Remember last year when Aston Martin completed the Nürburgring 24 Hours with pretty much a showroom stock V8 Vantage driven by the company's CEO, Ulrich Bez, and three other professional drivers? They finished 24th overall out of a field of 220 entrants, most of which were pure race cars. Well, Bez decided at that time to let customers in on the fun. He greenlighted a similar package for customer Vantages soon after and, true to his word, released the
N24 spec V8 Vantage. The N24 is 550 lbs. lighter than the standard Vantage and packs an extra 30 hp, as well. We surmised that the V8 Vantage N24 would make an excellent track day car for club racers, as well as being a capable racer for various series. Well, the lucky souls who have taken AM up on the offer and plunked down the $152,350 entry fee were recently given a special treat.
On April 24, they were taken to the Nordschleife to see what the cars can do. Besides having a lot of fun, they were also made privy to a bit of motorsports news from Aston Martin. Aston Martin will enter two N24 cars at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, where they'll be joined by a customer N24 team and a specially developed DBRS9, run by Phoenix Racing and Aston Martin Austria. Bez will again be one of the drivers for AM and will be joined by Chris Porritt (Aston Martin Vehicle Dynamics Manager), Wolfgang Schuhbauer (Aston Martin Development Engineer) and Horst von Saurma (Editor of Sport Auto). One big change this year is that the N24 will feature Aston Martin's new Sportshift transmission. That should make lapping the Green Hell a little easier with some 60 gearshifts per lap.
Follow the jump for the full release.
[Source: Aston Martin]
Press Release:
Record Aston Martin entry for Nürburgring 24-hour endurance raceAt an exclusive Aston Martin track day for V8 Vantage N24 customers held at the Nordschleife on 24 April, Aston Martin announced exciting plans for this year's ADAC 24-hour Nürburgring endurance race, to be held over 9 -10 June.
Following last year's success with a near production standard V8 Vantage, the Aston Martin team will be returning to the gruelling German circuit with an added presence, forming one half of an epic week of endurance racing for the marque.
Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez, said: "Aston Martin has always been associated with endurance racing and June will be a very exciting month starting with the Nürburgring 24-hour race followed by Le Mans a week later.
"Our motorsport strategy has always been to get many Aston Martins competing in races all over the world and this week in June will see that plan further realised."
Aston Martin will enter two N24 cars at the Nürburgring, which will be joined by a customer N24 team and a specially developed DBRS9, run by Phoenix Racing and Aston Martin Austria.
Head of Product Communications and Motorsport, David King commented: "Achieving 24th position from 220 entrants with a near standard car at the Nürburgring last year was a great way to demonstrate the capabilities of the V8 Vantage. This year we are delighted to offer our customers the opportunity to join us in the race."
Dirk Theimann, Team Manager Phoenix Racing said: "This race combines an electric atmosphere with probably the most demanding circuit in the world – there's nothing like it. The DBRS9 will add glamour and excitement for the spectators."
The DBRS9 will feature a vastly experienced driver line-up comprising three times
Le Mans winner Klaus Ludwig (Germany), Marcel Fässler (Switzerland), Robert Lechner (Austria) and Sascha Bert (Germany).
Aston Martin's own N24 Vantage will once again be piloted by Dr Ulrich Bez, Chris Porritt (Aston Martin Vehicle Dynamics Manager), Wolfgang Schuhbauer (Aston Martin Development Engineer) and Horst von Saurma (Editor of Sport Auto) and this year will feature Aston Martin's new Sportshift transmission, which was launched as an option on V8 Vantage earlier this year.
"Sportshift will lend itself perfectly to the driving conditions of the Nordschleife - with over 60 gear changes per lap – it will provide for faster shifts with less effort required by the driver," said Chris Porritt.
The Vantage N24 is based on a standard European specification production V8 Vantage, with modifications undertaken to prepare the car for the competitive racing environment. The car is fastidiously hand built in a dedicated facility within Aston Martin's Gaydon headquarters. Prices start at £78,720 plus local taxes and delivery.
The Aston Martin Racing DBRS9 is currently starring in the FIA GT3 series and several national GT championships. The DBRS9 is based on the DB9 road car, but shares many design features with the full GT1 specification DBR9. The DBRS9 starts at £175,000 plus options and taxes and is built to order at Aston Martin Racing's headquarters in Banbury, UK.
