The 6-litre normally aspirated V12 engine retains the cast magnesium inlet manifolds and torque tube, while the seven-speed Speedshift III automatic gearbox also featuring the coupe’s lower final drive ratio, limiting the maximum speed to around 180mph, the GT12 coupe will crack a claimed 185mph.
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Conceived and delivered in just nine-months, the vehicle has been revealed to the public on the Aston Martin stand at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Roadster is finished in a more subtle metallic grey, unlike the lairy white and orange Coupe we drove a year ago. It’s the first time a customer has been able to call upon the full scope of Aston’s Q engineering and design team to commission a one-off fully personalised model. At the rear, the Coupe fixed rear wing is replaced with a smaller boot spoiler, while at the bottom you’ll find a huge diffuser to channel air out the back of the auto.
The GT12 Roadster’s body has been conceived of carbon fiber, aside from its stowable cloth roof, of course.
The Vantage Roadster’s chassis is a bit wobblier than the coupe’s, which has been accounted for with a further revised suspension setup.
For that reason, it wouldn’t make much sense to rid the vehicle of its roof, but that’s exactly what one Aston customer has done via the automaker’s “Q” personalization division. “Aston Martin has a growing reputation of building ambitious commissions for customers, perhaps the best example being the spectacular CC100 Speedster Concept”, says the brand’s chief special operations officer David King.
This vehicle took nine months to conceive and build, with plenty of custom carbon fiber body panels needed to accommodate the new roof.
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It’s been only days since Aston Martin announced its last limited-edition model, but now the interminable wait for another variant is at an end, with the unveiling of the new GT12 Roadster at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. The connoisseur of perfection that Aston Martin is, it took full 9 months to complete the project. Amusing how much more subdued the GT12 is in grey as well. Apart from this and the addition of a retractable soft top, the Vantage GT12 roadster is nearly identical to the standard vehicle.
