What's the news?
Aston Martin has revealed a one-off Vantage GT12 Roadster at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK today, created as a commission by 'Q by Aston Martin' for an unnamed client.
Exterior
It's all about the carbon fibre on the outside, though as it's a one-off creation Aston Martin hasn't actually revealed exactly which body parts are now carbon. A look at the images reveals obvious carbon fibre trim for the new rear bumper and diffuser, side sills and front splitter, along with the grille surround and possibly even the boot lid. The bonnet is new and the front wings are restyled too. There's a gorgeous set of seven-spoke centre-lock alloy wheels and the paint colour was chosen by the buyer.
Interior
Lots of carbon fibre can be found inside the GT12 Roadster too, most noticeably on the centre stack and console, the latter of which features a unique styling flourish towards the rear incorporating the 'Q' logo. Otherwise it's remarkably restrained, with contrast stitched dark brown leather upholstery and all the standard Vantage switchgear intact.
Mechanicals
The GT12 Roadster uses the same upgraded 6.0-litre V12 engine that went into the sold-out coupe version, uprated to 600hp. Helping achieve that are magnesium inlet manifolds with new geometry and a full titanium exhaust system. It sends all that power to the rear wheels via a seven-speed Sportshift III paddle-shift automatic. The suspension set-up is different to that of the standard V12 Roadster too.
Anything else?
David King, Vice President and Chief Special Operations Officer, says of the Vantage GT12 Roadster: "Aston Martin has a growing reputation of building ambitious commissions for customers, perhaps the best example being the spectacular CC100 Speedster Concept. We have also become world leaders in ultra-low volume projects with cars such as the One-77, Lagonda Taraf and Aston Martin Vulcan, while the Vantage GT12 and Vantage GT8 show how far we can take our series production models.
"The GT12 Roadster is the first project to combine all of those skill sets in one magnificent car. In just nine months we took a customer's dream and realised it, with a fully-formed, exactingly engineered and fully road-legal one-off. That is the essence of the Q by Aston Martin service".
Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin President and CEO, commented: "The Vantage GT12 Roadster is a hugely exciting project. Not just because it's sensational to look at, but because it vividly demonstrates the expanded capabilities of Q by Aston Martin. By incorporating the exceptional engineering capabilities of Aston Martin Advanced Operations within the Q by Aston Martin bespoke commissioning service we have a truly formidable creative team."