The first prototype of the 2024 Aston Martin Vantage was recently spied undergoing testing near the most famous race track in the world, the Nurburgring. While the 2-seat exotic was heavily covered in camouflage, several important details were visible, meaning accurate renderings can be produced.
The current generation Vantage Coupe was revealed in November 2017 and entered production the following year. It was followed by several other models, including the AMR, 007 Edition, and the all-important Vantage Roadster in 2020. They are still stepping up their game with the V12 Vantage Roadster, shown in 2022 at Pebble Beach.
The most noticeable change that you can see in these renderings by Kolesa will be at the front, where they are completely redesigning the headlights. They used to be narrow and horizontal, but are now being pushed back towards the windshield. It’s the exact opposite of the Jaguar F-Type facelift.
The outline of these new headlights is exactly the same as the little-known DBR22 speedster model. They are also changing the hood from a large clamshell to a more conventional design, which allows designers to revise the profile of the car.
The new grille is a continuation of the larger GT car which just came out, the DB12. It’s a much more classic shape, tied up with a carbon fiber chin splitter that ties in with the DBX. Changes around the back are much more subtle, but revisions are obviously going to be made to the diffuser, taillights, and exhaust tip. Also, the rendering is being shown here with a new 7-spoke alloy wheel design.
Little is known about what’s under the hood. The normal V8 Vantage makes use of 4.0-liter twin-turbo motor taken from Mercedes-AMG which produces either 503 or 428 horsepower and 505 pound-feet of torque. There is also the much more exotic V12 version available in several rare iterations with about 700 hp.
If the DB12 is any indication, downsizing is happening. That bigger 2+2 GT now only uses the AMG 4.0-liter because the output has nearly reached that of the older V12: 671 horsepower and 590 pound-feet. They’re using bigger turbo and sportier cams. We believe that if the 2024 Vanage can make about 550 hp, customers will be very happy.
So they probably won’t make any V12 models because the 5.2-liter is being pulled from production. But what about downsizing? Well, for many years, rumors talked about an inline-6 Vantage with the same 430 engine as a CLS 53, which is hybridized. They actually did put that engine into the DBX crossover, but only for the Chinese market.
The actual improvements are happening in the gearbox department. Aston Martin now has a new 8-speed automatic ZF transaxle gearbox at the back, as well as the company’s first electronically controlled locking diff. With the DB12, they are promising to focus on handling and fun rather than outright performance.
Aston Martin finally has touchscreens
While the exterior feels like an evolution of the old V8 Vantage, which it is, the interior is completely different. We believe they will use many of the features developed for the DB12 because they are so expensive to make. As you can see from the photo, everything is new: steering wheel, dashboard, console, and infotainment.
The layout is vaguely reminiscent of the Porsche 911, which is always the sports car benchmark. Similar to the German car, Aston now has a toggle-like shifter and a rectangular 10.25-inch infotainment laid back into the dash instead of the tablets which Mercedes used to make last decade. We believe the steering wheel is based on the one used by the AMG (real and AMG Line) Mercedes models, but the Vantage uses fewer screens and gimmicks.
