Next year Aston Martin Racing has to say goodbye to the DBRS9 and replace it with this, the V12 Vantage GT3. So they need to make sure it’s up to the job.

The car has already gone under heavy testings covering 1000 km in two days. After all, this is an endurance racer, so extended testing of the car at competition speeds to ensure the longevity of all critical components.

The V12 GT3 needs to be good because it’s replacing a brilliant and very successful car. It features Aston Martin’s renowned bonded aluminium VH body structure and 6.0-litre V12 engine with the road-going V12 Vantage. Changes include a lightweight crankshaft, dry sump lubrication and new valve trains for even greater performance and reliability.

The 600bhp V12 powers the rear wheels via a carbon fibre propshaft, an Xtrac six-speed sequential transmission and limited slip differential. It also features six pot calipers at the front and four pot items at the rear, with ventilated discs. Suspension is double wishbone type with uniball bearings and two-way adjustable dampers front and rear.

But it’s real winning card is Aston’s six years of racing experience.

After two days behind the wheel, Turner said: “The car ran like clockwork throughout and we’ve managed really good mileage already. The feeling of the V12 Vantage GT3 is a massive step forward from the DBRS9. Being based on the smaller Vantage it is more responsive and feels more nimble, giving the driver plenty of confidence to extract all the performance from the V12 engine while also being light on its tyres. It isn’t too physical to drive and I didn’t even break into a sweat during the test!

“With the clean styling and the amazing sounding V12, it’s closer to the core values of Aston Martin’s road cars than any of the racing cars we’ve ever built. I’m certain it’ll become a favourite among motorsport fans in no time at all.”