Yes, Aston Martin will indeed reintroduce the iconic V12 Vantage once again. But the announcement is bitter-sweet. As gas-guzzling V12 engines are on their way out, it would be the final iteration of the V12-powered British sports car. For now, Aston Martin has only confirmed that the V12 Vantage will arrive in 2022 and a cheeky teaser with the exhaust note of the sonorous V12. It seems impossible to curb our enthusiasm.
What Made The V12 Vantage Special
The Vantage badge first came into existence in 1950 with the DB2 Vantage as a performance option. The 2.6-liter in-line six-cylinder engine tuned to a higher compression ratio and more upgrades was pushing the standard 105 hp output to 125 hp. The name was seen again with the DB4 Vantage, DB5 Vantage, and the DB6 Vantage, to signify the higher performance versions of Aston Martins.
In 1977, Aston Martin decided to spin the name off into its distinguished model. It gave birth to the iconic Aston Martin V8 Vantage. It was hailed as Britain's first supercar with a 170 mph top speed and a 0-60 mph time of 5.3 seconds. A whole one-tenth of a second quicker than the Ferrari Daytona.
The first time a V12 Vantage came into existence was with the DB7 V12 Vantage in 1999. At the Geneva Motor Show, Aston Martin revealed a 5.9-liter, V12 powered model that offered 420hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. It had a claimed top speed of 186 mph and could sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds. This model was so successful, the sales of the standard DB7 with the supercharged inline-6 cylinder engine dropped considerably before it was axed soon after.
In 2005, the Vantage name appeared again as a standalone model, being the baby in the Aston range. Initially, powered by a 4.3-liter V8 motor, then a larger 4.7-liter V8 motor in introduced that churned out 420 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque. The Vantage was Britain’s answer to the Porsche Cayman 987.
The Birth Of The V12 Vantage
Then someone at Aston felt that something was missing from the 172.5 in long, 73.5 in wide Vantage. So they decided to somehow squeeze in the enormous naturally-aspirated 5.9-liter V12 AM11 engine from the 2008 DBS into the tiny chassis. After a few concepts and prototypes were seen, the V12 Vantage as we know it was born in 2009. It packed 510 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. It was capable of accelerating from 0 to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds, and a top speed of 190mph.
There was even a more powerful version called the V12 Vantage S that made 565 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque thanks to the revisions to the engine. The 0-60 mph time dropped to 3.9 seconds, and it topped out at 205 mph. The baby Aston was now the fastest production model in the history of the brand.
The V12 Vantage was so good and so popular it witnesses a decade-long production run with countless special edition models like the V12 Zagato, GT12 with the dog-leg 7-speed manual, Vantage AMR, AMR Pro, and the final V600.
2022 V12 Vantage: What To Expect
Aston Martin launched an all-new version of the Vantage in 2018. Now in bed with Mercedes-AMG, the Vantage borrows its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine from the AMG line-up, making 510 PS and 505 lb-ft of torque. The Vantage AMR is offered a manual transmission as well.
For the upcoming V12 Vantage, Aston has not revealed a single detail about the car, not even a sketch as yet. However, evidently the bigger 5.2-liter, twin-turbo V12 would be handed down by its elder siblings — the DB11 and DBS Superleggera.
As the engine produces different power numbers for either models. We cross our fingers and hope it is tuned to the full bore 715 hp with the hairy-chested 664 lb-ft as the V12 Vantage rightfully should be. It is likely to use the ZF 8-speed automatic, rather than the Mercedes sourced 9-speed transmission.
If expectations aren’t high enough, we believe some styling elements of the V12 Speedster could trickle down to the V12 Vantage as well. Like its predecessor, the V12 model would feature some aggressive styling cues. Prototype images reveal it would include a revised front grille, larger exhaust outlets, additional air-intakes, and a power bulge on the hood to accommodate the bigger V12 engine.
It is heartbreaking to know that it will be the final V12 Vantage ever before it gets electrified in the future. But it is better to be thankful that we still have one more generation of a thoroughbred Vantage to drive off into the sunset.
Lead Image Source: Autocar