New Aston DB12 AMR spied Nordschleife testing

The last DB11 AMR was really good, the DB12 is great - time to get excited about an uprated one...

By Matt Bird / Tuesday, 8 April 2025 / Loading comments

Easy car to forget about, the old DB11 AMR. Not as powerful as the mighty DBS, not as agile as the lighter V8, and with the Lime Green paint sometimes applied a little too liberally. But as a big V12 Aston to drive, it was fab, retaining the standard car’s fine touring manners while also ramping up engagement. From £80k now, too. So the emergence of a DB12 Aston Martin Racing is a very exciting development, primarily as the base car is already better sorted than the old ‘11. The AMR uplift on a car as good as a DB12 promises an awful lot.

Power was never the main appeal of the old AMR, though given the DB11 went from 600hp to 639hp there’s probably going to be a smidge more for the ‘12. Especially given the tuneability of that 4.0-litre V8 engine and the proximity of the smaller, cheaper Vantage in the power stakes (665hp against 680hp for a standard DB12.) There’s a nice big gap between that and the 835hp Vanquish for the AMR to fill.

Chassis and aero will be overhauled also, as this prototype hints at. There’s a more prominent front splitter, a ride height that looks a tad lower (though that could simply be the demands of track driving), plus a drastically different rear end. Those following an AMR will have no difficulty telling it from a standard ‘12 thanks to the new vertically stacked exhaust (almost like it’s a Lexus F car), a meaner diffuser and a Vanquish-style boot lid spoiler. There’s going to be no shortage of AMR attitude.

Note as well the presence of a Volante AMR test car as well, a model not available in the DB11 era. Presumably there’s sufficient confidence in the new drop-top (it is very, very good to drive) that it can carry off the AMR badge convincingly. With ever more serious AMG SLs and Porsche 911 cabrios out there, it would feel like a missed opportunity for a soft top not to join the DB12 AMR family. Expect to see both shorn of their disguise later in the summer.

Images | Baldauf