Aston Martin GT12 Racer Drag Races Vanquish Volante for the Glory of the V12

Lovecars' YouTube video also reminds us that Aston Martins are special cars, that they shouldn't be judged purely on the performance of their engines, but as pure expressions of driving joy. This is an element that's lacking in the world of automotive enthusiasts right now.

The Vanquish left Aston Martin's roster back in 2018 and is unlikely to return. It was based on the 3rd-generation VH platform and used more carbon fiber in its construction than the DBS that came before it. All versions came with a 5.9-liter V12 engine, but there were a few variations.

The car in the drag race is one of the later versions, which had the AM29 V12 boasting 603 horsepower for a 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) time of 3.5 seconds and a 201 mph top speed. The Volante had a full carbon-fiber body. While still relatively heavy, this is a featherweight compared to something like a BMW M8.

As you probably know, Aston Martin does a lot of racing. the green machine was supposed to celebrate that, and while Aston Martin lost the dispute with Porsche over calling it a GT3, we still think it's epic. Only 100 of these were made, and as far as we know, it's not technically the same V12 as in the other car.

The 5.9-liter makes slightly less power and torque, but the road racer has an even lower weight of 1,565 kg (3,450 lb). On paper, the GT12 should lose for some reason, but as Tiff Needell argues at the beginning of this video, anything can happen in the real world.

At the end of a very tight race, the green GT12 crosses the finish line ahead by a nose. It would have been shameful to lose to a convertible, even one that was bred in the same stables.