurance Championship, the Vantage GTE is based on the V8 Vantage, but upgraded considerably to competition spec. Its aerodynamically optimized carbon fiber bodywork – draped in iconic blue and orange Gulf livery – packs a 4.5-liter V8 with a six-speed sequential transaxle and adjustable everything to optimize the package for specific race tracks.
The team will field one car at each of the races on the WEC calendar – from its debut at Sebring on March 17 through Spa, Silverstone, Sao Paulo, Bahrain, Fuji and Shanghai – with a second car to join at Le Mans in June. Follow the jump for the full press release and video clip, check out the high-res images in the gallery for a closer look.
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