AMR Vantages bring Aston's skunkworks arm to the road

Launched in a flourish of Stirling Green paint, vivid Lime Green accents and a Union Flag-enamelled AML wings badge, say hi to the Vantage AMR. 

Okay so it’s essentially a run-out special edition but it is also the first of the AMR Astons, a new line of “race inspired” road cars, the idea for which first surfaced at the Geneva show this year. This is the first time we have seen cars with AMR treadplates.

They are all Vantages in a limited edition of 300: there will be 100 V12s and 200 V8s, and all said to be inspired by last year’s World Endurance Championship-winning Vantage GTE of Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen. Well, at least the paint job is. The green/lime green paint job is part of the Halo Pack and based on the look of their race car.

Other colour schemes are available: Stratus White with an orange graphic; Ultramarine Black with blue graphic; Zaffre Blue with red graphic; and Scintilla Silver with grey graphic. Each is matched to a special interior colour scheme, with leather and alcantara for coupe versions and all-leather for the roadsters. 

In terms of mechanical changes, there’s only one we can see: an extra 30bhp for the V12, taking power to 595bhp. The V8 stays at 430bhp, while both engines are available with manual or auto gearboxes.

The V8 Vantage AMR costs from £98,000 in the UK – a premium of £3,000 – and the more potent V12 AMR £149,000, an increase of £11,000. 

Customisation options beyond this are extensive, with carbon-fibre lightweight seats, carbon body and interior parts, three different finishes for the AMR wheels, an AMR Aero Kit produced in partnership with Aston Martin Racing, and AMR titanium exhaust all on the options list.