Tuesday, 27 February 2024, Gaydon, UK: Following the recent successful introduction of the new Vantage road car and Vantage GT3 race car, Aston Martin is proud to introduce the new Vantage GT4. Aimed at partner racing teams and serious circuit driving enthusiasts, Vantage GT4 completes Aston Martin’s formidable GT line-up and underlines the brand’s commitment to motorsport, from track days through to Formula One®.
Building upon the outgoing Vantage GT4’s exceptional record of achievement, the new Vantage GT4 will be an immediate force in GT racing’s junior categories. Benefitting from the performance and technology improvements seen in the newly unveiled Vantage road car, this latest version of the Vantage GT4 brings a host of chassis, aerodynamic, drivetrain and efficiency improvements to make Aston Martin’s newest challenger more competitive than ever.
Speaking of the newest addition to Aston Martin’s GT racing line-up, Chief Brand and Commercial Officer, Aston Martin Lagonda, Marco Mattiacci said: “The new Vantage GT4 is a born winner. Benefitting from the significant performance improvements seen in the sensational new Vantage road car, and developed in parallel with the Vantage GT3, the Vantage GT4 is a demonstration of the increasing synergies between our road and race car programmes; class-leading power and technology on the road translating into race-winning pace on the track.
“The introduction of the new Vantage GT4 also allows us to build an even deeper connection to Aston Martin’s partner teams. 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.”
Like the Vantage GT3, the new Vantage GT4 is designed, engineered and built by Aston Martin Racing (AMR). The official GT racing partner of Aston Martin since 2005, AMR is responsible for every production-based Aston Martin GT race car since the legendary DBR9. This invaluable continuity and unrivalled depth of knowledge has fed directly into the Vantage GT4 programme.
The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 programme builds upon the hugely successful and multiple title-winning outgoing GT4 racer, using developments applied to the new Vantage road car to achieve further performance gains in the latest generation race car.
“The new Vantage GT4 is very much an evolution of the previous car,” explains 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.”
Strict regulations mean the GT4 Vantage remains very close to its production sibling, with the race car sharing around 80 per cent of the road car’s structural and mechanical architecture. Central to this is the bonded aluminium chassis, which is fitted with a full custom roll cage to comply with stringent safety requirements before the bodywork is attached.
The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine and transmission are both based on the Vantage road car components, the primary changes being to the electronic control systems; the former running a Bosch Motorsport ECU with bespoke software developed by AMR; the latter installed with ZF/AMR Motorsport software to control the otherwise production standard automatic transmission. The bespoke software ‘converts’ the eight-speed transmission into a six-speed paddle shift without an auto mode, locking-out the seventh and eighth gears which are road-going overdrive ratios fitted for fuel economy at cruising speeds.
Changes to the electronic systems are made primarily to ensure precise control of the engine’s management and turbo control systems to meet strict Balance of Performance criteria defined by GT4 championship organisers. They are also employed to optimise gearshifts and run motorsport-specific traction control. The Vantage GT4 cockpit also features the latest Bosch DDU 11 display, which replaces the road car’s instrument visuals.
Chassis modifications are also driven by regulations. Inboard suspension mounting points remain the same as the production road car’s, with some permitted changes to suspension linkages. This is to provide the correct camber range for a racing application, and to suit the mandated 18” diameter wheel and tyre package, which is significantly smaller than the 21” wheels fitted to the new road car. The Vantage GT4 uses new bespoke forged aluminium wheels to AMR’s specification.
A highlight of the dynamic package are new two-way adjustable KW dampers, supplied as part of AMR’s wider technical partnership with the renowned suspension manufacturer. Based on extensive feedback from drivers over the past six years, the new car has been developed to inspire an increased feeling of precision and control through its driving dynamics, while maintaining the same vital driver-friendly traits and exploitability that made the previous Vantage GT4 such a popular race car among its driver-base.
Visually the Vantage GT4 closely resembles the stunning design of the new Vantage, with regulations permitting only modest changes from the road car design. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) were used to optimise the GT4’s aerodynamic package. Input from Aston Martin’s Design department ensure these changes are perfectly integrated into the final design.
The majority of the Vantage GT4’s body panels are standard production items. The exception being the bonnet, which allows for the incorporation of air outlets and is made from a sustainable natural flax fibre composite, with stiffening via a cork core material. GT4 regulations also allow limited aerodynamic changes. In the case of the new Vantage GT4 this means a larger front splitter and the addition of a new rear wing. The result is an increase in downforce and a reduction in drag compared to the previous Vantage GT4.
Attention has also been paid to airflow management, specifically cooling air to the engine and brakes. Both have benefitted from the design of the new Vantage; its larger radiator aperture allowing for greater mass of air flowing through the engine’s cooling system. There is also a significant increase in ducted air to the brakes. Crucially both these gains have been achieved without disturbing airflow over the rear wing.
After completing an exhaustive development programme the new Vantage GT4 made its international racing debut in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge event during last month’s Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona meeting, in Florida, USA. Production is now well underway, with a number of cars already in the hands of customer teams, and AMR busy building orders for more than 40 units during the 2024 season.
Through its various iterations since arriving on the world stage in 2009, the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 has been a consistent class-winner in GT series and endurance events around the world. Since its launch in 2018 the outgoing generation of Vantage GT4 has gained an increasingly impressive reputation; a fact reflected in the number of teams who have chosen to run them in countless international endurance races, national GT series, domestic club racing events and trackdays.
By carrying that momentum and building on its legacy, the new Vantage GT4 is the go-to-choice for professional racers and amateur enthusiasts alike, providing a fast, reliable and exploitable package with which teams and drivers can challenge for victory.
