2017 Aston Martin Vantage GT8

It takes something special to stand out at the Nürburgring, even in the line of traffic entering the parking lot. We visited during the annual 24 Hours race, which brings tens of thousands of fans to this corner of the usually deserted Eifel mountains. Many, in our experience, seem to have come to ogle supercars of the attendees rather than to watch the on-track action. As it crawls past the main entrance, the Aston Martin Vantage GT8 scores as much attention as the Martini-liveried Porsche 918 Spyder that’s two cars ahead in the queue; indeed, it’s subject to only fractionally less gawking than the apparently unregistered Bugatti Chiron that, bored with waiting, passes us on the emergency shoulder. Everywhere we look, there’s a cellphone or a camera raised for a picture. Not bad for such an aged star.

The GT8 isn’t like other, lesser Vantages. Visually it’s a near clone of its GTE racing sister, with a similarly outrageous body kit and wearing a rear wing that is pretty much visible from outer space. But what really turns heads is the outrageous noise that it makes, exhaling through an exhaust that seems practically unmuffled, bouncing hard-edged V-8 harmonics from every acoustically reflective surface. This definitely isn’t an Aston for undercover espionage work.

Sold Out, Sorry

The GT8 follows on the heels of last year’s V-12–powered Vantage GT12 and, as its name suggests, is basically a V-8–powered take on the same theme, although Aston claims even more aggressive chassis settings for the octocylinder edition. Just 150 copies will be produced and all have already sold, despite a price in Europe that makes a GT8 (with all of its lightweight options) more than twice as expensive as a basic $107,825 V8 Vantage. The bad news, as previously broken, is that none will be coming to the United States.

The one thing that double-money doesn’t buy here is a significant increase in power. Aston has given its venerable 4.7-liter V-8 the mildest of reworkings, so it now claims that the engine delivers 440 horsepower, just 10 horses more than in the standard car. Credit the freer-flowing exhaust. The GT8 can be had with either Aston’s automated single-clutch seven-speed or with the six-speed manual gearbox. Happily, the latter was fitted to the car we drove. Aston says buyers are split about 50-50 between the two transmissions; the manual seems to be bouncing back, at least among those with sporting intent.

Despite the lack of any significant gain in output, the power-to-weight ratio has been tweaked substantially through aggressive weight reduction of the sort normally delivered with a suction pump to obese stars. The GT8’s bumpers, front fenders, splitter, and diffuser are all made from carbon fiber, with the aggressive cutaway profile of the new front wheel opening being effectively the same as that of the GTE racer. Inside the cabin, lighter elements include carbon-composite-framed fixed-back sports seats and carbon-fiber door trim. Aston also swaps in a lightweight racing-grade lithium-ion battery. Together, those measures shave off 176 pounds, but it’s possible to remove another 44 by specifying—at extra cost—lightweight forged-aluminum wheels, a carbon-fiber roof, a titanium exhaust system, and, for the full race-car effect, polycarbonate side and rear windows. That drops the claimed curb weight to 3329 pounds.

In short, the GT8 has been given a pass on Aston’s usual requirement that its products should combine both performance and luxury. Within a couple of kilometers on the roads leading away from the ’Ring, it’s clear that this is a car aimed squarely at those who reckon the Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a bit tame.

Track-Focused Chassis

The GT8’s stretched bodywork allows slightly wider tracks—0.8 inch more at the front and 1.4 inches at the rear. Spring rates increase by 25 percent at the front and 10 percent at the rear when compared with the standard Vantage V-8, but the most significant chassis change is the loss of the electronically adjustable dampers. These have been surrendered for what is, effectively, a set of motorsport-grade passive dampers. Ride height is 0.5 inch lower, bushings have been upgraded to race-spec parts, and the front suspension geometry has been given a generous dose of negative camber.

The result is what Aston claims to be the most track-focused, street-legal Vantage chassis ever, including last year’s GT12. We drove only it on the road—the Nürburgring itself was kind of busy—but with most of the area’s asphalt being smoother than many U.S. racing circuits, the GT felt at home. The stiffer springs and race-spec dampers result in an extremely firm ride at lower speeds, but adding velocity or lateral loading puts them to work and makes the GT8 feel much more planted than the standard Vantage. Grip levels are high thanks to track-spec Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, bordering on being too high to exploit responsibly without being on a track. The steering feel is outstanding. There’s the aerodynamic downforce from that vast rear wing and the unmistakable sensation of the car gripping harder in faster turns. On the road you can only brush the limits; on a track it should be transcendental.

What the GT8 is not, ever, is a relaxing companion. The cabin is loud enough that conversations have to be conducted in raised voices, even when cruising. Exercising the raucous V-8 creates a sound that actually seems to vibrate your internal organs—and one that makes any other kind of in-car entertainment entirely superfluous. It’s not as fast as the V12 Vantage S that we also drove recently, which is both cheaper and destined for the U.S., but the GT8 delivers far more visceral thrills.

Although America misses out this time, there should be many more chances for those with sufficiently deep pockets to buy limited-edition Astons. Company boss Andy Palmer has said the company plans to build at least two “special” models a year, and we believe that there will be at least one other Vantage limited edition before sales of this generation end next year.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $235,000

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection

Displacement: 289 cu in, 4735 cc
Power: 440 hp @ 7300 rpm
Torque: 361 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual, 7-speed automated manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 102.4 in
Length: 178.7 in
Width: 75.7 in Height: 49.5 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 3350 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.2–4.4 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 10.1–10.4 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 12.6–12.8 sec
Top speed: 190 mph

FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway: 12–13/18–20 mpg