Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS

For a car company, taking a large, powerful engine from one of its flagship products and shoehorning it into a smaller model to create an in-house hotrod is nothing new, but when that company is Aston Martin, the result is spectacular.

The main reason being, of course, that the raw materials are so much more appealing, in this case the Vantage Coupé and in place of its normal V8, a 6.0-litre V12 engine.

But rather than simply settling for the powerplant from a DB9, which itself is no slouch with 450bhp or even the new 510bhp DBS, Aston instead opted to adapt the V12 from the mighty DBRS9 racing car. Featuring dry sump lubrication, tuned length exhaust manifolds, forged pistons, steel con-rods, revised camshafts and modified cylinder heads, the result is a whopping 600bhp at 6,250rpm and a ground-trembling 510lb/ft of torque at 5,000rpm; explaining why the bonnet features more louvres than a venetian blind shop.

But rather than simply upping the power, Aston Martin also decided to make the standard Vantage shed some weight. Bonnet and bootlid are now carbon-fibre and brakes are carbon ceramic underneath lightweight wheels. Inside, sports seats save a few kilos as does a carbon-fibre centre console and slim-line door furniture, while the whole lot is clad not in leather as expected but lightweight alcantara. Also fitted are a front splitter and spoiler that rises out of the bootlid at speed while the car is finished in a stunning pearlescent blue paint which Aston has yet to name and will be inviting suggestions from the public. Email your suggestions to ampr@astonmartin.com.

All this work helps account for a kerb weight approaching the 1,500kg mark compared to the standard car's 1,630kg, a power-to-weight ratio of 375bhp per tonne and performance figures of 0-62mph in 4.0 seconds, 0-100mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 200mph. And it may be dubbed a concept but this is no wooden styling buck, but a genuine road car which Aston Martin says has covered many shakedown miles and is production ready, a tantalising prospect.

Unveiling the RS, Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez said: "We will listen with interest to feedback on this concept and, as ever, if there is sufficient demand then we will seriously consider a low volume production run in the near future with a price that will reflect the exclusivity of the car." In other words, if people like it, we'll build it and surely the public's reaction is a foregone conclusion so get your order in now. The car is likely to sit right at the top of the Aston Martin range so will cost in excess of the £160,000 DBS.

Less headline grabbing but certainly more important for Aston Martin's long-term plans was the simultaneous opening of its new Design Centre next to the Gaydon production facility. Designed by a local firm of architects, the Weedon Partnership, construction was overseen by Austrian firm Holzbau Saurer and has taken just six months. Aston Martins may produce the greenest cars in the world but at least the new building is. Largely constructed from spruce from sustainable forests it features ground water heating a roof planted with sedum for insulation while heating and cooling is provided for by a groundwater loop, making it 65% more efficient than a similar conventional building. We hope it is the birthplace of many more cars like the RS.

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