Aston Martin lifts the veil on the new Vantage GT4

The Family Aston Martin Racing version 2024 is finally complete! After the joint reveal of the AMR24 for Formula 1 and the Vantage GT3 forIMSA, WEC and the GT3 championships on February 12, the Gaydon brand revealed this Tuesday the new Vantage GT4 which will be available from 2024. This is based on the new iteration of the production Vantage, like the GT3.

“The new Vantage GT4 is a born winner, says Marco Mattiacci, director of brand and commercial at Aston Martin. Benefitting from the significant performance improvements of the sensational new road car, and developed in parallel with the Vantage GT3, the Vantage GT4 is a demonstration of the growing synergies between our road and race car programs. »

“It also allows us to establish an even closer link with Aston Martin partner teams, he adds. We currently have over 40 partners actively competing in GT, many of whom run multi-car and multi-class programs. This level of engagement underlines our commitment to all levels of motor racing and allows us to build closer ties with our community of fans and followers, many of whom have fallen in love with the brand through our success in racing sports cars and at Le Mans. »

Like the Vantage GT3, the new Vantage GT4 is designed, designed and built by Aston Martin Racing. It builds on the previous generation, which won several GT competition titles, and uses the developments applied to the new production car to obtain additional performance gains.

“The new Vantage GT4 is largely an evolution of the previous car, explains Adam Carter, head of the department Endurance of Aston Martin. Closer synergies between Aston Martin's road and race car programs have allowed AMR to capitalize on improvements to the new road-going Vantage to increase speed and efficiency, while retaining the core qualities that made the outgoing GT4 so popular with teams and drivers. »

In practical terms, this means that the Vantage GT4 shares around 80% of the production car's structural and mechanical architecture. The central element is the bonded aluminum chassis, which is fitted with a fully customized roll bar to meet rigorous safety requirements before the bodywork is attached.

An all-new electronic control on the Vantage GT4

The 8L twin-turbo V4.0 engine and transmission are both based on components from the production car. The main changes regarding the electronic control systems: the first uses a Bosch Motorsport ECU with bespoke software developed by AMR, while the second is installed with ZF/AMR Motorsport software to control the automatic transmission, which is otherwise series. The specific software "converts" the eight-speed transmission to a six-speed paddle-shift transmission without an automatic mode, by locking out the seventh and eighth gears, which are road overdrive ratios intended to save fuel at a cruising pace .

Visually, the Vantage GT4 closely resembles the design of the new production Vantage, with regulations only allowing minor changes to the road car's design. CFD was used to optimize the aerodynamic package of the GT4. This results in a larger front splitter and the addition of a new rear wing. This results in an increase in aerodynamic downforce and a reduction in drag compared to the previous generation.

Particular attention has also been paid to airflow management, particularly with regard to engine and brake cooling air. Both of these elements have benefited from the design of the new production Vantage, whose wider radiator opening allows an increase in the mass of air circulating in the engine's cooling system. The amount of air routed to the brakes has also increased significantly. Both of these improvements were achieved without disrupting airflow over the rear wing.

As with the GT3 version, the new Vantage GT4 made its competition debut even before its official presentation, during the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge on the sidelines of the 24 Hours of Daytona, last January. Production is now well underway, with a number of cars already in the hands of customer teams, and AMR is busy placing orders for more than 40 units during the 2024 season.

Gallery – Aston Martin Vantage GT4

(Photos: Aston Martin)

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