Pebble Beach 2014: Aston Martin reveals DP-100, Vantage GT

Aston Martin has ripped the covers off its DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo, the living version of the video game racer that now stars in the game of the same name.

The company also used the glamorous background of Monterey Car Week to unspool a fleet of its high-end luxury cars -- and one not-so-high-end.

If the DP-100 were more than a prototype, it would be equipped with a twin-turbo V12 engine capable of producing up to 800HP.

The model itself, shown for the first time at a private estate in the Monterey Hills, is fitted with dramatic LED rear taillight “pipes” and never-before-seen wheel cooling technology -- both design fantasies now, but patented and likely to appear in the future on some yet unseen Aston Martin car.

“No one has ever seen this before, because it didn’t exist,” said company lead designer Marek Reichman, standing over his creation. “But these technologies could very much be part of a future Aston Martin.”

Across a lawn from the futuristic Gran Turismo car was Aston Martin’s entry-level Vantage GT. Aston Martin’s new “more accessible” car, and unlike everything else in the English automaker’s collection, the Vantage GT retails for under $100,000.

The more affordable Aston Martin has 430 horsepower and features a torque-producing V-8 engine married to a manual six-speed transmission.

It is exactly like the racing GT4, said Aston Martin U.S. leader Julian Jenkins -- except nicer inside.

The car weighs about 800 pounds more than the track version because it’s luxurious, and features a leather interior, “memory” seats, rear view camera, and other modern conveniences.

Calling the model a “driver-focused package” that is track-tested, Jenkins said the first Vantage GTs, ordered by customers, are rolling off the assembly line now.

Prior to the invitation-only Thursday affair, the company had already taken advantage of the Monterey Car Week to trumpet the arrival of its 2015 V12 Vantage S Roadster.

Boasting a 565HP AM28 6.0-liter V-12 power plant, the Roadster gets from zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds and has a top speed of 201 mph, Aston Martin says.

The company calls the Roadster the “most potent, fastest and fastest-accelerating series production roadster” in its history, a natural successor to the V12 Vantage S Coupe launched in 2013.

The Vantage S comes in hardop and convertible versions, and a dazzling array of options and colors, including Concours Blue, Hammerhead Silver and, new for 2015, Divine Red.

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