Track to Tarmac: Aston Martin Debuts AMR Performance Sub-Brand with Two

–

Aston Martin is well-known for its beautiful sports cars, its supercars, and its racing program. Now, the British automaker is bringing these ideas together in the form of a new performance sub-brand called Aston Martin AMR. At an exclusive preview ahead of its big reveal, Aston’s creative director of exterior design, Miles Nurnberger, walked Car and Driver through the plan at Aston’s U.K. design studio, including two new concepts to kick off AMR.

–

“We’re going through a state of widening our vocabulary in how Aston Martin expresses itself,” Nurnberger tells us. “You see the cars we’ve put out there [recently]—GT8, GT12, Vulcan—what we’ve learned is that there’s a desire to see what we do on track, on the road. ‘Track to tarmac.’ This is especially true with GT8 and GT12, which are more accessible.”

–

Nurnberger says while Aston was already creating cars with this ethos, there was no overlying strategy. AMR changes that. Aston CEO Andy Palmer has confirmed that every core model in Aston’s lineup will receive a production AMR version. Palmer says the GT8 and GT12 demonstrated that some Aston loyalists “love raw, race-bred models, but we also knew there was an opportunity to create cars that offer a sharper performance focus but stop short of those truly hard-core, special series models.”

–

Marek Reichman, Aston’s chief creative officer, says AMR was the next logical step, after sportier versions of some of its cars sold out. “Each time we have pushed the boundaries and done something extreme, the customers have loved the cars.” Reichman sees AMR as an opportunity to dial up the “sporting DNA” and make a statement using GT race car technology for the road. “They will be special and rare cars that are credible, thrilling to drive, and hugely desirable to own.”

–

Vantage AMR Pro and Rapide AMR

–

There will be two levels of the new brand: AMR and AMR Pro. Pro models will be more aggressive and more focused, with additional lightweighting, carbon-fiber and wide-body treatments, and new aerodynamics worked into the car. Aston’s stand at this year’s Geneva show is an impressive sight with its forthcoming Valkyrie hypercar—an aerodynamic wonder formerly known as the AM-RB 001—and the new Vantage AMR Pro and Rapide AMR concepts, all wearing AMR’s signature Stirling Green color with neon-green accents.

–

The Vantage AMR Pro is an extreme, track-only number powered by Aston Martin Racing’s 500-hp GT4 V-8 engine. It boasts a race-tuned suspension and competition engine and transmission mounts, and it rides on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires wrapped around new center-lock wheels measuring 19-by-9.5 inches up front and 19-by-11.5 inches at the rear, which should deliver massive amounts of grip for the most powerful V8 Vantage ever.

–

The styling is influenced by motorsports as well. The Vantage AMR Pro takes its colors from Aston Martin Racing’s V8 Vantage GTE race car and employs the same hood and rear wing as that World Endurance Championship car. The Pro gets a new front end incorporating a fascia with a striking, full-height grille; a wider front track; new fenders; and an aggressive splitter. It also has unique side sills and a reworked rear diffuser.

–

The interior features abundant carbon fiber, dark microsuede upholstery with bright-green accents, and a custom roll cage created by Q by Aston Martin. “We’ve stripped as much as we could, but in the end, it adds up to being the most luxurious race car you’ve ever sat in,” Nurnberger says. “It’s not full-on rawness, because you’ve got that comfort and quality of materials.” Aston says it will make no more than seven Vantage AMR Pro cars, emphasizing how rare they’ll be.

–

Nurnberger describes the Rapide AMR, and indeed all future non-Pro AMR models, as “pretty hard-core themselves, but less of the car you’d take on the track [and more one for] an environment like the autobahn.” The Rapide AMR will feature a 592-hp version of Aston’s 5.9-liter V-12 engine and a new quad-tip exhaust, as well as a top speed of 210 mph. Riding on 21-inch wheels, it also sports the new full-height grille, a front splitter, and revised side sills and rear diffuser, and it also gets a lip spoiler at the rear for additional downforce.

–

Inside, the Rapide AMR sees extensive use of carbon fiber, with the material applied to the front seat shells, the center console, and the door panels. More dark microfiber and green trim is on display here, too. Aston says it will build just 210 examples of the Rapide AMR.

–

Ride of the Valkyrie: Aston and Red Bull Co-Op Hypercar Gets a Name

–

2018 Aston Martin Vantage Spied: Getting an Aluminum Advantage

–

RBR Editions Give Aston’s Vantage Wings (Not Really, But They Look Rad)

–

Development of all AMR core models will be handled by the central vehicle engineering teams, although Pro models will be the province of Q by Aston Martin Advanced Operations and managed by the company’s head of special ops, David King, who recently led development of the Vulcan, the GT8, and the GT12. AMR’s European development and brand center will be based at Aston’s Nürburgring test center.

–