Our favorite web-based car reviewer — now that Chris Harris has sold his soul to the BBC — Steve Sutcliffe has been driving around lately in the new Aston Martin Vantage GT8, trying to figure out why would anyone want to pay extra to get this hard-core version over the lovely V8S. His findings could help you make an informed decision if you are entertaining ideas about buying one of these.

And if you don’t have £165,000 lying around, you can just enjoy the spanking of Aston Martin Vantage GT8 in the hands of old boy Steve:

Basically a Vantage GTE race car for the streets, Aston Martin Vantage GT8 boasts a revised V8 engine with around 450 horsepower, mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed SportshiftTM II paddle-shift transmissions. Being a race-bred car, the GT8 is lighter (100 kg) and harder than the regular Vantage, and it looks a lot angrier as well. It has cutaway front wheelarches which are really cool and an aero kit with massive front splitter and rear wing. Despite all this motorsport-y stuff, the GT8 comes with air-conditioning, a 160w audio system and Aston Martin’s latest AMi III infotainment system ensures.