http://www.channel4.com/4car/news/news-story.jsp?news_id=15329
Aston Martin has revealed a rally version of the V8 Vantage that will be campaigned by independent teams. The Aston Martin Rally GT has been developed with help from Prodrive, the company that runs Subaru's World Rally team and Aston's own DBR9 racers.

The Rally GT has already taken part in three tarmac rallies in France as part of its development. Competing in the French Rally Championship, the Rally GT took second in class in the Lyon to Charbonniers Rally.

Based on a standard V8 Vantage, the Rally GT has uprated suspension with Eibach springs and EXE-TC shock absorbers. There's also a roll cage designed by Prodrive to improve safety and the bodyshell's stiffness. The 4.3-litre V8 has been tuned to produce 420bhp and 302lb ft of torque and drives through a standard six-speed manual gearbox, though this can be upgraded to a close-ratio 'box.

The first of the limited production of Aston Martin Rally GTs will be delivered to their owners towards the end of 2006
article continues below (http://www.channel4.com/4car/news/news-story.jsp?news_id=15329#article)

Hmmm... Strange... I really dont know if it will perform well. I still think Aston should head towards F1

First the Porsche and now this, which again shows us that the motoring is going dooooownhill.

I mean, Aston in rallying!?

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/2786/gdsfgfg7xu5ug2uqvj1.jpg

Aston rallying is a terrible idea. I just can't really imagine upmarket coupes being thrashed around, getting muddy, getting trashed on gravel roads. It's like Ferrari going Green Laning. It's not going to work.

Aston in F1 is one thing I can see. Lovely pearlescent greeny blue paint, lovely engine sound, running at the front (a long way off I know) but wouldn't that be awesome? And Jenson Button driving.....mmm.....delcious:)

Aww... well they can have some fun rallying. Good for them :p

Yeah they would probably have some fun, but if they don't get anything out of it, it's quite a lot of money down the drain.

Personally, i think its a pretty cool idea! WRC cars are insanely fast on e stages nowadays, but it's been awhile since we've last seen some proper sideways action. A RWD rally car with plenty of power should make for some interesting action, don't you think?

But i guess it's true that F1 racing would be more in line with Aston's image and branding.

I just wish that they develop another car specifacly for the rally, instead of getting the pretty Vantage dirty.

..... maybe it will be a good project to watch.

Tom, Porsche has been in rally since long time. they did really good before the GroupC era...

An aston covered in dirt and snow doesn't sound very appealing to me. Is it even going to be awd?

The Rally GT has already taken part in three tarmac rallies in France as part of its development. Competing in the French Rally Championship, the Rally GT took second in class in the Lyon to Charbonniers Rally.

that doesn't look bad ......

Ummm, no. It's fkkin cool, but I'd like it if Aston Martin developed a compact car to go rallying w/ AWD and that complies w/ the WRC restrictions such as a turbo'ed 2.0 liter engine.....

i know what u mean but i think they will not race in the WRC. Maybe in some smaller championship like the one the raced during testing....

yeah the idea of a rally v8 vantage is really cool. but theres no way you'd see one in the wrc. For starters, world rally cars must be based on original four seater cars with a production of at least 25,000. and it can't have an engine bigger than 2.0L. there's also a restriction on dimensions of the car, but i'm not sure where the v8 vantage sits in all that. Considering Ford's financial situation its unlikely that we'd see an aston martin that fits these criteria anytime soon!!

this was quite old you know...but still vewry strange but cool idea

this is big news and Ford bankrolling the project inspite of their financial difficulties?? But i thought rallying was for restricted 2 litre turboxcharged motors anyways can only be great news for ralling since factory participation came became so lil in 2006 season and Peugeot leaving for sports car racing

ford was planning to sell aston...and now aston goes rallying.what's happening???
isn't it too big to be a rally car...or too powerful to be a rally car.

Whoa...that would be great .
Aston martin going to rally...more competition . I'm sure Colin McRae still will win . Lolz...

Do you think Porsche will be joining soon ?

Hopefully. Lamborghini once entered in the '80s.

i wonder if ferrari, lamborgini and bugatti will follow suit

Hopefully.
Heres some more info:
http://www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/1181/

I suppose they have alreadycompeted in F1 & Le Mans, why not rallying...

Good point. If they are half as good in the rally as they are at making road going GTs, then they have nothing to worry about.

An aston covered in dirt and snow doesn't sound very appealing to me. Is it even going to be awd?
You do know rally can mean any type of timed racing. Not particularly off roading.



This sounds interesting, I can't wait to se results but I doubt its going to be amazing.

It should FWD. Much safer.

It just doesnt seem to fit with the Aston image.

And in their market image is 98% of their cars.

They are probably just using this as a stepping stone.

I agree. It was like when Bentley said that they will not make an SUV for the same reason.

this is big news and Ford bankrolling the project inspite of their financial difficulties?? But i thought rallying was for restricted 2 litre turboxcharged motors anyways can only be great news for ralling since factory participation came became so lil in 2006 season and Peugeot leaving for sports car racing

the 2.0L restriction is only in the WRC and probably some other rally championships. when they say aston martin is entering rallying it probably means they are competing in some other rally competition other than the WRC.

ford was planning to sell aston...and now aston goes rallying.what's happening???
isn't it too big to be a rally car...or too powerful to be a rally car.

Ford is holding on to aston for now but jaguar's future is less certain

Please don't double post in my thread.

Please don't double post in my thread.

Please don't double post in any thread!

That sounds better actually. Thanks.

Worst rally car ever.

^^ How do you know that, though, i mean until you see it race, no one can judge it.

If they get something competitive, I wouldn't mind seeing Petter Solberg or Matthew Wilson racing for them, right now Subaru aren't prorucing the goods for Petter, and Stobart VK Ford's Wilson will have more experience under his belt when/if Aston join the WRC.

i wonder if ferrari, lamborgini and bugatti will follow suit
i know ferrari would never they never like to see their cars dirty or damaged thats why they are in hardly any racing games where you can damage your car

^That's weird, because there is a Ferrari 360 Modena in TRD3 and you can smash it to pieces.

Oh wait, it's a Gembella 360 Spider...so I'm not sure if that counts as a Ferrari or not.

V8 engine, whaatt!! The only WRC classes i know are well WRC, J-WRC (FWD cars for new people) and P-WRC. Stock cars that have to follow N group rules, which i dont know about. What type of rally on earth would Aston be able to do? The WRC cars are ususally restricted to a turbo of some certian size and a 2L or less (for J-WRC). And with astons Rear wheel drive, that is going to be extreamly tricky, unless they develop a AWD system. On the N group blablabla it says it is "limited to 6 cylinders" I am still so confused. WHat is aston doing!

maybe dakar rally.they'll mod the suspension.increase ride height.strip the interior.add a bigger tank.i don't think this is going to wrc.lol.it just doesn't fit there.

V8 engine, whaatt!! The only WRC classes i know are well WRC, J-WRC (FWD cars for new people) and P-WRC. Stock cars that have to follow N group rules, which i dont know about. What type of rally on earth would Aston be able to do? The WRC cars are ususally restricted to a turbo of some certian size and a 2L or less (for J-WRC). And with astons Rear wheel drive, that is going to be extreamly tricky, unless they develop a AWD system. On the N group blablabla it says it is "limited to 6 cylinders" I am still so confused. WHat is aston doing!

There are more rallys then just WRC. Such as the Targa rallies in Australia and new Zealand. I'm there have been larger than 2 litre cars in that and they are held on road.

http://www.seriouswheels.com/top-2007-Aston-Martin-Racing-Rally-GT.htm More info.
Looks great and tuned by Prodrive (guys behind the Scooby WRC) - so probably quick too

There's also a road car. I wonder how much.

http://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=25278&view=findpost&p=681613

http://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=25278&view=findpost&p=682158

http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/index.php/IMMA_CHARGIN_MAH_LAZER

ROFLMFAO!!!!!!1111

I'm sorry, but I had to post it!......

lol jajajajajajajaja

As someone who has slid a Chrysler New Yorker around a dirt road in the rain; I think this is the PERFECT way to teach pedestrian auto-erotic magazine-flippers that there comes a time that FATARSE won't fly...

V8 engine, whaatt!! The only WRC classes i know are well WRC, J-WRC (FWD cars for new people) and P-WRC. Stock cars that have to follow N group rules, which i dont know about. What type of rally on earth would Aston be able to do? The WRC cars are ususally restricted to a turbo of some certian size and a 2L or less (for J-WRC). And with astons Rear wheel drive, that is going to be extreamly tricky, unless they develop a AWD system. On the N group blablabla it says it is "limited to 6 cylinders" I am still so confused. WHat is aston doing!


they could do just national championships there you can drive in anything you want if i'm correct.... At least i think that's the way its done in the netherlands....:-k


And i think its also only gonna be in tarmac rallies......

lol !! I can't believe some of you guys think it will be racing along Citroens, Subarus, Fords... in the World Rally Championship!!

It will be a 'limited' production, which will be in my opinion extremely limited, maxium 5 or 10.
The Aston will probably not even enter a championship. It will just compete in a few random rallys with tiny private teams.
It's a funny idea I guess, but I wouldn't expect anything too special out of the whole project.


Another info, is that they also made a race version of the V8 Vantage, which is "fit to take on the Nurburgring (spelling?) and the 24h of Le-Mans", but it still reamins road legal. Most of you probably knew that already but anyway...

here it is!!!

http://www.autoblog.nl/images/wp/Aston%20Martin%20Rally%20GT%20Prodrive_0 4.jpg

cool isnt it???

Is it ok to laugh hysterically at this concept? Because that's what I'm doing right now!

Factory authorized PS gives cred to FATARSE in rally thread. I quit before I crack a rib

Aston Martin + Rally = A BIG no no IMO....

HAHAHAH


Aston Marin + Rally =
http://www.wreckedexotics.com/vanquish/vanquish_20041021_001.jpg

Stoopid stoopids

REPOST!!!!
i did this ages ago

ok,
aston goes to le mans
aston goes rallying
aston and its money goes down the drain???

if only they'd make an f1 team and show renault whos boss

if only they'd make an f1 team and show renault whos boss

Well Aston Martin are owned by Ford, so after what happened with Jag Racing, I don't Ford are gonna get anywhere near F1. Not for a couple of decades anyway :P.

EDIT: Oh crap, I didn't realise this thread was that old..

This is Rally not for the Preety ones, Astons are not For rally, theyll just look like Rich people with fancy clothes,there just better looking alongside Bond007