New Aston Martin Vantage AMR arrives with a manual transmission
Aston Martin has just launched the Vantage AMR - a lighter, more track-oriented version of the standard Vantage. While the Vantage AMR gets the same engine, it gains special credentials as it gets a manual transmission, carbon-ceramic brakes and some special gearshift features.
By Divyank K. Bansal
Any track enthusiast will find the new Vantage AMR hard to resist as it gets lighter and more importantly, features a seven-speed manual gearbox, instead of the ZF 8-speed auto box.
The Aston Martin Vantage, already renowned for delivering blistering track performance, has been given another dose of excitement as the British marque has launched the Vantage AMR - a more hardcore, track-focused version of the standard Vantage. Well, what makes the Vantage AMR so hardcore? It has been equipped with a motorsport-inspired 7-speed manual transmission, developed by Graziano which features a 'dog leg' first gear, putting the second to seventh gears in a traditional 'double H' configuration. To give the driver maximum control on the track, the manual gearbox is further mated to a limited-slip differential.
The manual gearbox on the Vantage AMR also features something called the 'AMSHIFT', a system which mimics the heel-and-toe downshift technique. The system also allows the driver to perform full-throttle upshifts, in order to minimise the drop in acceleration.
While the standard ZF 8-speed auto box has been replaced by a manual unit, the heart of the Vantage AMR remains identical to the standard car - the 4-litre twin-turbo V8 - which pumps out an unchanged 503bhp and 625Nm of torque and propels the car from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds. As mentioned before, the Vantage AMR is lighter than the standard car, by 95kg, to be precise. The weight shedding comes as a result of the removal of the heavy automatic transmission unit and the fitment of lighter, carbon-ceramic brakes as standard.
While this is all good news for prospective buyers, what needs to be kept in mind is that Aston Martin will produce only 200 units of the Vantage AMR, out of which 141 will be available in either Sabiro Blue, Onyx Black, China Grey or White Stone. The remaining 59 units will be dedicated to the 'Vantage 59' specification, which celebrates Aston Martin’s triumphant 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans victory with the DBR1.
However, to keep purists happy, Aston Martin will offer a manual gearbox on the Vantage as an option from Q1 2020, following the sale of all 200 Vantage AMR units. Deliveries of Vantage AMR are slated to begin in the final quarter of 2019.
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