FASTEST ASTON MARTIN V12 VANTAGE S REVEALED

The quickest and fastest Aston Martin ever produced is the One-77. The second-quickest is the new V12 Vantage S, a car that Aston Martin believes embodies the true values of a sports car wearing a gentleman’s suit.

Few would argue the fact that Aston Martins are some of the prettiest cars on the roads today. Yet so far they have been excluded at exclusive speed clubs, simply because they aren’t as quick as their direct rivals. The new V12 Vantage S though is fast dispelling those notions.

Powered by a 6.0-litre V12 naturally aspirated rasper codenamed the AM28, the car is said to be able to accelerate from - 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds, which is about the same time that Mercedes-Benz claims for its SLS AMG Coupe and Audi for the normal R8 V10. Maximum torque of 620Nm is available at 5 750rpm, 510Nm of which can be accessed from 1 000rpm. Drive is through the rear wheels via a new automated manual transmission called the Sportshift III. It basically works like BMW’s old SMG and Audi’s R Tronic in that it has a clutch but no clutch pedal.

Some of the other new tech include a three-stage adaptive damping system that allows the driver to select either Normal, Sport or Track driving modes to suit his current mood or driving conditions. While these may not be industry firsts (even a BMW 1 Series is fitted with such), they do demonstrate AM’s progression. One of these days the brand may unveil a turbo engine, or even a hybrid!