Wednesday 4th October 2006

Prodrive offers Aston rally car

Joint development with Aston Martin

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Aston Martin Rally GT

Independent rally teams will soon be able to compete in the world’s most exclusive rally car, the Aston Martin Rally GT. The new car has been developed by Aston Martin Racing, a partnership between Prodrive and Aston Martin.

The Rally GT is based on the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, but extensively re-engineered by Prodrive. The motorsport specialist has combined its experience of running the Aston Martin DBR9s in international sports car racing with more than 20 years of rallying experience, to create this new car. As part of its development programme, the Rally GT has already competed in three French Rally Championship events, coming second in the Series GT class on its debut at the Lyon to Charbonniers Rally.

As with the DBR9, the Rally GT uses a standard road car chassis which is fitted with a Prodrive-designed roll cage for safety and increased torsional rigidity. The engine is closely based on the all alloy road car 4.3 litre V8 unit but has been tuned to make it more flexible and responsive for the demands of rallying.

The suspension on the Rally GT carries over the road car’s wishbones, but has new competition Eibach springs and three-way adjustable EXE-TC dampers. The standard road car transmission is kept on the rally car, but this can be upgraded to a six-speed, close ratio dog engagement gearbox, developed specifically for the Rally GT.

A limited number of Rally GTs will be produced by Aston Martin Racing and the first cars will be available at the end of 2006.

Technical Specification

Engine

• Type: All alloy V8 quad-cam
• Capacity: 4300cc
• Power: 420bhp (estimated)
• Torque: 302lb-ft (estimated)
• Exhaust: Competition exhaust

Transmission/suspension

• Gearbox: 6 speed trans-axle with limited slip differential
• Ratios: Close ratio dog box (option)
• Clutch: AP centre plate
• Front: 3 way adjustable dampers, Eibach springs
• Rear: 3 way adjustable dampers, Eibach springs

Brakes

• Front: Ventilated discs - 355mm
• Rear: Ventilated discs - 330mm
• Handbrake: Hydraulic

Wheels

• Front: 18-inch x 8.5-inch
• Rear: 18-inch x 9.5-inch

Dimensions

• Front track: 1568mm
• Rear track: 1562mm
• Length: 4382mm
• Wheelbase: 2600mm

[craploginname]

hardly the most nimble chassis to base a rally car on is it?

[oppressed mass]

Nice lipstick, I went out with a girl that looked like that once (briefly)

[DavidCane]

I've checked the date and it's not April 1st.....what gives?

[the dodger]

oppressed mass said:

Nice lipstick, I went out with a girl that looked like that once (briefly)

...green face? Did you make her sick?

[dvs_dave]

So aside from some different springs and dampers, a roll cage and some silly paint its a standard AMV8.

Wow, Prodrive have really pulled out all the stops!

Oh, I forgot the gearbox option

[R998]

It probably wont win any rallies, however it will be a crowd favourite with RWD drift action, V8 sound and the novelty of seeing an proper car amongst the souped up shopping trolleys. Bit like that Porsche GT3.

[marctroy]

So I guess a carbon-fiber picnic basket is in the making....

[FourWheelDrift]

R998 said:

It probably wont win any rallies, however it will be a crowd favourite with RWD drift action, V8 sound and the novelty of seeing an proper car amongst the souped up shopping trolleys. Bit like that Porsche GT3.

It's not a WRC rally car and neither will it be legal for any WRC events (breaks the engine rules to start with) so it won't compete against 2litre turbo 4wd Subarus/Mitsubishi/Citreon/Ford and the rest. It'll probably compete in other more open rules national rally series. Tarmac events only maybe.

[FourWheelDrift]

grant3 said:

As an off shoot of this project Prodrive will be offering various upgrades for the road going AMV8, should be interesting once details and prices are unveiled.
But this gives an idea with 420bhp, an extra 40 horses, very interesting, lets hope:
A: The price is reasonable &
B: It is still covered by Astons standard warranty?
No doubt the next couple of months will see full details reveiled!!

[W333]

To whomever said it would be nice seeing a "proper car" amongst the souped up shopping trolleys... those hatchbacks are serious pieces of kit, I certainly wouldn't say they weren't proper cars.

[hussein]

Think of the stone chips!

[rallycol]

Theres one already being used by Dave Appleby,the 6R4 specialist.

[GHW]

We saw a couple on the Morzine-Mont Blanc this year when we were on an MTB holiday. They were in the same class as a handful of Porsche GT3s. They sounded awesome

I think both blew their gearboxes and failed to finish...

[MDG]

Some pictures:

http://rally.racing-live.com/wrc/phot
http://rally.racing-live.com/wrc/phot
http://rally.racing-live.com/wrc/phot
http://rally.racing-live.com/wrc/phot

And some vids:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vEzSUke3MI
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZOjLkRWt4I

Me likes it a lot!

MDG.

[Nic Jones]

I know David Appleby has used it on one event this season I don't remember where but it was somewhere in wiltshire I think (Wugging Stages perhaps?) and from whay I heard it's pretty damn quick, finished in the top ten I think bearing in mind he had never driven the car before in anger and only had it on loan from Prodrive so was on paiin of death not to break it.

Sounds awesome and looks awesome and it would be great to see one on a few more events this year.

As for the souped up shopping trolley comment have you ever looked inside one of them or seen the amount of preperation that some people have put into building them?
These are peoples p&j's doing what they love often on a self funded slim budget, don't be so disrespectful to other people's cars.

[hog 1]

Dave used it on the Azimghur Stages that he sponsored and finished 6th I think but I heard there was not many cogs left in the g/box at the end.

[cardigankid]

So the interior has been ed with a bloody great roll cage and we've got a set of Eibach springs similar to what I could buy in LoonyExhausts in Dennistoun, and they have got the output up to 420 bhp, still less than what it should have started with. And how much are we expected to pay for this old bollox?

[AM V8]

Wait a minute...Is this car going into sale???

[scoobiewrx]

These rally Astons remind me of the sportcars that used to enter the Monte Carlo Rally back in the 50's and 60's. It would seem that even these days it's possible to take an out and out luxury GT Racer and turn it into a mud and gravel plugger. Looks a bit big and heavy though to do a proper rally like the WRC series. I bet the renaults, fords, Skodas and scoobies would run rings around it on a proper rally stage.

[Beej]

In amongst the various entries on this thread there are some truths, some myths, some badly informed misinformation and some astonishingly aggressive attitudes..

why shouldn't a suitably rich car nut want to go up against the GT3s in the French/Belgian tarmac rallies?

why shouldn't an AMV8 make a very successful alternative to a Porsche? Its got much better weight distribution for a start. Contrary to expectations, once its stripped out, its close to the class minimum weight limit. There have been some issues with the gear selector (not the gears themselves) but that apart, it has already proved a very good car. Surely there is something very positive to be gleaned from having a lot of relatively standard parts proving themselves in motorsport - it says a lot for the car that the engine is absolutely standard apart from a remap.

Please don't be so negative folks. This car is a good thing, even if its not everyone's cup of tea.