GT3 racer joins road-going Aston Martin Vantage

ASTON MARTIN has officially unveiled its updated 2024 Vantage GT3 this week alongside the introduction of the road-going coupe – and just a month after the model’s “unofficial” outing at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.

Touted as a comprehensive evolution of the previous iteration, the Aston Martin GT3 shares the same bonded aluminium body and Mercedes-AMG sourced engine of the road car with an all-new aerodynamic package, thoroughly reworked suspension arrangement, and updated electronics.

The new aero tweaks are said to move the centre of pressure aft to reduce pitch sensitivity and aid stability. Large louvres in the top of the front wheel arch help to reduce front-end lift, while rear vents assist in reducing drag.

“Simultaneously revealing the new Vantage and Vantage GT3 race car underlines Aston Martin’s commitment to building the world’s finest sports car, and then proving its capabilities on-track,” said Aston Martin global chief brand and commercial officer Marco Mattiacci.

“It also signals a closer relationship between our road and race programs, with Aston Martin Racing benefitting from the exceptional pool of talent, experience and knowledge forged in Formula 1 and found throughout Aston Martin Performance Technologies.

“The result is a truly state-of-the-art GT racer; one that clearly shares its DNA with the latest Vantage road car yet is perfectly evolved to suit the latest GT3 regulations.

“Descended from a succession of multiple world championship-winning predecessors, the new Vantage GT3 is proving irresistible to an impressive international roster of leading GT racing teams.

“Hungry for victory and poised to build upon Aston Martin’s extraordinary track record, the world’s greatest endurance races are firmly in the Vantage GT3’s sights.”

The Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is built to comply with all FIA GT3 class regulations, including the newly introduced LMGT3 category in which torque sensors are mandated.

The car, which comes as a collaboration between Aston Martin Racing (AMR) and Aston Martin Performance Technologies (AMPT) is claimed to offer a quicker transfer of information from the track to the road, while also making the GT3 as “driveable as possible for both professional and amateur drivers alike”.

Indeed, both factory and amateur drivers took part in testing the new model, participating in a 12,000km running- and 30-hour race test.

The assessment aimed to address some of the old car’s “more challenging handling characteristics” and has delivered what Aston Martin says is a “super-fast-yet-forgiving machine with no vices and a usefully wide set-up window that’s perfectly suited to the unique demands and ultra-competitive nature of top-level GT racing”.

“The focus on the new Vantage GT3 was to increase their performance window and make something that would work at any circuit, on any tyre and with any driver. We also had to work to the new regulations, so this required additional changes,” explained Aston Martin Racing head of performance Gustavo Betelli.

“These new generation GT3 cars are more dependent than ever on aerodynamic downforce, so we wanted to make the car more stable under braking. The old car would dive a lot under braking, so we had to try and control the pitch with the rear suspension set-up.

“But this meant it was stiff, which made it quite snappy and, also over-worked the tyres. Working heavily on damper tuning, we have found a much better balance with the new car so we can generate the downforce without compromising the suspension set-up.

“The result is much-improved progression and greater stability in all conditions. It also works its tyres much more evenly, so teams have more options on strategy. The feedback from drivers who’ve tested it has been overwhelmingly positive. Especially the amateur racers, who have been able to achieve lap times that are much closer to the pros.

“Now we need to go racing!”

Aston Martin says that the broadened eligibility of events in which the model can compete makes it the “weapon of choice” for an increasing roster of racers. It is expected that as many as 30 examples of the Vantage GT3 will be actively racing by the end of 2024.

Local availability and pricing have not been confirmed, however GoAuto understands the model will retail from £575,000 ($A1.11m).