Ad-Vantage Aston Martin

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There’s no real reason for running a pic of this car. At the moment, it’s merely a concept -- a twinkle in the eyes of Aston Martin lovers everywhere. But it’s just so darn gorgeous that it cannot be ignored. Oh, and it has a 600-horsepower, 6.0-liter V-12 engine beneath its lightweight carbon-fiber hood.

This is the Aston Martin V-12 Vantage RS. It’s based on the smallest car that AM makes, the highly acclaimed Vantage -- about the size of a Porsche 911. Normally, the Vantage has a perfectly wonderful 380-hp, 4.3-liter V-8. But Aston has a way with V-12s -- just hearing the old V-12 Vanquish accelerate down the road was enough to send spines tingling.

As well as paying attention to power, Aston also focused on keeping weight down -- this car checks in at just 3,520 pounds. That’s thanks to carbon-fiber body parts and things like carbon-ceramic brake rotors. Aston has also had some racing success, mainly in series that don’t get televised or are shown on the Speed channel at odd times. Nevertheless, experience gained from the track has made its way into the Vantage RS -- an impressive specific output of 100 hp per liter is testament to that. So are the little rear spoiler and dry-sump lubrication system.

If there is sufficient interest, Aston Martin will consider a low-volume run, with a price that reflects such exclusivity. In the meantime, this is another statement of intent from Aston that it aims to be the “ultimate independent luxury sports car company.”

-- Colin Ryan