Aston Martin farewells V12 Vantage with V600 special
BY JUSTIN HILLIARD | 10th May 2018
ASTON Martin has given its current-generation Vantage sportscar an old-school farewell with the limited-edition V600 – a variant that pays tribute to the 1998 model of the same name.
Produced by the Q by Aston Martin personalisation service at the request of the marque’s customers, the V600 will be restricted to 14 units, including an even split of coupes and roadsters.
Drawing inspiration from the V8 version before it, the new V12 iteration takes the VH-series Vantage formula and dials it up to 11 with a series of design tweaks inside and out.
However, the latest V600 may end up being best remembered for its 6.0-litre naturally aspirated V12 petrol engine, which has had its maximum power output lifted from 421kW to 441kW.
Comparatively, the V600 from 20 years ago produced 447kW from its 5.3-litre supercharged V8 powertrain.
Furthermore, in keeping with its throwback mantra, the V600 is exclusively matched to a seven-speed manual gearbox, despite consumer preferences shifting towards automatic transmissions.
As with the regular V12 Vantage, the V600 employs an independent double-wishbone suspension at its front and rear axles, including three-stage adaptive damping.
Visually, the V600 is distinguished by its bulging bonnet, perforated front grille, new-look alloy wheels, redesigned side strakes and carbon-fibre rear diffuser.
Inside, carbon-fibre and dark anodised-aluminium trim dominate, while the sports seats feature perforation that matches the bonnet’s. A hand-crafted saddle-leather centre armrest, a machined gear shifter and a unique instrument cluster are also added.
According to Aston Martin senior vice-president and chief creative officer Marek Reichman, the British car-maker’s personalisation service allows customers to be involved in the design process.
“This is precisely why we created our ‘Q by Aston Martin - Commission’ service,” he said. “Our customers can create truly bespoke sportscars by personally collaborating with myself and Aston Martin’s design team.
“The V600 name remains a classic in Aston Martin’s heritage, and I’m proud to see it adorn the V12 Vantage V600 once again.”
GoAuto has contacted Aston Martin local import to see if any examples of the V600 will be made available to Australian customers.
As previously reported, the new-generation Vantage was revealed in November last year and will be priced from $299,950 before on-road costs when it his local showrooms in the third quarter.
The latest Vantage will be exclusively powered by a Mercedes-AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol unit from launch.
Developing 375kW of power and 685Nm of torque, the Vantage is mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission with torque convertor, forgoing the manual gearbox option of its predecessor.
