In keeping with the international debut of the new Vantage road car, the spectacular new Vantage GT3 reflects the increased performance, sharpened dynamics and eye-catching style of the latest showroom model, translating these qualities into an impressive new GT race car and opening the next chapter in Aston Martin’s illustrious motorsport history.
Speaking about the exciting new GT racing car, Marco Mattiacci, Aston Martin’s Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer said: “The simultaneous unveiling of the new Vantage and Vantage GT3 racing cars underlines Aston Martin’s commitment to building the best sports car in the world and then demonstrating its capabilities on the track. It also signals a closer connection between our road and racing programs, with Aston Martin Racing benefiting from the exceptional pool of talent, experience and knowledge that has emerged in Formula 1® and can be found everywhere at Aston Martin Performance Technologies.”
“The result is a truly state-of-the-art GT racing car; one that shares its DNA with the latest Vantage road car, but has still been perfectly developed to meet the latest GT3 regulations. Coming from a line of predecessors that have won multiple world titles, the new Vantage GT3 is proving irresistible to an impressive international roster of leading GT racing teams. Hungry for victory and ready to build on Aston Martin’s exceptional track record is the The biggest endurance races in the world are firmly in the sights of the Vantage GT3.”
The Vantage GT3 is a comprehensive evolution of the highly successful and recently retired Vantage GTE and GT3 cars that debuted in 2018. The Vantage GT3 shares the same mechanical architecture – and that of the new Vantage road car – and is based on Aston Martin’s. It features a proven aluminum chassis structure and is powered by its fearsome 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 -Motor driven. With a dramatic, all-new aerodynamic package from nose to tail, a comprehensively revised suspension and state-of-the-art electronics, they give this latest generation Aston Martin GT race car world-beating potential.
Built to comply with all FIA GT3 class regulations, including the new-for-2024 LMGT3 category, the new Vantage GT3 is a truly global competitor. One that will fight for honors in the world’s most competitive GT series, including the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship (IMSA), Fanatec GT World Challenge, European Le Mans Series (ELMS ) and the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS).
The Vantage GT3 is the first product of the groundbreaking collaboration between Aston Martin Racing (AMR) and Aston Martin Performance Technologies (AMPT), as Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, explains: “The new GT3 is our first opportunity to use AMPT to play a role in harnessing the capabilities, attitudes and methodologies of all of Aston Martin’s various nerve centres, which we have then combined with AMR’s unrivaled GT program management expertise. “The GT racing program will serve as a development laboratory that will improve knowledge transfer and approach to future Aston Martin road cars.”.
Developed according to a rigorous set of goals set by AMPT and implemented by AMR, the new Vantage GT3 upgrades focused on incorporating some of the old car’s more demanding driving characteristics to make the new GT3 as driveable for both professional and amateur drivers to do as possible. An extensive development program – including a grueling 30-hour test – was completed late last year with a combination of Aston Martin-contracted professional drivers and selected amateur racers. Everyone reported that the new Vantage GT3 was a super-quick yet forgiving machine with no vices and a usefully wide setup window, perfect for the unique demands and highly competitive nature of GT racing at the highest level.
As lead engineer for the GT3 program, Gustavo Betelli, Head of Performance at Aston Martin Racing, was tasked with ensuring that the Vantage GT3 delivered the desired combination of ultimate speed and accessibility. Finding the right point while adhering to the FIA’s highly mandated and closely monitored Balance of Performance (BoP) regulations was key to achieving AMPT’s transformative goals: “The focus with the new Vantage GT3 was to expand its performance window and create something that works on any track, on any tire and for any driver. We also had to work with new regulations that required additional changes.
“These new generation GT3 cars rely on aerodynamic downforce more than ever, so we wanted to make the car more stable under braking. The old car dived a lot when braking, so we had to try to control the lean with rear suspension tuning. However, that meant it was stiff, which made it quite snappy and also strained the tires. By intensively tuning the dampers, we have found a much better balance with the new car, allowing us to generate downforce without affecting the suspension tuning. The result is significantly improved progression and greater stability in all conditions. In addition, the tires are stressed much more evenly, giving teams more strategy options. Feedback from riders who tested it was overwhelmingly positive. The amateur racers in particular were able to achieve lap times that were much closer to those of the professionals. Now we have to race!”.
Visually, the Vantage GT3 combines the striking design of the new Vantage road car with the extreme downforce-generating aerodynamics that make GT3 racing so popular with racers and fans alike. Extensive use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) enabled the desired aerodynamic performance and efficiency targets to be achieved – whilst meeting FIA downforce limits – and input from Aston Martin’s design department ensured that this pure function was given perfect form corresponded.
The result is a truly stunning machine. One that combines the powerful and distinctive design language of the Vantage road car with the impressive aggressiveness and stance of a thoroughbred race car. One of the most striking aspects of the Vantage GT3 is the new nose. The road car’s new larger grille opening not only looks fantastic, but also allows AMR to increase the volume of cooling air directed to the brakes, now providing the driver with more consistent performance.
The nose itself is a large one-piece carbon fiber clam shell. It features a quick release design that allows for quick removal and replacement in the event of accidental damage during racing. It houses a full-width laser light and a shorter splitter. This moves the center of pressure backwards to reduce pitch sensitivity and improve stability. Large fins at the top of the front wheel wells expel high-pressure air to reduce lift, while an even larger fin stack in the rear wheel wells allows high pressure to escape rearward to reduce drag.
Thanks to its wide approval, the new Vantage GT3 is the weapon of choice for an impressive and ever-growing global list of Aston Martin Racing partner teams. The long-standing AMR partners Heart of Racing and D’station Racing are joined by newcomers such as Walkenhorst Motorsport from Germany and the Belgian team ComToYou Racing. Flying Lizard Motorsports, already a Vantage GT4 partner team, will now switch to the Vantage GT3 in the USA. It is predicted that up to 30 Vantage GT3s will be in active racing use by the end of the 2024 season.
This instant popularity is the best possible endorsement of the AMR-built machine, which has already been seen in action at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and, most iconically, Above all, the 24 Hours of Le Mans will fight for victory later this year. The Vantage GT3 will also compete in numerous national GT championships around the world – including the Japanese Super GT Championship and the British GT Championship – underlining Aston Martin’s leading role in global motorsport.
Since its arrival on the world stage in 2012, the Aston Martin Vantage has been a force to be reckoned with at the highest level of GT racing through its various generations. With an incredible 52 class wins – the first of which came in its WEC debut – and 11 world championship titles, as well as a host of victories in numerous other national and international series, the Vantage name is synonymous with success in GT racing. The new Vantage GT3 will continue a tradition.
