Aston Martin’s proud GT racing legacy set to be continued by new Vantage GT4, slotting in below GT3 version
Hot on the heels of the recently revealed road car and GT3 race car, the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 has been introduced as a competitor in the production-based class for the 2024 season. Aston hopes the new car will pick up where its predecessor left off with a host of improvements inherited from its road-going sibling.
The new racer is designed and built entirely by Aston Martin Racing, the arm of the company that’s been in charge of its production-based racing efforts since the famously dominant DBR9. It made its racing debut last month at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, Florida, with some cars already delivered to customer teams.
Thanks to strict GT4 regulations, the new Vantage GT4 shares around 80 per cent of the road car’s structure and mechanicals, albeit with the addition of a comprehensive roll cage that’s fitted before the body panels in the production process. The racer has a 1,465kg dry weight, down 140kg on the road car.
Power comes from a the same AMG-derived twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 and ZF gearbox as the road car, with changes largely limited to electronics. The engine uses a bespoke Bosch Motorsport ECU tuned by AMR, while the gearbox gets AMR-tuned software which does away with auto mode and locks out seventh and eighth gears. Aston says the changes are intended to meet strict GT4 Balance of Performance rules and optimise gearshifts. The GT4 car also uses a motorsport-specific traction control system.
Crucially, while the production car makes a headline-grabbing 656bhp, the racing car makes 469bhp – although this figure can be upped where BoP regulations allow.
The standard car’s suspension is modified as per regulations to allow for greater camber adjustment and to suit mandated 18-inch wheels. New two-way KW dampers have also been fitted, developed with input from drivers of previous Vantage racing drivers.
Most exterior panels remain unchanged from the production car, but there are some changes. The bonnet is made from flax fibre composite and incorporates extra air outlets, while a larger front splitter and obligatory rear wing are some more obvious additions.
“The new Vantage GT4 is very much an evolution of the previous car,” said Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter. “Closer synergies between Aston Martin’s road and race car programmes have enabled AMR to capitalise upon improvements made to the new Vantage road car for increased speed and efficiency, while retaining the core qualities that made the outgoing GT4 so popular with teams and drivers.”
Chief Brand and Commercial Officer, Aston Martin Lagonda, Marco Mattiacci, is also enthusiastic about the new car’s upcoming exploits on track. “The introduction of the new Vantage GT4 also allows us to build an even deeper connection to Aston Martin’s partner teams,” he stated.
“We currently have more than 40 partners in active competition across the broad spectrum of global GT racing, many of whom are running multi-car, multi-class programmes. This level of engagement underlines our commitment to all levels of motorsport competition as well as building closer ties with our wider community of fans and followers, many of whom fell in love with the brand through our successes in sportscar racing and at Le Mans.”
