New V12 Vantage S does 0-100 in 3.7 seconds, costs $184,995 in the US

OD Newsdesk Updated: June 25, 2013, 02:14 PM IST

"The new V12 Vantage S brings our winning GT3 race formula to the road," said Dr. Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin's CEO. "It's a car for those customers who want superior sporting performance in a 'gentleman's suit.' It's the most pure, yet understated, driving machine we can imagine today."

We're not sure the yellow Aston with the signature A-M exhaust bark will do much for your understated style, but there you go.

2013 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S

The core of the new V12 Vantage S is an evolution of the 6.0-litre V12 engine which sports hollow camshafts and CNC-machined combustion chambers, and makes 565PS/644Nm - an improvement of 50PS and nearly 50Nm over the outgoing Vantage V12. Helping put all that power to the ground is an FIA GT race car derived seven-speed automated manual transmission, which weighs nearly 25kg less than the conventional 6-speed manual transmission.

The outgoing Vantage V12 did the 0-100 run in 4.2 seconds and had a top whack of 305kmph. This new land-rocket takes a mere 3.7 seconds to bump 100kmph from standstill. This makes the new V12 Vantage S, Aston Martin's fastest road car apart from the One-77.

Power is delivered to the rear wheels via a new Sportshift III automated manual transmission, while the exhaust is derived from Aston Martin's very own supercar, the limited edition One-77.

The power steering is an electronically-controlled hydraulic system with a 15:1 ratio. It is in tune with the 3-stage adaptive damping system, with 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Track' functions. Each mode adjusts throttle response, gearshift speed, and timing, along with the exhaust note. It also gets titanium grille vanes within a CC100 Speedster Concept shell, 19-inch alloy wheels and black roof. On the inside, customers have the option of speccing their car with black pedals.

The Aston Martin V12 Vantage S is priced in the US at $184,995. The same costs £138,000 in the UK, 179,950 in Germany, $230,995 in Dubai and $389,300 (AUD) in Australia.