Revealed: Aston V8 Vantage GT2

We brought you news of the latest Aston Martin Vantage GT2 racer in January this year, and these are the official pictures. And according to Chief Executive Officer Dr Ulrich Bez, it’s already “showing great potential”.The new, 4.3-litre racer, which ran at a pre-season test at Paul Ricard last month, is unique in having been designed to run on either normal race fuel or environmentally friendly E85 bio-fuel. The introduction of the V8 Vantage to the GT2 class, alongside the GT1 DBR9, GT3 DBRS9 and GT4 Vantage N24 in the company’s already expansive racing stable, means Aston is now the only manufacturer with cars entered in every GT category.Chairman David Richards said, “Just three years ago we didn’t have a single Aston Martin racing car, so if you look at how far we have come in that short space of time it’s quite incredible.”The Vantage GT2, whose engine is said to produce around 480bhp, will compete in all three of the world’s major sportscar series: the American Le Mans Series, the FIA GT Championship and Le Mans Series. The car will make its make its competition debut for James Watt Automotive in the European Le Mans Series at Barcelona on 5 April.

James Taylor